Set up InfluxDB 3 Core
Prerequisites
To get started, you’ll need:
- InfluxDB 3 Core: Install and verify the latest version on your system.
- If you want to persist data, have access to one of the following:
- A directory on your local disk where you can persist data (used by examples in this guide)
- S3-compatible object store and credentials
Quick-Start Mode (Development)
For development, testing, and home use, you can start InfluxDB 3 Core without any arguments. The system automatically generates required configuration values based on your system’s hostname:
influxdb3When you run influxdb3 without arguments, the following values are auto-generated:
node-id:{hostname}-node(orprimary-nodeif hostname is unavailable)object-store:filedata-dir:~/.influxdb
The system displays warning messages showing the auto-generated identifiers:
Using auto-generated node id: mylaptop-node. For production deployments, explicitly set --node-idWhen to use quick-start mode
Quick-start mode is designed for development, testing, and home lab environments where simplicity is prioritized over explicit configuration.
For production deployments, use explicit configuration values with the
influxdb3 serve command
as shown in the Start InfluxDB section below.
Configuration precedence: Environment variables override auto-generated defaults.
For example, if you set INFLUXDB3_NODE_IDENTIFIER_PREFIX=my-node, the system
uses my-node instead of generating {hostname}-node.
Start InfluxDB
Use the influxdb3 serve command
to start InfluxDB 3 Core.
Provide the following:
--node-id: A string identifier that distinguishes individual server instances. This forms the final part of the storage path:<CONFIGURED_PATH>/<NODE_ID>.--object-store: Specifies the type of object store to use. InfluxDB supports the following:file: local file systemmemory: in memory (no object persistence)memory-throttled: likememorybut with latency and throughput that somewhat resembles a cloud-based object stores3: AWS S3 and S3-compatible services like Ceph or Miniogoogle: Google Cloud Storageazure: Azure Blob Storage
Other object store parameters depending on the selected
object-storetype. For example, if you uses3, you must provide the bucket name and credentials.
Diskless architecture
InfluxDB 3 supports a diskless architecture that can operate with object storage alone, eliminating the need for locally attached disks. InfluxDB 3 Core can also work with only local disk storage when needed.
For this getting started guide, use the file object store to persist data to
your local disk.
# File system object store
# Provide the file system directory
influxdb3 serve \
--node-id host01 \
--object-store file \
--data-dir ~/.influxdb3Object store examples
For more information about server options, use the CLI help or view the InfluxDB 3 CLI reference:
influxdb3 serve --helpUse the InfluxDB 3 Explorer query interface
You can complete the remaining steps in this guide using InfluxDB 3 Explorer, the web-based query and administrative interface for InfluxDB 3. Explorer provides visual management of databases and tokens and an easy way to write and query your time series data.
For more information, see the InfluxDB 3 Explorer documentation.
Set up authorization
InfluxDB 3 Core uses token-based authorization to authorize actions in the
database. Authorization is enabled by default when you start the server.
With authorization enabled, you must provide a token with influxdb3 CLI
commands and HTTP API requests.
InfluxDB 3 Core supports admin tokens, which grant access to all CLI actions and API endpoints.
For more information about tokens and authorization, see Manage tokens.
Create an operator token
After you start the server, create your first admin token. The first admin token you create is the operator token for the server.
Use the influxdb3 create token command
with the --admin option to create your operator token:
influxdb3 create token --admin# With Docker — in a new terminal:
docker exec -it CONTAINER_NAME influxdb3 create token --adminReplace CONTAINER_NAME with the name of your running Docker container.
The command returns a token string for authenticating CLI commands and API requests.
Store your token securely
InfluxDB displays the token string only when you create it. Store your token securely—you cannot retrieve it from the database later.
Set your token for authorization
Use your operator token to authenticate server actions in InfluxDB 3 Core, such as performing administrative tasks and writing and querying data.
Use one of the following methods to provide your token and authenticate influxdb3 CLI commands.
In your command, replace YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN with your token string (for example, the operator token from the previous step).
Set the INFLUXDB3_AUTH_TOKEN environment variable to have the CLI use your
token automatically:
export INFLUXDB3_AUTH_TOKEN=YOUR_AUTH_TOKENInclude the --token option with CLI commands:
influxdb3 show databases --token YOUR_AUTH_TOKENFor HTTP API requests, include your token in the Authorization header–for example:
curl "http://localhost:8181/api/v3/configure/database" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN"Learn more about tokens and permissions
Manage admin tokens - Understand and manage operator and named admin tokens
Authentication - Understand authentication, authorizations, and permissions in InfluxDB 3 Core
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Support and feedback
Thank you for being part of our community! We welcome and encourage your feedback and bug reports for InfluxDB 3 Core and this documentation. To find support, use the following resources:
Customers with an annual or support contract can contact InfluxData Support.