influxdata · jstirnaman · Sep 3, 2026 · Sep 3, 2026 · Sep 4, 2026 · Sep 16, 2026
@@ -0,0 +1,207 @@
+---
+title: Use the integrated InfluxDB 3 Explorer UI
+list_title: InfluxDB 3 Explorer
+description: >
+  Serve the InfluxDB 3 Explorer web UI directly from your
+  {{< product-name >}} server. Starting with v3.11, Explorer ships inside the
+  Enterprise binary as a WebAssembly (WASM) guest, so you don't run a separate
+  container.
+menu:
+  influxdb3_enterprise:
+    parent: Visualize data
+    name: Use InfluxDB 3 Explorer
+    identifier: visualize-with-explorer
+weight: 100
+metadata: [InfluxDB 3 Enterprise v3.11+]
+related:
+  - /influxdb3/enterprise/reference/config-options/#mode
+  - /influxdb3/enterprise/reference/config-options/#web-ui
+  - /influxdb3/explorer/, InfluxDB 3 Explorer documentation
+---
+
+Starting with {{% product-name %}} v3.11, the
+[InfluxDB 3 Explorer](/influxdb3/explorer/) web UI ships inside the Enterprise
+binary as a [WebAssembly](https://webassembly.org/) (WASM) guest that the
+server hosts in-process behind a
+[WASI](https://wasi.dev/) sandbox.
+To serve Explorer from your server, add the `webui` mode when you start the
+server.
+You don't need to run the Explorer Docker container alongside InfluxDB.
+
+Explorer isn't enabled by default.
+The `all` mode doesn't include `webui`, so name `webui` explicitly--for
+example, `--mode all,webui`.
+
+- [Before you begin](#before-you-begin)
+- [Check your version](#check-your-version)
+- [Start the server with Explorer enabled](#start-the-server-with-explorer-enabled)
+- [Connect Explorer to your server](#connect-explorer-to-your-server)
+- [Manage the session secret](#manage-the-session-secret)
+- [Explorer application data](#explorer-application-data)
+- [Enable AI chat](#enable-ai-chat)
+- [Choose between integrated and containerized Explorer](#choose-between-integrated-and-containerized-explorer)
+
+## Before you begin
+
+To serve Explorer from your server, you need the following:
+
+- {{% product-name %}} v3.11 or later.
+  For earlier releases, run the
+  [Explorer Docker container](/influxdb3/explorer/install/).
+- A session secret.
+  {{% product-name %}} requires
+  [`--webui-session-secret`](/influxdb3/enterprise/reference/config-options/#webui-session-secret)
+  whenever `webui` mode is enabled, and doesn't start without it.
+- A plugin directory.
+  Pass the directory to
+  [`--plugin-dir`](/influxdb3/enterprise/reference/config-options/#plugin-dir)
+  and create it before you start the server.
+
+## Check your version
+
+Explorer availability depends on the InfluxDB 3 server version and edition, not
+on the Explorer version alone.
+Use either of the following checks.
+
+To check the version of a local binary:
+
+```bash
+influxdb3 --version
+```
+
+To check the version and edition of a running server, send a `GET` request to
+the `/ping` endpoint:
+
+```sh
+curl --get "http://localhost:8181/ping" \
+  --header "Authorization: Bearer AUTH_TOKEN"
+```
+
+The response headers include `x-influxdb-version` and `x-influxdb-build`.
+`x-influxdb-build` reports `Core` or `Enterprise`, so one request answers both
+the version question and the edition question.
+Use `GET`; a `HEAD` request returns `404`.
+
+## Start the server with Explorer enabled
+
+1. Create the plugin directory:
+
+   ```bash
+   mkdir -p ./plugins
+   ```
+
+2. Start the server with `webui` added to `--mode` and a session secret:
+
+   ```bash
+   influxdb3 serve \
+     --cluster-id cluster0 \
+     --node-id node0 \
+     --mode all,webui \
+     --plugin-dir ./plugins \
+     --webui-session-secret "$(openssl rand -base64 24)"
+   ```
+
+`openssl rand -base64 24` generates a new secret on every start, which signs
+users out after each restart.
+For anything beyond a local trial, generate the secret once and pass the same
+value on every start.
+See [Manage the session secret](#manage-the-session-secret).
+
+> [!Important]
+> #### Control who can reach Explorer
+>
+> Anyone who can reach Explorer can use the InfluxDB connection configured in
+> it, with that token's permissions.
+> Treat reaching Explorer the same as holding the token: bind the server to an
+> interface you intend to expose, use tokens scoped to the task, and put an
+> authenticating reverse proxy with TLS in front of any remote access.
+> To control which interface the server listens on, see
+> [`--http-bind`](/influxdb3/enterprise/reference/config-options/#http-bind).
+
+<!-- NEEDS VERIFICATION: the address and path that serve Explorer when `webui`
+mode is enabled. The 3.11 release notes don't state whether Explorer is served
+from the `--http-bind` address (default `0.0.0.0:8181`) at a path, or from a
+separate listener and port. Confirm before publishing and add an "Access
