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InfluxDB OSS v2

Restore data

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

API token hashing is enabled by default in InfluxDB OSS 2.9.0

Stronger token security: tokens are stored as hashes on disk, so a copy of the database file doesn’t expose usable tokens. Existing tokens are hashed on first startup and the original strings can’t be recovered afterward — capture any plaintext tokens you still need before you upgrade.

For more information, see Token hashing.

Restores not supported in InfluxDB Cloud.

Restoring a backup with hashed tokens

If the backup was taken from an instance with token hashing enabled (the default in InfluxDB OSS 2.9.0+), the backup does not contain a plaintext operator token. To run a full restore of that backup, supply the operator token to the CLI with the --operator-token <token> flag (influx-cli v2.8.0+):

influx restore --full --operator-token <OPERATOR_TOKEN> /path/to/backup

Use the influx restore command to restore backup data and metadata from InfluxDB OSS.

InfluxDB moves existing data and metadata to a temporary location. If the restore fails, InfluxDB preserves temporary data for recovery, otherwise this data is deleted. See Recover from a failed restore.

Cannot restore to existing buckets

The influx restore command cannot restore data to existing buckets. Use the --new-bucket flag to create a new bucket to restore data to. To restore data and retain bucket names, delete existing buckets and then begin the restore process.

Restore data with the influx CLI

Use the influx restore command and specify the path to the backup directory.

For more information about restore options and flags, see the influx restore documentation.

Restore all time series data

To restore all time series data from a backup directory, provide the following:

  • backup directory path
influx restore /backups/2020-01-20_12-00/

Restore data from a specific bucket

To restore data from a specific backup bucket, provide the following:

  • backup directory path
  • bucket name or ID
influx restore \
  /backups/2020-01-20_12-00/ \
  --bucket example-bucket

# OR

influx restore \
  /backups/2020-01-20_12-00/ \
  --bucket-id 000000000000

If a bucket with the same name as the backed up bucket already exists in InfluxDB, use the --new-bucket flag to create a new bucket with a different name and restore data into it.

influx restore \
  /backups/2020-01-20_12-00/ \
  --bucket example-bucket \
  --new-bucket new-example-bucket

Restore and replace all InfluxDB data

To restore and replace all time series data and InfluxDB key-value data such as tokens, users, dashboards, etc., include the following:

  • --full flag
  • backup directory path
influx restore \
  /backups/2020-01-20_12-00/ \
  --full

Restore to a new InfluxDB server

If using a backup to populate a new InfluxDB server:

  1. Retrieve the admin token from your source InfluxDB instance.

  2. Set up your new InfluxDB instance, but use the -t, --token flag to use the admin token from your source instance as the admin token on your new instance.

    influx setup --token My5uP3rSecR37t0keN

  3. Restore the backup to the new server.

    influx restore \
  /backups/2020-01-20_12-00/ \
  --full

If you do not provide the admin token from your source InfluxDB instance as the admin token in your new instance, the restore process and all subsequent attempts to authenticate with the new server will fail.

  1. The first restore API call uses the auto-generated token to authenticate with the new server and overwrites the entire key-value store in the new server, including the auto-generated token.
  2. The second restore API call attempts to upload time series data, but uses the auto-generated token to authenticate with new server. That token is overwritten in first restore API call and the process fails to authenticate.

Recover from a failed restore

If the restoration process fails, InfluxDB preserves existing data in a tmp directory in the target engine path (default is ~/.influxdbv2/engine).

To recover from a failed restore:

  1. Copy the temporary files back into the engine directory.
  2. Remove the .tmp extensions from each of the copied files.
  3. Restart the influxd server.
restore

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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