Documentation

influxctl database update

The influxctl database update command updates a database’s retention period, table (measurement), or column limits in InfluxDB.

Usage

influxctl database update [flags] <DATABASE_NAME>

Arguments

ArgumentDescription
DATABASE_NAMEName of the database to update

Flags

FlagDescription
--retention-periodDatabase retention period (default is 0s or infinite)
--max-tablesMaximum tables per database (default is 500, 0 uses default)
--max-columnsMaximum columns per table (default is 250, 0 uses default)
-h--helpOutput command help

Examples

Update a database’s retention period

influxctl database update --retention-period 1mo mydb
Valid durations units
  • m: minute
  • h: hour
  • d: day
  • w: week
  • mo: month
  • y: year
Example retention period values
  • 0d: infinite/none
  • 3d: 3 days
  • 6w: 6 weeks
  • 1mo: 1 month (30 days)
  • 1y: 1 year
  • 30d30d: 60 days
  • 2.5d: 60 hours

Update a database’s table limit

influxctl database update --max-tables 300 mydb

Update a database’s column limit

influxctl database update --max-columns 200 mydb

Was this page helpful?

Thank you for your feedback!


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:

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