---
title: Create a bucket
description: Create buckets to store time series data in InfluxDB using the InfluxDB UI, influx CLI, or InfluxDB API.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb/v2/admin/buckets/create-bucket/
estimated_tokens: 2587
product: InfluxDB OSS v2
version: v2
---

# Create a bucket

This page documents an earlier version of InfluxDB OSS. [InfluxDB 3 Core](/influxdb3/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](/influxdb/v2/admin/tokens/#token-hashing).

Use the InfluxDB user interface (UI), the `influx` command line interface (CLI), or the InfluxDB API to create a bucket.

#### Bucket limits

A single InfluxDB 2.9 OSS instance supports approximately 20 buckets actively being written to or queried across all organizations depending on the use case. Any more than that can adversely affect performance.

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**InfluxDB UI:**

There are two places you can create a bucket in the UI.

-   [Create a bucket from the Load Data menu](#create-a-bucket-from-the-load-data-menu)
-   [Create a bucket in the Data Explorer](#create-a-bucket-in-the-data-explorer)

### Create a bucket from the Load Data menu

1. In the navigation menu on the left, select **Data (Load Data)** > **Buckets**.
    
    Load Data
    
2. Click **Create Bucket** in the upper right.
    
3. Enter a **Name** for the bucket *(see [Bucket naming restrictions](#bucket-naming-restrictions))*.
    
4. Select when to **Delete Data**:
    
    -   **Never** to retain data forever.
    -   **Older than** to choose a specific retention period.
5. Click **Create** to create the bucket.
    

### Create a bucket in the Data Explorer

1. In the navigation menu on the left, select **Explore (Data Explorer)**.
    
    Data Explorer
    
2. In the **From** panel in the Flux Builder, select `+ Create Bucket`.
    
3. Enter a **Name** for the bucket *(see [Bucket naming restrictions](#bucket-naming-restrictions))*.
    
4. Select when to **Delete Data**:
    
    -   **Never** to retain data forever.
    -   **Older than** to choose a specific retention period.
5. Click **Create** to create the bucket.

**influx CLI:**

Use the [`influx bucket create` command](/influxdb/v2/reference/cli/influx/bucket/create) to create a new bucket.

Include the following flags with the command:

-   `-n`, `--name`: Bucket name *(see [Bucket naming restrictions](#bucket-naming-restrictions))*
-   `-o`, `--org` or `--org-id`: Organization name or ID
-   `-r`, `--retention`: Bucket retention period (duration to keep data) in one of the following units:
    -   nanoseconds (`ns`)
    -   microseconds (`us` or `µs`)
    -   milliseconds (`ms`)
    -   seconds (`s`)
    -   minutes (`m`)
    -   hours (`h`)
    -   days (`d`)
    -   weeks (`w`)

The minimum retention period is **one hour**.

```sh
# Syntax
influx bucket create \
  --name <bucket-name> \
  --org <org-name> \
  --retention <retention-period-duration>

# Example
influx bucket create \
  --name my-bucket \
  --org my-org \
  --retention 72h
```

**InfluxDB API:**

To create a bucket with the InfluxDB HTTP API, send a request to the following endpoint:

[POST https://localhost:8086/api/v2/buckets](/influxdb/v2/api/buckets/)

Include the following in your request:

-   **Headers:**
    -   **Authorization:** `Token` scheme with your InfluxDB [API token](/influxdb/v2/admin/tokens/)
    -   **Content-type:** `application/json`
-   **Request body:** JSON object with the following fields:  
    \* Required
    -   \* **name:** Bucket name *(see [Bucket naming restrictions](#bucket-naming-restrictions))*
    -   \* **orgID:** InfluxDB organization ID
    -   **description:** Bucket description
    -   **retentionRules:** JSON array containing a single object with the following fields:
        -   **type:** expire
        -   **everySecond**: Number of seconds to retain data *(0 means forever)*
        -   **shardGroupDuration**: Number of seconds to retain shard groups *(0 means forever)*

#### Example

The URL depends on the version and location of your InfluxDB 2.9 instance *(see [InfluxDB URLs](/influxdb/v2/reference/urls/))*.

```sh
INFLUX_TOKEN=YOUR_API_TOKEN
INFLUX_ORG_ID=YOUR_ORG_ID

curl --request POST \
  "http://localhost:8086/api/v2/buckets" \
  --header "Authorization: Token ${INFLUX_TOKEN}" \
  --header "Content-type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "orgID": "'"${INFLUX_ORG_ID}"'",
    "name": "iot-center",
    "retentionRules": [
      {
        "type": "expire",
        "everySeconds": 86400,
        "shardGroupDurationSeconds": 0
      }
    ]
  }'
```

*For information about **InfluxDB API options and response codes**, see [InfluxDB API Buckets documentation](/influxdb/v2/api/buckets/).*

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## Bucket naming restrictions

Bucket names must adhere to the following naming restrictions:

-   Must contain two or more characters
-   Cannot start with an underscore (`_`)
-   Cannot contain a double quote (`"`)

#### Related

-   [Data retention in InfluxDB](/influxdb/v2/reference/internals/data-retention/)