> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.smaq.io/documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.smaq.io/documentation/features/dashboard/public-share-and-chat.md).

# Public dashboards & sharing

A public dashboard is a view-only version of one of your dashboards, available at a long, unguessable URL. Anyone with the link can open it. There's no login, no account required.

### What recipients see

* The full dashboard, with all pages and widgets.
* The project logo (top of page).
* Interactive filters — they can change the date range and apply any filters you exposed.
* A **chat panel** — they can ask SMAQ AI questions about the dashboard's data.
* A **refresh** button to pull the latest data.

What they **can't** do:

* Edit the dashboard or any widgets.
* See other dashboards in your project.
* Access project settings, automations, or connections.
* See data outside what the dashboard displays.

> **\[Screenshot needed]** Public dashboard view as seen by an anonymous visitor — project logo at top, dashboard pages and charts, chat panel open on the right.

### Creating a public link

1. Open the dashboard.
2. Click **Share** in the dashboard header.
3. Toggle **Public link** on.
4. Copy the URL.

The URL pattern is `https://app.smaq.io/public/dashboard/[dashboardId]`.

> **\[Screen video needed]** Toggling Public link on, copying the URL, opening it in an incognito window. \~30 seconds.

### Revoking a public link

1. Open the dashboard → **Share**.
2. Toggle **Public link** off.

The URL is invalidated immediately. Anyone trying to open it after revocation gets a "Link not found" page.

If you suspect a link has been shared further than you intended, revoke and re-enable to mint a new URL.

### Chat on public dashboards

Public visitors can use the AI chat, but with safety guardrails:

* The AI can only answer questions about the visible dashboard data — not unrelated project data.
* It can fetch fresh data via the dashboard's connections, but cannot create datablocks or modify anything.
* Chat conversations are visible to project Owners in the [historical user messages](/documentation/organization/review-historical-user-messages.md) view.

### Date ranges and filters

Public visitors can change the **date range** and any **dashboard-level filters** you've configured. The page-level and chart-level filters you set are locked.

If you want to lock the date range too, hide the date filter from the dashboard header before sharing. (Edit mode → filter settings → Hide from public.)

### Comparison with snapshots

|                                                   | Public link                            | [Snapshot](/documentation/features/dashboard/snapshots-and-versions.md) |
| ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Live data?**                                    | Yes — pulls fresh data on visit        | No — frozen at save time                                                |
| **Recipient can change filters?**                 | Yes (within your config)               | No                                                                      |
| **Stays accessible if you delete the dashboard?** | No                                     | Yes                                                                     |
| **Good for**                                      | Live client portals, ongoing reporting | Month-end archives, post-mortems                                        |

Best practice: **public link for live monitoring, snapshot for archived reports.**

### Security considerations

* The URL is a long random string (snapshot IDs are 256-bit). Treat it as a shared secret.
* There's no password gate — if the link gets forwarded, anyone who has it can view.
* Don't put highly sensitive data on a public dashboard you can't 100% control the audience for.
* For controlled-audience sharing, invite recipients as [Viewers](/documentation/projects/manage-project-members/member-roles-and-access.md) instead.

### Embed in another tool

The public dashboard URL can be embedded in an `<iframe>` inside other tools (Notion, Confluence, custom portals). Use:

```html
<iframe src="https://app.smaq.io/public/dashboard/abc123..." width="100%" height="800"></iframe>
```

The chat panel and refresh button work inside the iframe.

### What's next

* [Snapshots & version history](/documentation/features/dashboard/snapshots-and-versions.md) — for read-only archived versions instead of live shares.
* [Member roles and access](/documentation/projects/manage-project-members/member-roles-and-access.md) — for controlled-audience access via SMAQ accounts.