By default, the X-Pack monitoring client collects cluster monitoring data every 10 seconds and stores it in indexes whose names start with .monitoring-*. These indexes roll over daily and can grow significantly over time, consuming disk space and affecting normal instance operation. To control disk usage, adjust the retention duration or narrow the collection scope for monitoring indexes.
The procedures in this topic use Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch V6.7.0 as an example. Interface labels in other versions may vary. Use the labels shown in your actual interface.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure that you have:
-
Access to the Kibana console. For details, see Connect to a cluster using Kibana
Check disk usage
-
In the Kibana console, click the
icon in the upper-left corner to expand the navigation pane. Click Management, then click Stack Monitoring. -
In the Elasticsearch section, click Indices.
-
On the Indices tab, turn on System indices to view disk usage for monitoring indexes. The
.monitoring-es-*indexes typically consume the most space. They store cluster status, cluster statistics, node statistics, and index statistics. The.monitoring-kibana-*indexes are smaller by comparison.
Reduce monitoring index disk usage
By default, monitoring indexes retain data for the last seven days. The total disk usage depends on the number of indexes (including system indexes) and the number of nodes in your cluster.
Use either or both of the following options to reduce disk usage.
Option 1: Set the retention duration (optional)
-
In the navigation pane, click Dev Tools.
-
On the Console tab, run the following command to set the retention duration. The example sets it to one day — adjust the value based on your needs. The minimum value is
1d(one day).PUT _cluster/settings {"persistent": {"xpack.monitoring.history.duration":"1d"}}
Option 2: Narrow the collection scope (optional)
-
In the navigation pane, click Dev Tools.
-
On the Console tab, run the following command to limit which indexes are monitored. This reduces the data written to
.monitoring-es-*indexes. The example excludes all system indexes from monitoring.PUT _cluster/settings {"persistent": {"xpack.monitoring.collection.indices": "*,-.*"}}After you apply this setting, monitoring data for excluded indexes no longer appears on the Monitoring page in Kibana. To check the status of those indexes, run
GET _cat/indices.