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Fix up 'phase actions' section #2076

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2a08dca
Fix up 'phase actions' section
kilfoyle Jul 8, 2025
d67cbcc
Clarify phase descriptions
kilfoyle Jul 9, 2025
b4c2eb8
Merge branch 'main' into 1559/phase-actions
kilfoyle Jul 9, 2025
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115 changes: 77 additions & 38 deletions manage-data/lifecycle/index-lifecycle-management/index-lifecycle.md
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Expand Up @@ -8,16 +8,14 @@ products:
- id: elasticsearch
---



# Index lifecycle [ilm-index-lifecycle]


[{{ilm-init}}](../index-lifecycle-management.md) defines five index lifecycle *phases*:
[{{ilm-cap}}](../index-lifecycle-management.md) ({{ilm-init}}) defines five index lifecycle *phases*:

* **Hot**: The index is actively being updated and queried.
* **Warm**: The index is no longer being updated but is still being queried.
* **Cold**: The index is no longer being updated and is queried infrequently. The information still needs to be searchable, but it’s okay if those queries are slower.
* **Warm**: The index is updated infrequently or not at all, but is still being queried.
* **Cold**: The index is updated infrequently or not at all, and is also queried infrequently. The information still needs to be searchable, but it’s okay if those queries are slower.
* **Frozen**: The index is no longer being updated and is queried rarely. The information still needs to be searchable, but it’s okay if those queries are extremely slow.
* **Delete**: The index is no longer needed and can safely be removed.

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -56,46 +54,87 @@ When an index enters a phase, {{ilm-init}} caches the phase definition in the in

## Phase actions [ilm-phase-actions]

{{ilm-init}} supports the following actions in each phase. {{ilm-init}} executes the actions in the order listed.
{{ilm-init}} supports the following actions in each phase. The order that actions are performed varies for different lifecycle phase. Refer to the [Phases and available actions](#phases-availability) table for a summary of the phases for which each action is available.

### Hot phase

The following actions are available in the `hot` lifecycle phase. Actions are performed in the order listed.

| Action | Description |
| --- | --- |
| [Set Priority](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-set-priority.md) | Sets the priority level of the index, which determines the order in which indices are recovered following a node restart. |
| [Unfollow](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-unfollow.md) | Converts a [{{ccr-init}}](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/group/endpoint-ccr) follower index into a regular index, enabling the shrink, rollover, and searchable snapshot actions to be performed safely on follower indices. |
| [Rollover](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-rollover.md) | Rolls over a target to a new index when the existing index satisfies the specified rollover conditions. |
| [Read-Only](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-readonly.md) | Makes the index data read-only, disabling data write operations against it. |
| [Downsample](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-downsample.md) | Aggregates a time series (TSDS) index and stores pre-computed statistical summaries (min, max, sum, value_count and avg) for each metric field grouped by a configured time interval. |
| [Shrink](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-shrink.md) | Blocks writes on a source index and shrinks it into a new index with fewer primary shards. |
| [Force Merge](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-forcemerge.md) | Reduce the number of segments in each shard by merging some of them together. |
| [Searchable Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-searchable-snapshot.md) | Takes a snapshot of the managed index in the configured repository and mounts it as a [searchable snapshot](/deploy-manage/tools/snapshot-and-restore/searchable-snapshots.md). |

### Warm phase

The following actions are available in the `warm` lifecycle phase. Actions are performed in the order listed.

| Action | Description |
| --- | --- |
| [Set Priority](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-set-priority.md) | Sets the priority level of the index, which determines the order in which indices are recovered following a node restart. |
| [Unfollow](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-unfollow.md) | Converts a [{{ccr-init}}](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/group/endpoint-ccr) follower index into a regular index, enabling the shrink, rollover, and searchable snapshot actions to be performed safely on follower indices. |
| [Read-Only](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-readonly.md) | Makes the index data read-only, disabling data write operations against it. |
| [Downsample](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-downsample.md) | Aggregates a time series (TSDS) index and stores pre-computed statistical summaries (min, max, sum, value_count and avg) for each metric field grouped by a configured time interval. |
| [Allocate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-allocate.md) | Updates the index settings to change which nodes are allowed to host the index shards and change the number of replicas. |
| [Migrate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-migrate.md) | Moves the index to the [data tier](/manage-data/lifecycle/data-tiers.md) that corresponds to the current phase by updating the `index.routing.allocation.include._tier_preference` index setting. |
| [Shrink](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-shrink.md) | Blocks writes on a source index and shrinks it into a new index with fewer primary shards. |
| [Force Merge](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-forcemerge.md) | Reduce the number of segments in each shard by merging some of them together. |

