Write

InfluxDB provides many different options for ingesting or writing data, including the following:

• Influx user interface (UI)
• InfluxDB HTTP API
• influx CLI
• Telegraf
• InfluxDB client libraries

This tutorial walks you through the fundamental of using line protocol to write data to InfluxDB. If using tools like Telegraf or InfluxDB client libraries, they will build the line protocol for you, but it's good to understand how line protocol works.

Line protocol

All data written to InfluxDB is written using line protocol, a text-based format that lets you provide the necessary information to write a data point to InfluxDB. This tutorial covers the basics of line protocol, but for detailed information, see the Line protocol reference.

Line protocol elements

Each line of line protocol contains the following elements:

{{< req type="key" >}}

• {{< req "*" >}} measurement: String that identifies the measurement to store the data in.
• tag set: Comma-delimited list of key value pairs, each representing a tag. Tag keys and values are unquoted strings. Spaces, commas, and equal characters must be escaped.
• {{< req "*" >}} field set: Comma-delimited list key value pairs, each representing a field. Field keys are unquoted strings. Spaces and commas must be escaped. Field values can be strings (quoted), floats, integers, unsigned integers, or booleans.
• timestamp: Unix timestamp associated with the data. InfluxDB supports up to nanosecond precision. If the precision of the timestamp is not in nanoseconds, you must specify the precision when writing the data to InfluxDB.

Line protocol element parsing

• measurement: Everything before the first unescaped comma before the first whitespace.
• tag set: Key-value pairs between the first unescaped comma and the first unescaped whitespace.
• field set: Key-value pairs between the first and second unescaped whitespaces.
• timestamp: Integer value after the second unescaped whitespace.
• Lines are separated by the newline character (\n). Line protocol is whitespace sensitive.

{{< influxdb/line-protocol >}}

For schema design recommendations, see InfluxDB schema design.

Construct line protocol

With a basic understanding of line protocol, you can now construct line protocol and write data to InfluxDB. Consider a use case where you collect data from sensors in your home. Each sensor collects temperature, humidity, and carbon monoxide readings. To collect this data, use the following schema:

• measurement: home
  • tags
    • room: Living Room or Kitchen
  • fields
    • temp: temperature in °C (float)
    • hum: percent humidity (float)
    • co: carbon monoxide in parts per million (integer)
  • timestamp: Unix timestamp in second precision

Data is collected hourly beginning at 2022-01-01T08:00:00Z (UTC) until 2022-01-01T20:00:00Z (UTC). The resulting line protocol would look something like the following:

Home sensor data line protocol

home,room=Living\ Room temp=21.1,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641024000
home,room=Kitchen temp=21.0,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641024000
home,room=Living\ Room temp=21.4,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641027600
home,room=Kitchen temp=23.0,hum=36.2,co=0i 1641027600
home,room=Living\ Room temp=21.8,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641031200
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.1,co=0i 1641031200
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.2,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641034800
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641034800
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.2,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641038400
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.5,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641038400
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641042000
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.8,hum=36.5,co=1i 1641042000
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.3,hum=36.1,co=0i 1641045600
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.8,hum=36.3,co=1i 1641045600
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.3,hum=36.1,co=1i 1641049200
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.2,co=3i 1641049200
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=4i 1641052800
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=7i 1641052800
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.6,hum=35.9,co=5i 1641056400
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.0,co=9i 1641056400
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.8,hum=36.2,co=9i 1641060000
home,room=Kitchen temp=23.3,hum=36.9,co=18i 1641060000
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.5,hum=36.3,co=14i 1641063600
home,room=Kitchen temp=23.1,hum=36.6,co=22i 1641063600
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.2,hum=36.4,co=17i 1641067200
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.5,co=26i 1641067200

Write line protocol to InfluxDB

Use the InfluxDB UI, influx CLI, or InfluxDB API to write the line protocol above to InfluxDB.

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

{{% tab-content %}}

1. Visit {{% show-in "v2" %}}localhost:8086{{% /show-in %}} {{% show-in "cloud,cloud-serverless" %}}cloud2.influxdata.com{{% /show-in %}} in a browser to log in and access the InfluxDB UI.

2. Navigate to Load Data > Buckets using the left navigation bar.

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

3. Click {{< icon "plus" >}} {{< caps >}}Add Data{{< /caps >}} on the bucket you want to write the data to and select Line Protocol.
4. Select {{< caps >}}Enter Manually{{< /caps >}}.
5. {{< req "Important" >}} In the Precision drop-down menu above the line protocol text field, select Seconds (to match to precision of the timestamps in the line protocol).
6. Copy the line protocol above and paste it into the line protocol text field.
7. Click {{< caps >}}Write Data{{< /caps >}}.

