diff --git a/attributes/default.rb b/attributes/default.rb
index 581df06d..9367edab 100644
--- a/attributes/default.rb
+++ b/attributes/default.rb
@@ -67,70 +67,70 @@
 ##
 
 # apache
-default['apache']['status_url'] = nil   # http://www.example.com/server-status/?auto
+#default['apache']['status_url'] = nil   # http://www.example.com/server-status/?auto
 
 # ganglia
-default['ganglia']['url'] = nil         # localhost
-default['ganglia']['port'] = 8651
+#default['ganglia']['url'] = nil         # localhost
+#default['ganglia']['port'] = 8651
 
 # haproxy
-default['haproxy']['stats_url'] = nil
-default['haproxy']['stats_user'] = nil
-default['haproxy']['stats_password'] = nil
+#default['haproxy']['stats_url'] = nil
+#default['haproxy']['stats_user'] = nil
+#default['haproxy']['stats_password'] = nil
 
 # mysql
-default['mysql']['server'] = nil        # localhost
-default['mysql']['user'] = "readonly"
-default['mysql']['pass'] = "readonly"
+#default['mysql']['server'] = nil        # localhost
+#default['mysql']['user'] = "readonly"
+#default['mysql']['pass'] = "readonly"
 
 # nginx
-default['nginx']['status_url'] = nil    # http://localhost:81/nginx_status/
+#default['nginx']['status_url'] = nil    # http://localhost:81/nginx_status/
 
 # rabbitmq
-default['rabbitmq']['status_url'] = nil # http://www.example.com:55672/json
-default['rabbitmq']['user'] = "guest"
-default['rabbitmq']['pass'] = "guest"
+#default['rabbitmq']['status_url'] = nil # http://www.example.com:55672/json
+#default['rabbitmq']['user'] = "guest"
+#default['rabbitmq']['pass'] = "guest"
 
 # mongodb
-default['mongodb']['server'] = nil      # mongodb://my_user:my_pass@localhost/my_db
+#default['mongodb']['server'] = nil      # mongodb://my_user:my_pass@localhost/my_db
 
 # postgres
-default['postgres']['server'] = nil
-default['postgres']['port'] = 5432
-default['postgres']['user'] = "datadog"
-default['postgres']['password'] = nil
+#default['postgres']['server'] = nil
+#default['postgres']['port'] = 5432
+#default['postgres']['user'] = "datadog"
+#default['postgres']['password'] = nil
 
 # couchdb
-default['couchdb']['server'] = nil
+#default['couchdb']['server'] = nil
 
 # jenkins
-default['jenkins']['home_dir'] = nil    # /var/lib/hudson/
+#default['jenkins']['home_dir'] = nil    # /var/lib/hudson/
 
 # nagios
-default['nagios']['log_dir'] = nil      # /usr/local/nagios/etc
-default['nagios']['conf_dir'] = nil     # /usr/local/nagios/etc
+#default['nagios']['log_dir'] = nil      # /usr/local/nagios/etc
+#default['nagios']['conf_dir'] = nil     # /usr/local/nagios/etc
 
 # cassandra
-default['cassandra']['host'] = nil      # localhost
-default['cassandra']['port'] = 8080
-default['cassandra']['nodetool'] = "/usr/bin/nodetool"
+#default['cassandra']['host'] = nil      # localhost
+#default['cassandra']['port'] = 8080
+#default['cassandra']['nodetool'] = "/usr/bin/nodetool"
 
 # java
-default['jvm_jmx']['server'] = nil      # localhost:8090
-default['jvm_jmx']['user'] = nil        # john
-default['jvm_jmx']['pass'] = nil        # foobar
-default['jvm_jmx']['name'] = nil        # Java
+#default['jvm_jmx']['server'] = nil      # localhost:8090
+#default['jvm_jmx']['user'] = nil        # john
+#default['jvm_jmx']['pass'] = nil        # foobar
+#default['jvm_jmx']['name'] = nil        # Java
 
 # tomcat
-default['tomcat_jmx']['server'] = nil   # localhost
-default['tomcat_jmx']['user'] = nil     # john
-default['tomcat_jmx']['pass'] = nil     # foobar
+#default['tomcat_jmx']['server'] = nil   # localhost
+#default['tomcat_jmx']['user'] = nil     # john
+#default['tomcat_jmx']['pass'] = nil     # foobar
 
 # varnish
-default['varnish'] = nil               # varnish present? set to true if so
+#default['varnish'] = nil               # varnish present? set to true if so
 
 # memcache
-default['memcached'] = nil
+#default['memcached'] = nil
 
 # redis
-default['redis'] = nil
+#default['redis'] = nil
diff --git a/templates/default/datadog.conf.erb b/templates/default/datadog.conf.erb
index 0e1e2a99..8bb2df8b 100644
--- a/templates/default/datadog.conf.erb
+++ b/templates/default/datadog.conf.erb
@@ -24,18 +24,18 @@ graphite_listen_port: <%= node['datadog']['graphite_port'] %>
 # service defaults
 ##
 
