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InfluxDB OSS v1

InfluxDB file system layout

This page documents an earlier version of InfluxDB OSS. InfluxDB 3 Core is the latest stable version.

The InfluxDB file system layout depends on the operating system, installation method, or containerization platform used to install InfluxDB.

InfluxDB file structure

The InfluxDB file structure includes of the following:

Data directory

Directory path where InfluxDB stores time series data (TSM files). To customize this path, use the [data].dir configuration option.

WAL directory

Directory path where InfluxDB stores Write Ahead Log (WAL) files. To customize this path, use the [data].wal-dir configuration option.

Metastore directory

Directory path of the InfluxDB metastore, which stores information about users, databases, retention policies, shards, and continuous queries. To customize this path, use the [meta].dir configuration option.

InfluxDB configuration files

Some operating systems and package managers store a default InfluxDB configuration file on disk. For more information about using InfluxDB configuration files, see Configure InfluxDB.

File system layout

macOS Linux Windows Docker Kubernetes

macOS default directories

PathDefault
Data directory~/.influxdb/data/
WAL directory~/.influxdb/wal/
Metastore directory~/.influxdb/meta/

Homebrew default directories

PathDefault
Data directory/opt/homebrew/var/influxdb/data/
WAL directory/opt/homebrew/var/influxdb/wal/
Metastore directory/opt/homebrew/var/meta/

macOS file system overview

  • ~/.influxdb/
    • data/
      • TSM directories and files
    • wal/
      • WAL directories and files
    • meta/
      • meta.db

When installing InfluxDB on Linux, you can download and install the influxd binary, or you can use a package manager. Which installation method you use determines the file system layout.

Installed as a standalone binary

Linux default directories (standalone binary)

PathDefault
Data directory~/.influxdb/data/
WAL directory~/.influxdb/wal/
Metastore directory~/.influxdb/meta/

Linux file system overview (standalone binary)

  • ~/.influxdb/
    • data/
      • TSM directories and files
    • wal/
      • WAL directories and files
    • meta/
      • meta.db

Installed as a package

InfluxDB 2.0 supports .deb- and .rpm-based Linux package managers. The file system layout is the same with each.

Linux default directories (package)

PathDefault
Data directory/var/lib/influxdb/data/
WAL directory/var/lib/influxdb/wal/
Metastore directory/var/lib/influxdb/meta/
Default config file path/etc/influxdb/influxdb.conf

Linux file system overview (package)

  • /var/lib/influxdb/
    • data/
      • TSM directories and files
    • wal/
      • WAL directories and files
    • meta/
      • meta.db
  • /etc/influxdb/
    • influxdb.conf (influxd configuration file)

Windows default paths

PathDefault
Data directory%USERPROFILE%\.influxdb\data\
WAL directory%USERPROFILE%\.influxdb\wal\
Metastore directory%USERPROFILE%\.influxdb\meta\

Windows file system overview

  • %USERPROFILE%\.influxdb\
    • data/
      • TSM directories and files
    • wal/
      • WAL directories and files
    • meta/
      • meta.db

Docker default directories

PathDefault
Data directory/var/lib/influxdb/data/
WAL directory/var/lib/influxdb/wal/
Metastore directory/var/lib/influxdb/meta/

Docker Hub file system overview

  • /var/lib/influxdb/
    • data/
      • TSM directories and files
    • wal/
      • WAL directories and files
    • meta/
      • meta.db

Kubernetes default paths

PathDefault
Data directory/var/lib/influxdb/data/
WAL directory/var/lib/influxdb/wal/
Metastore directory/var/lib/influxdb/meta/

Kubernetes file system overview

  • /var/lib/influxdb/
    • data/
      • TSM directories and files
    • wal/
      • WAL directories and files
    • meta/
      • meta.db

Directory permissions

The user running the influxd process should have the following permissions for directories in the InfluxDB file system:

Directory pathPermission
.../influxdb/755
.../influxdb/data/755
.../influxdb/meta/755
.../influxdb/wal/700

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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