+Explorer" step here with the exact URL. -->
+
+## Connect Explorer to your server
+
+After the server starts, configure a connection to your server in Explorer the
+same way you configure one in the standalone Docker Explorer--for example,
+`http://localhost:8181`.
+For the connection fields and the steps to create a connection, see
+[Get started with InfluxDB 3 Explorer](/influxdb3/explorer/get-started/).
+
+<!-- NEEDS VERIFICATION: whether the integrated Explorer requires an operator
+token for the initial connection, and whether the server pre-populates the
+connection to itself. Per the 3.11 release notes draft, the connection setup
+landed with pending PRs still in progress. -->
+
+## Manage the session secret
+
+`--webui-session-secret` signs the session cookies that Explorer issues.
+The server requires the option whenever `webui` mode is enabled.
+
+- **Generate the secret once and reuse it.**
+  A secret that changes on restart invalidates every existing session.
+- **Keep the secret out of your shell history and process list.**
+  Set the secret through the environment variable instead of the command line
+  when you can.
+- **Rotate the secret when it may have been exposed.**
+  Rotating signs out all users.
+
+To generate a secret:
+
+```bash
+openssl rand -base64 24
+```
+
+## Explorer application data
+
+The integrated Explorer keeps its application state in a SQLite database that
+the server synchronizes to object storage for each cluster.
+You don't mount a volume to persist it, which is the main operational
+difference from the
+[Explorer Docker container](/influxdb3/explorer/install/#persist-data-across-restarts).
+
+## Enable AI chat
+
+Explorer includes an AI chat feature that you can point at any
+OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
+To enable it, set
+[`--webui-openai-base-url`](/influxdb3/enterprise/reference/config-options/#webui-openai-base-url)
+to the base URL of the endpoint:
+
+```bash
+influxdb3 serve \
+  --cluster-id cluster0 \
+  --node-id node0 \
+  --mode all,webui \
+  --plugin-dir ./plugins \
+  --webui-session-secret "$WEBUI_SESSION_SECRET" \
+  --webui-openai-base-url "https://your-openai-compatible-endpoint"
+```
+
+Chat prompts, and any query results included with them, go to the endpoint you
+configure.
+Choose an endpoint that your data handling policies allow.
+
+<!-- NEEDS VERIFICATION: how the AI chat endpoint authenticates. If an API key
+option or environment variable exists (for example, a `--webui-openai-*`
+credential option), document it here. `influxdb3 serve --help-all` lists every
+option in a specific build. -->
+
+## Choose between integrated and containerized Explorer
+
+| | Integrated (WASM) | Docker container |
+| :--- | :--- | :--- |
+| Requires | {{% product-name %}} v3.11+ | Docker |
+| Runs | In the InfluxDB server process | As a separate container |
+| Enabled by | `--mode all,webui` | `docker run influxdata/influxdb3-ui` |
+| Application data | SQLite synchronized to object storage | SQLite in a mounted volume |
+| Works with InfluxDB 3 Core | No | Yes |
+
+Use the container when you run Core, when you run an Enterprise release
+earlier than v3.11, or when you want Explorer to run separately from the
+database server--for example, on an operator workstation.
+See [Install and run InfluxDB 3 Explorer](/influxdb3/explorer/install/).
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ For detailed information about thread allocation, see the [Resource Limits](#res
 - [Processing Engine](#processing-engine)
   {{% show-in "enterprise" %}}
 - [Cluster Management](#cluster-management)
+- [Web UI](#web-ui)
   {{% /show-in %}}
 - [Resource Limits](#resource-limits)
 - [Data Lifecycle Management](#data-lifecycle-management)
@@ -260,6 +261,7 @@ This option supports the following values:
 - `query`: Enables only query capabilities
 - `compact`: Enables only compaction processes
 - `process`: Activates the [Processing Engine](/influxdb3/enterprise/reference/processing-engine/) so the node can execute trigger plugins. `process` has no API surface of its own — it doesn't accept writes or serve queries. Setting [`--plugin-dir`](#plugin-dir) implicitly adds `process` mode regardless of `--mode`. Conversely, `--mode=process` requires `--plugin-dir`. In a multi-node cluster, combine `process` with another mode (typically `query`) so plugins can call `influxdb3_local.query()` locally.
+- `webui` *(3.11+)*: Serves the [InfluxDB 3 Explorer](/influxdb3/enterprise/visualize-data/explorer/) web UI from the server process as a WebAssembly (WASM) guest. `all` doesn't include `webui`, so name `webui` explicitly--for example, `--mode all,webui`. `webui` mode requires [`--webui-session-secret`](#webui-session-secret) and [`--plugin-dir`](#plugin-dir).
 
