Create a bucket

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

• Bucket naming restrictions
• Table and column limits
  • Auto-generate buckets on write
  • Create a bucket
• Retention period syntax
• /api/v2 retentionRules syntax
  • retentionRules example

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 (")

Names must be unique within the organization. When you send a request such as writing or querying, {{% product-name %}} uses the bucket name and token in your request to find the bucket within the organization.

Table and column limits

In {{< product-name >}}, table (measurement) and column are limited per bucket. Each measurement is represented by a table. Time, fields, and tags are each represented by a column.

Maximum number of tables: 500 Maximum number of columns: 200

Auto-generate buckets on write

InfluxDB can automatically create DBRP mappings and associated buckets for you during the following operations:

• Writing to the v1 /write endpoint
• Migrating from InfluxDB 1.x to {{% product-name %}}

Create a bucket

Create a bucket using the InfluxDB UI, influx CLI, or InfluxDB HTTP API.

{{< tabs-wrapper >}} {{% tabs %}} InfluxDB UI influx CLI InfluxDB API {{% /tabs %}} {{% tab-content %}}

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

• Create a bucket from the Load Data menu
• Create a bucket in the Data Explorer

Create a bucket from the Load Data menu

1. In the navigation menu on the left, select Load Data > Buckets.

{{< nav-icon "data" >}}

2. Click {{< icon "plus" >}} Create Bucket in the upper right.
3. Enter a Name for the bucket.
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).

{{< nav-icon "data-explorer" >}}

2. In the header bar, toggle the "Switch to old Data Explorer" button to the "on" position to display the Flux Builder.
3. In the From panel in the Flux Builder, select + Create Bucket.
4. Enter a Name for the bucket (see Bucket naming restrictions).
5. Select when to Delete Data:
   • Never to retain data forever.
   • Older than to choose a specific retention period.
6. Click Create to create the bucket.

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To create a bucket with the influx CLI, use the influx bucket create command and specify values for the following flags:

• -o, --org: Organization name
• -n, --name: Bucket name
• -r, --retention: Retention period duration

The following example creates a bucket with a retention period of 72 hours:

{{% code-placeholders "ORG|BUCKET_NAME|72h" %}}

influx bucket create \
  --name BUCKET_NAME \
  --retention 72h

{{% /code-placeholders %}}

Retention period syntax

Retention rules specify the bucket retention period, the duration that data is stored before it expires. The retention period also defines the minimum timestamp that you can write to the bucket; the bucket rejects data older than the retention period.

Use the --retention flag to specify a retention period for the bucket. The retention period value is a time duration value made up of a numeric value plus a duration unit. For example, 30d means 30 days. A zero duration (0d) retention period is infinite and data won't expire. The retention period value cannot be negative or contain whitespace.

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Valid durations units include

• m: minute
• h: hour
• d: day
• w: week
• mo: month
• y: year

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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

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

{{< api-endpoint method="post" endpoint="https://{{< influxdb/host >}}/api/v2/buckets" api-ref="/influxdb3/cloud-serverless/api/#operation/PostBuckets" >}}

Include the following in your request:

• Headers:
  • Authorization: Token scheme with your InfluxDB API token
  • Content-type: application/json
• Request body: JSON object with the following fields: {{< req type="key" >}}
  • {{< req "*" >}} name: Bucket name
  • orgID: InfluxDB organization ID
  • description: Bucket description
  • {{< req "*" >}} retentionRules: JSON array containing a single object with the following fields:
    • type: expire
    • everySecond: Retention period as a number of seconds (0 means forever)
    • shardGroupDuration: Number of seconds to retain shard groups (0 means forever)

The following example creates a bucket with a retention period of 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours:

{{% code-placeholders "API_TOKEN|ORG_ID|86400" %}}

curl --silent -w "%{response_code}: %{errormsg}\n" \
  -XPOST "https://{{< influxdb/host >}}/api/v2/buckets" \
  --header "Authorization: Token API_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-type: application/json" \
  --data @- << EOF
  {
    "orgID": "ORG_ID",
    "name": "BUCKET_NAME",
    "retentionRules": [
      {
        "type": "expire",
        "everySeconds": 86400
      }
    ]
  }
EOF

{{% /code-placeholders %}}

Replace the following:

• {{% code-placeholder-key %}}BUCKET_NAME{{% /code-placeholder-key %}}: the name of the bucket
• {{% code-placeholder-key %}}86400{{% /code-placeholder-key %}}: the number of seconds data is stored before it expires. Default is infinite--data won't expire.
• {{% code-placeholder-key %}}API_TOKEN{{% /code-placeholder-key %}}: a token with sufficient permissions to the specified bucket

If successful, the output is an HTTP 201: Created status code and the bucket; otherwise, an error status and message.

/api/v2 retentionRules syntax

Retention rules specify the bucket retention period. The retention period also defines the minimum timestamp that you can write to the bucket; the bucket rejects data older than the retention period. The default retention period is infinite--data won't expire.

To specify the retention period, set the retentionRules.everySeconds property to the number of seconds. A zero seconds (0) retention period is infinite. The retention period value can't be negative or contain whitespace.

retentionRules example

{
  "orgID": "ORG_ID",
  "name": "BUCKET_NAME",
  "retentionRules": [
    {
      "type": "expire",
      "everySeconds": "RETENTION_PERIOD_SECONDS"
    }
  ]
}

For information about InfluxDB API options and response codes, see InfluxDB API Buckets reference documentation.

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