Documentation

influxd-ctl restore

The influxd-ctl restore command restores data backed up from an InfluxDB Enterprise cluster.

influxd-ctl restore supports full, incremental, and metadata-only backups. To restore from a full backup, include the -full flag and provide the path to the backup manifest (/path/to/backups/backup.manifest). To restore from an incremental or metadata backup, provide the path to the directory that contains the backup files (/path/to/backups).

Destination database must be empty

The database data is restored to must be empty. influxd-ctl restore will fail if the destination database contains data.

Usage

influxd-ctl restore [flags] <backup-location>

Arguments

  • backup-location: Location of backup-related files. They type of backup you’re restoring from determines the type and location of backup files:

    • Restore from a full backup: Provide the path to the backup manifest file
    • Restore from an incremental backup: Provide the directory path of the backup
    • Restore from a metadata-only backup: Provide the directory path of the backup

Flags

FlagDescription
-dbDatabase to restore (if the backup contains more than one)
-fullRestore data from a full backup
-listList the contents of the backup
-meta-only-overwrite-forceRestore only metadata from a backup Danger: see below
-newdbChange database name when restoring (requires -db flag)
-newdurationChange retention policy duration (shard expiry) when restoring (requires -rp flag, use 0s for infinite)
-newrfNew replication factor to use during restore (limited by cluster size)
-newrpChange retention policy name when restoring (requires -rp flag)
-newshardShard ID to restore into (if different from the shard ID in the backup)
-rpRetention policy to restore (if the backup contains more than one)
-shardShard ID to restore

Only use the -meta-only-overwrite-force flag to restore from backups of the destination cluster. Metadata includes shard assignments to data nodes, so if you use this flag with metadata from a different cluster, you will lose data.

See Back up and restore for instructions on using this flag.

Examples

Restore from a full backup

influxd-ctl restore -full /path/to/full-backup/20230101T00000Z.manifest

View example output

Restore from an incremental backup

In this example, the restore command restores an incremental backup stored in the my-incremental-backup/ directory.

influxd-ctl restore /path/to/incremental-backup/

View example output

Restore from a metadata backup

In this example, the restore command restores an metadata backup stored in the metadata-backup/ directory.

influxd-ctl restore /path/to/metadata-backup/

View example output


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InfluxDB OSS 2.9.0: API tokens are hashed by default

Stronger token security in InfluxDB OSS 2.9.0 — tokens are hashed on disk by default. Existing tokens are hashed on first startup and can’t be recovered afterward. Capture any plaintext tokens you still need before you upgrade.

View InfluxDB OSS 2.9.0 release notes

Hashed tokens authenticate exactly like unhashed tokens — clients and integrations keep working.

Also new in 2.9.0:

  • Configurable backup compression
  • Restore support for backups containing hashed tokens
  • Tighter Edge Data Replication queue validation
  • Flux upgrade
  • Compaction reliability improvements

Key enhancements in Explorer 1.8

Explorer 1.8 is now available with streaming data subscriptions (beta), line protocol preview, and query history & saved queries.

View Explorer 1.8 release notes

Explorer 1.8 includes new features and improvements that make it easier to ingest, explore, and manage data.

Highlights:

  • Streaming data subscriptions (beta): Stream data into Explorer from MQTT, Kafka, and AMQP sources.
  • Line protocol preview: Preview line protocol, schema, and parse errors before data is written.
  • Custom sample data: Generate custom sample datasets with line protocol and schema preview.
  • Query history and saved queries: Browse query history and save/re-run named queries.
  • Retention period management: Set, update, or clear retention periods on databases and tables.

For more details, see Explorer 1.8 release notes

InfluxDB 3.9: Performance upgrade preview

InfluxDB 3 Enterprise 3.9 includes a beta of major performance upgrades with faster single-series queries, wide-and-sparse table support, and more.

InfluxDB 3 Enterprise 3.9 includes a beta of major performance and feature updates.

Key improvements:

  • Faster single-series queries
  • Consistent resource usage
  • Wide-and-sparse table support
  • Automatic distinct value caches for reduced latency with metadata queries

Preview features are subject to breaking changes.

For more information, see:

Telegraf Enterprise now in public beta

Get early access to the Telegraf Controller and provide feedback to help shape the future of Telegraf Enterprise.

See the Blog Post

The upcoming Telegraf Enterprise offering is for organizations running Telegraf at scale and is comprised of two key components:

  • Telegraf Controller: A control plane (UI + API) that centralizes Telegraf configuration management and agent health visibility.
  • Telegraf Enterprise Support: Official support for Telegraf Controller and Telegraf plugins.

Join the Telegraf Enterprise beta to get early access to the Telegraf Controller and provide feedback to help shape the future of Telegraf Enterprise.

For more information:

Telegraf Controller v0.0.7-beta now available

Telegraf Controller v0.0.7-beta is now available with new features, improvements, bug fixes, and an important breaking change.

View the release notes
Download Telegraf Controller v0.0.7-beta

InfluxDB Docker latest tag changing to InfluxDB 3 Core

On May 27, 2026, the latest tag for InfluxDB Docker images will point to InfluxDB 3 Core. To avoid unexpected upgrades, use specific version tags in your Docker deployments.

If using Docker to install and run InfluxDB, the latest tag will point to InfluxDB 3 Core. To avoid unexpected upgrades, use specific version tags in your Docker deployments. For example, if using Docker to run InfluxDB v2, replace the latest version tag with a specific version tag in your Docker pull command–for example:

docker pull influxdb:2