 You can specify multiple modes using a comma-delimited list (for example, `ingest,query`).
 
@@ -2392,6 +2394,50 @@ together with the `--internode-bind-addr` option.
 | :--------------------- | :-------------------- |
 | `--conn-info`          | `INFLUXDB3_CONN_INFO`<br>`INFLUXDB3_ENTERPRISE_CONN_INFO` ([pre-3.11 name](#name-changes-in-3-11)) |
 
+***
+
+### Web UI {#web-ui metadata="v3.11+"}
+
+Configure the integrated [InfluxDB 3 Explorer](/influxdb3/enterprise/visualize-data/explorer/) web UI,
+which the server hosts in-process as a WebAssembly (WASM) guest.
+The web UI is off unless you add `webui` to [`--mode`](#mode).
+
+- [webui-session-secret](#webui-session-secret)
+- [webui-openai-base-url](#webui-openai-base-url)
+
+<!-- NEEDS VERIFICATION: this section documents the two options named in the
+3.11 release notes. `influxdb3 serve --help-all` may list more `--webui-*`
+options, and the environment variable names below follow the standard
+`--option-name` to `INFLUXDB3_OPTION_NAME` mapping but haven't been confirmed
+against a build. Extract the full option list from `--help-all` and test the
+variable names before publishing. -->
+
+#### webui-session-secret
+
+Specifies the secret that signs web UI session cookies.
+Required whenever [`--mode`](#mode) includes `webui`--the server doesn't start
+without it.
+
+Generate a secret with `openssl rand -base64 24`, then pass the same value on
+every start.
+A secret that changes between restarts signs out every user.
+
+| influxdb3 serve option    | Environment variable              |
+| :------------------------ | :-------------------------------- |
+| `--webui-session-secret`  | `INFLUXDB3_WEBUI_SESSION_SECRET`  |
+
+***
+
+#### webui-openai-base-url
+
+Specifies the base URL of the OpenAI-compatible endpoint that the web UI AI
+chat sends requests to.
+Chat prompts, and any query results included with them, go to this endpoint.
+
+| influxdb3 serve option     | Environment variable               |
+| :------------------------- | :--------------------------------- |
+| `--webui-openai-base-url`  | `INFLUXDB3_WEBUI_OPENAI_BASE_URL`  |
+
 {{% /show-in %}}
 
 ***

@@ -115,6 +115,15 @@ Provide the following:
   To accept only local connections until you create your first admin token,
   specify `127.0.0.1:8181`.
 
+{{% show-in "enterprise" %}}
+- _(Optional, v3.11+)_ `--mode all,webui`: Serves the InfluxDB 3 Explorer web UI
+  from the server process.
+  `all` doesn't include `webui`, so name `webui` explicitly.
+  This mode also requires `--webui-session-secret` and `--plugin-dir`.
+  For the requirements and the full startup command, see
+  [Use the integrated InfluxDB 3 Explorer UI](/influxdb3/enterprise/visualize-data/explorer/).
+{{% /show-in %}}
+
 > [!Caution]
 > #### Create your admin token before you expose the server
 >

@@ -428,6 +428,9 @@ Additional Enterprise-specific updates:
   cluster. AI chat is included and can point at any OpenAI-compatible
   endpoint with `--webui-openai-base-url`.
 
+  For setup steps, see
+  [Use the integrated InfluxDB 3 Explorer UI](/influxdb3/enterprise/visualize-data/explorer/).
+
 - **Thread defaults scale with your license on the upgraded storage engine**:
   On clusters running the upgraded storage engine (the default for new
   clusters), `--num-io-threads` and the DataFusion thread pool each default to