The UI will confirm that the data has been written successfully.

{{% /tab-content %}} {{% tab-content %}}

1. If you haven't already, download, install, and configure the influx CLI.

2. Use the influx write command to write the line protocol above to InfluxDB.

   Provide the following:

   • -b, --bucket or --bucket-id flag with the bucket name or ID to write do.
   • -p, --precision flag with the timestamp precision (s).
   • String-encoded line protocol.
   • Connection and authentication credentials
   shCopy

   influx write \
     --bucket get-started \
     --precision s "
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=21.1,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641024000
   home,room=Kitchen temp=21.0,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641024000
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=21.4,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641027600
   home,room=Kitchen temp=23.0,hum=36.2,co=0i 1641027600
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=21.8,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641031200
   home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.1,co=0i 1641031200
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.2,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641034800
   home,room=Kitchen temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641034800
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.2,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641038400
   home,room=Kitchen temp=22.5,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641038400
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641042000
   home,room=Kitchen temp=22.8,hum=36.5,co=1i 1641042000
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.3,hum=36.1,co=0i 1641045600
   home,room=Kitchen temp=22.8,hum=36.3,co=1i 1641045600
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.3,hum=36.1,co=1i 1641049200
   home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.2,co=3i 1641049200
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=4i 1641052800
   home,room=Kitchen temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=7i 1641052800
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.6,hum=35.9,co=5i 1641056400
   home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.0,co=9i 1641056400
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.8,hum=36.2,co=9i 1641060000
   home,room=Kitchen temp=23.3,hum=36.9,co=18i 1641060000
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.5,hum=36.3,co=14i 1641063600
   home,room=Kitchen temp=23.1,hum=36.6,co=22i 1641063600
   home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.2,hum=36.4,co=17i 1641067200
   home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.5,co=26i 1641067200
   "
   

{{% /tab-content %}} {{% tab-content %}}

To write data to InfluxDB using the InfluxDB HTTP API, send a request to the InfluxDB API /api/v2/write endpoint using the POST request method.

{{< api-endpoint endpoint="http://localhost:8086/api/v2/write" method="post" api-ref="/influxdb/version/api/#operation/PostWrite" >}}

Include the following with your request:

• Headers:
  • Authorization: Token <INFLUX_TOKEN>
  • Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
  • Accept: application/json
• Query parameters:
  • org: InfluxDB organization name
  • bucket: InfluxDB bucket name
  • precision: timestamp precision (default is ns)
• Request body: Line protocol as plain text

The following example uses cURL and the InfluxDB API to write line protocol to InfluxDB:

export INFLUX_HOST=http://localhost:8086
export INFLUX_ORG=<YOUR_INFLUXDB_ORG>
export INFLUX_TOKEN=<YOUR_INFLUXDB_API_TOKEN>

curl --request POST \
"$INFLUX_HOST/api/v2/write?org=$INFLUX_ORG&bucket=get-started&precision=s" \
  --header "Authorization: Token $INFLUX_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8" \
  --header "Accept: application/json" \
  --data-binary "
home,room=Living\ Room temp=21.1,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641024000
home,room=Kitchen temp=21.0,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641024000
home,room=Living\ Room temp=21.4,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641027600
home,room=Kitchen temp=23.0,hum=36.2,co=0i 1641027600
home,room=Living\ Room temp=21.8,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641031200
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.1,co=0i 1641031200
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.2,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641034800
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641034800
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.2,hum=35.9,co=0i 1641038400
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.5,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641038400
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=0i 1641042000
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.8,hum=36.5,co=1i 1641042000
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.3,hum=36.1,co=0i 1641045600
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.8,hum=36.3,co=1i 1641045600
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.3,hum=36.1,co=1i 1641049200
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.2,co=3i 1641049200
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=4i 1641052800
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.4,hum=36.0,co=7i 1641052800
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.6,hum=35.9,co=5i 1641056400
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.0,co=9i 1641056400
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.8,hum=36.2,co=9i 1641060000
home,room=Kitchen temp=23.3,hum=36.9,co=18i 1641060000
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.5,hum=36.3,co=14i 1641063600
home,room=Kitchen temp=23.1,hum=36.6,co=22i 1641063600
home,room=Living\ Room temp=22.2,hum=36.4,co=17i 1641067200
home,room=Kitchen temp=22.7,hum=36.5,co=26i 1641067200
"

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{{< expand-wrapper >}} {{% expand "View the written data" %}}

{{% /expand %}} {{< /expand-wrapper >}}

Congratulations! You have written data to InfluxDB. The method described above is the manual way of writing data, but there are other options available:

• Write data to InfluxDB using no-code solutions
• Write data to InfluxDB using developer tools

With data now stored in InfluxDB, let's query it.

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