---
title: Telegraf Documentation
description: Telegraf plugin for transforming metrics using Defaults
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/telegraf/v1/processor-plugins/defaults/
estimated_tokens: 1477
product: Telegraf
version: v1
---

-   Telegraf v1.15.0+

# Defaults Processor Plugin

This plugin allows to specify default values for fields and tags for cases where the tag or field does not exist or has an empty value.

**Introduced in:** Telegraf v1.15.0 **Tags:** transformation **OS support:** all

## Global configuration options

Plugins support additional global and plugin configuration settings for tasks such as modifying metrics, tags, and fields, creating aliases, and configuring plugin ordering. See [CONFIGURATION.md](/telegraf/v1/configuration/#plugins) for more details.

## Configuration

```toml
## Set default fields and tags on your metric(s) when they are nil or empty
[[processors.defaults]]
  ## Ensures a set of fields or tags always exists on your metric(s) with their
  ## respective default value.
  ## For any given field/tag pair (key = default), if it's not set, a field/tag
  ## is set on the metric with the specified default.
  ##
  ## A field is considered not set if it is nil on the incoming metric;
  ## or it is not nil but its value is an empty string or is a string
  ## of one or more spaces.
  ##   <target-field> = <value>
  [processors.defaults.fields]
    field_1 = "bar"
    time_idle = 0
    is_error = true
  ## A tag is considered not set if it is nil on the incoming metric;
  ## or it is not nil but it is empty string or a string of one or
  ## more spaces.
  ## <target-tag> = <value>
  [processors.defaults.tags]
    tag_1 = "foo"
```

## Example

Ensure a *status\_code* field with *N/A* is inserted in the metric when one is not set in the metric by default:

```toml
[[processors.defaults]]
  [processors.defaults.fields]
    status_code = "N/A"
```

```diff
- lb,http_method=GET cache_status=HIT,latency=230
+ lb,http_method=GET cache_status=HIT,latency=230,status_code="N/A"

```

Ensure an empty string gets replaced by a default:

```diff
- lb,http_method=GET cache_status=HIT,latency=230,status_code=""
+ lb,http_method=GET cache_status=HIT,latency=230,status_code="N/A"

```

#### Related

-   [Configure plugins](/telegraf/v1/configure_plugins/)
-   [Defaults Plugin Source](https://github.com/influxdata/telegraf/tree/v1.38.4/plugins/processors/defaults/README.md)