---
title: "Attribute anti-patterns | Grafana Labs"
description: "Common mistakes to avoid when designing attributes"
---

> For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

## What *not* to do

| Anti-pattern                    | Why it’s a problem                                                    |
|---------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Too many attributes             | Hard to manage, attribute limits per collector or API call            |
| Frequently changing values      | Use remote attributes in UI instead                                   |
| Sensitive information           | Attributes are visible in the Fleet Management UI                     |
| Duplicating reserved attributes | `collector.os`, `collector.version`, and `collector.ID` already exist |
| Inconsistent naming             | `myEnv` vs `my_env` vs `my-env` causes confusion                      |
| Overly specific values          | `hostname=server-123` — use `collector.ID` instead                    |

## Tips for beginners

| Tip                       | Why it helps                                     |
|---------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| **Start simple**          | Begin with `env` and maybe one or two others     |
| **Be consistent**         | Pick a naming convention and stick to it         |
| **Document your schema**  | Note down what each attribute means              |
| **Think about targeting** | Every attribute should help you target pipelines |