### Cold phase

The following actions are available in the `cold` lifecycle phase. Actions are performed in the order listed.

| Action | Description |
| --- | --- |
| [Set Priority](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-set-priority.md) | Sets the priority level of the index, which determines the order in which indices are recovered following a node restart. |
| [Unfollow](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-unfollow.md) | Converts a [{{ccr-init}}](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/group/endpoint-ccr) follower index into a regular index, enabling the shrink, rollover, and searchable snapshot actions to be performed safely on follower indices. |
| [Read-Only](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-readonly.md) | Makes the index data read-only, disabling data write operations against it. |
| [Downsample](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-downsample.md) | Aggregates a time series (TSDS) index and stores pre-computed statistical summaries (min, max, sum, value_count and avg) for each metric field grouped by a configured time interval. |
| [Searchable Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-searchable-snapshot.md) | Takes a snapshot of the managed index in the configured repository and mounts it as a [searchable snapshot](/deploy-manage/tools/snapshot-and-restore/searchable-snapshots.md). |
| [Allocate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-allocate.md) | Updates the index settings to change which nodes are allowed to host the index shards and change the number of replicas. |
| [Migrate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-migrate.md) | Moves the index to the [data tier](/manage-data/lifecycle/data-tiers.md) that corresponds to the current phase by updating the `index.routing.allocation.include._tier_preference` index setting. |

### Frozen phase

* Hot
The following actions are available in the `frozen` lifecycle phase. Actions are performed in the order listed.

* [Set Priority](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-set-priority.md)
* [Unfollow](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-unfollow.md)
* [Rollover](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-rollover.md)
* [Read-Only](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-readonly.md)
* [Downsample](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-downsample.md)
* [Shrink](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-shrink.md)
* [Force Merge](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-forcemerge.md)
* [Searchable Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-searchable-snapshot.md)
| Action | Description |
| --- | --- |
| [Unfollow](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-unfollow.md) | Converts a [{{ccr-init}}](https://www.elastic.co/docs/api/doc/elasticsearch/group/endpoint-ccr) follower index into a regular index, enabling the shrink, rollover, and searchable snapshot actions to be performed safely on follower indices. |
| [Searchable Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-searchable-snapshot.md) | Takes a snapshot of the managed index in the configured repository and mounts it as a [searchable snapshot](/deploy-manage/tools/snapshot-and-restore/searchable-snapshots.md). |

* Warm
### Delete phase

* [Set Priority](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-set-priority.md)
* [Unfollow](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-unfollow.md)
* [Read-Only](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-readonly.md)
* [Downsample](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-downsample.md)
* [Allocate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-allocate.md)
* [Migrate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-migrate.md)
* [Shrink](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-shrink.md)
* [Force Merge](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-forcemerge.md)
The following actions are available in the `delete` lifecycle phase. Actions are performed in the order listed.

* Cold
| Action | Description |
| --- | --- |
| [Wait For Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-wait-for-snapshot.md) | Waits for the specified SLM policy to be executed before removing the index, ensuring that a snapshot of the deleted index is available. |
| [Delete](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-delete.md) | Permanently removes the index. |

* [Set Priority](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-set-priority.md)
* [Unfollow](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-unfollow.md)
* [Read-Only](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-readonly.md)
* [Downsample](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-downsample.md)
* [Searchable Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-searchable-snapshot.md)
* [Allocate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-allocate.md)
* [Migrate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-migrate.md)
### Phases and available actions [phases-availability]

* Frozen
The following table summarizes the actions available in each phase.

* [Unfollow](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-unfollow.md)
* [Searchable Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-searchable-snapshot.md)
| Action | `Hot` | `Warm` | `Cold` | `Frozen` | `Delete` |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Allocate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-allocate.md) | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| [Delete](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-delete.md) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| [Downsample](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-downsample.md) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| [Force Merge](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-forcemerge.md) | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| [Migrate](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-migrate.md) | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| [Read-Only](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-readonly.md) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| [Rollover](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-rollover.md) | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| [Searchable Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-searchable-snapshot.md) | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| [Set Priority](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-set-priority.md) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| [Shrink](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-shrink.md) | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| [Unfollow](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-unfollow.md) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| [Wait For Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-wait-for-snapshot.md) | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |

* Delete

* [Wait For Snapshot](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-wait-for-snapshot.md)
* [Delete](elasticsearch://reference/elasticsearch/index-lifecycle-actions/ilm-delete.md)
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