Manage auto-follow patterns

Manage auto-follow patterns

To replicate time series indices, you configure an auto-follow pattern so that each new index in the series is replicated automatically. Whenever the name of a new index on the remote cluster matches the auto-follow pattern, a corresponding follower index is added to the local cluster.

Auto-follow patterns only match open indices on the remote cluster that have all primary shards started. Auto-follow patterns do not match indices that can’t be used for CCR such as closed indices or searchable snapshots. Avoid using an auto-follow pattern that matches indices with a read or write block. These blocks prevent follower indices from replicating such indices.

You can also create auto-follow patterns for data streams. When a new backing index is generated on a remote cluster, that index and its data stream are automatically followed if the data stream name matches an auto-follow pattern. If you create a data stream after creating the auto-follow pattern, all backing indices are followed automatically.

The data streams replicated from a remote cluster by CCR are protected from local rollovers. The promote data stream API can be used to turn these data streams into regular data streams.

Auto-follow patterns are especially useful with Index lifecycle management, which might continually create new indices on the cluster containing the leader index.

To start using cross-cluster replication auto-follow patterns from Stack Management in Kibana, select Cross-Cluster Replication from the side navigation and choose the Auto-follow patterns tab.