-<% if node['apache']['status_url'] %>
+<% if node['apache'] && node['apache']['status_url'] %>
 # apache
 apache_status_url: <%= node['apache']['status_url'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['ganglia']['url'] %>
+<% if node['ganglia'] && node['ganglia']['url'] %>
 # ganglia
 ganglia_host: <%= node['ganglia']['url'] %>
 ganglia_port: <%= node['ganglia']['port'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['haproxy']['stats_url'] %>
+<% if node['haproxy'] && node['haproxy']['stats_url'] %>
 # haproxy
 haproxy_url: <%= node['haproxy']['stats_url'] %>
   <% if node['haproxy']['stats_user'] && node['haproxy']['stats_password'] %>
@@ -44,14 +44,14 @@ haproxy_password: <%= node['haproxy']['stats_password'] %>
   <% end %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['mysql']['server'] %>
+<% if node['mysql'] && node['mysql']['server'] %>
 # mysql
 mysql_server: <%= node['mysql']['server'] %>
 mysql_user: <%= node['mysql']['user'] %>
 mysql_pass: <%= node['mysql']['pass'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['postgres']['server'] && node['postgres']['password'] %>
+<% if node['postgres'] && node['postgres']['server'] && node['postgres']['password'] %>
 # postgres
 postgresql_server: <%= node['postgres']['server'] %>
 postgresql_port: <%= node['postgres']['port'] %>
@@ -59,47 +59,47 @@ postgresql_user: <%= node['postgres']['user'] %>
 postgresql_pass: <%= node['postgres']['password'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['nginx']['status_url'] %>
+<% if node['nginx'] && node['nginx']['status_url'] %>
 # nginx
 nginx_status_url: <%= node['nginx']['status_url'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['rabbitmq']['status_url'] %>
+<% if node['rabbitmq'] && node['rabbitmq']['status_url'] %>
 # rabbitmq
 rabbitmq_status_url: <%= node['rabbitmq']['status_url'] %>
 rabbitmq_user: <%= node['rabbitmq']['user'] %>
 rabbitmq_pass: <%= node['rabbitmq']['pass'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['mongodb']['server'] %>
+<% if node['mongodb'] && node['mongodb']['server'] %>
 # mongodb
 mongodb_server: <%= node['mongodb']['server'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['couchdb']['server'] %>
+<% if node['couchdb'] && node['couchdb']['server'] %>
 # couchdb
 couchdb_server: <%= node['couchdb']['server'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['jenkins']['home_dir'] %>
+<% if node['jenkins'] && node['jenkins']['home_dir'] %>
 # jenkins
 hudson_home: <%= node['jenkins']['home_dir'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['nagios']['log_dir'] %>
+<% if node['nagios'] && node['nagios']['log_dir'] %>
 # nagios
 nagios_log: <%= node['nagios']['log_dir'] %>/nagios.log
 nagios_perf_cfg: <%= node['nagios']['conf_dir'] %>/nagios.cfg
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['cassandra']['host'] %>
+<% if node['cassandra'] && node['cassandra']['host'] %>
 # cassandra
 cassandra_host: <%= node['cassandra']['host'] %>
 cassandra_port: <%= node['cassandra']['port'] %>
 cassandra_nodetool: <%= node['cassandra']['nodetool'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['jvm_jmx']['server'] %>
+<% if node['jvm_jmx'] && node['jvm_jmx']['server'] %>
 # java jmx
 jvm_jmx_server: <%= node['jvm_jmx']['server'] %>
 jvm_jmx_user: <%= node['jvm_jmx']['user'] %>
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ jvm_jmx_pass: <%= node['jvm_jmx']['pass'] %>
 jvm_jmx_name: <%= node['jvm_jmx']['name'] %>
 <% end %>
 
-<% if node['tomcat_jmx']['server'] %>
+<% if node['tomcat_jmx'] && node['tomcat_jmx']['server'] %>
 # tomcat jmx
 tomcat_jmx_server: <%= node['tomcat_jmx']['server'] %>
 tomcat_jmx_user: <%= node['tomcat_jmx']['user'] %>
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ varnishstat: <%= %x{which varnishstat}.strip %>
 
 <% if node['memcached'] %>
 # memcached, from http://community.opscode.com/cookbooks/memcached
-<% if node['memcached']['listen'] == "0.0.0.0" %>
+<% if node['memcached'] && node['memcached']['listen'] == "0.0.0.0" %>
 memcache_server: localhost
 <% else %>
 memcache_server: <%= node['memcached']['listen'] %>