# Auto-delete zipkin indices
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Tags:** ilm-index-lifecycle-management
**Created:** [September 4, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545 "2020-09-04T13:21:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ajoshi83](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ajoshi83)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545/1 "2020-09-04T13:21:12Z")
Hi.
I am using Elastic Search 7.3.1 as a storage engine for OpenZipkin. Zipkin creates a span index daily in the format "zipkin-span-YYYY-MM-dd".
How I can automate the deletion of the Zipkin indices when its old than 10 days?
I gave a try to Elastic Search ILM with below PUT requests:
**PUT** [http://localhost:9200/\_ilm/policy/zipkin\_indices\_policy](http://localhost:9200/_ilm/policy/zipkin_indices_policy)
```auto
{
"policy": {"phases": {"hot": {"actions": { "rollover": {"max_age": "03m"}}},
"delete": {"min_age": "02m","actions": {"delete": {}}}}
}
}
```
**PUT** [http://localhost:9200/\_template/zipkinidx\_template](http://localhost:9200/_template/zipkinidx_template)
```auto
{
"index_patterns": ["zipkin*"],
"settings": {"number_of_shards": 1, "number_of_replicas": 1,
"index.lifecycle.name": "zipkin_indices_policy"
}
}
```
but it fails at the action `rollover` with the below error:
```auto
{"indices":{"zipkin-span-2020-09-04":{"index":"zipkin-span-2020-09-04","managed":true,"policy":"zipkin_indices_policy","lifecycle_date_millis":1599223883087,"phase":"hot","
phase_time_millis":1599223884147,"action":"rollover","action_time_millis":1599223926386,"step":"ERROR","step_time_millis":1599224524930,"failed_step":"check-rollover-ready"
,"step_info":{"type":"illegal_argument_exception","reason":"setting [index.lifecycle.rollover_alias] for index [zipkin-span-2020-09-04] is empty or not defined","stack_trac
e":"java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: setting [index.lifecycle.rollover_alias] for index [zipkin-span-2020-09-04] is empty or not defined\n\tat org.elasticsearch.xpack.co
re.indexlifecycle.WaitForRolloverReadyStep.evaluateCondition(WaitForRolloverReadyStep.java:50)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.xpack.indexlifecycle.IndexLifecycleRunner.runPeriodic
Step(IndexLifecycleRunner.java:133)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.xpack.indexlifecycle.IndexLifecycleService.triggerPolicies(IndexLifecycleService.java:270)\n\tat org.elasticsear
ch.xpack.indexlifecycle.IndexLifecycleService.triggered(IndexLifecycleService.java:213)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.scheduler.SchedulerEngine.notifyListeners(Schedul
erEngine.java:168)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.scheduler.SchedulerEngine$ActiveSchedule.run(SchedulerEngine.java:196)\n\tat java.base/java.util.concurrent.Executors$
RunnableAdapter.call(Executors.java:515)\n\tat java.base/java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:264)\n\tat java.base/java.util.concurrent.ScheduledThreadPoolEx
ecutor$ScheduledFutureTask.run(ScheduledThreadPoolExecutor.java:304)\n\tat java.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1128)\n\tat j
ava.base/java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:628)\n\tat java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:835)\n"},"phase_execution":{"polic
y":"zipkin_indices_policy","phase_definition":{"min_age":"0ms","actions":{"rollover":{"max_age":"3m"}}},"version":5,"modified_date_in_millis":1599223847778}}}}
```
- Is it a must for an index to have an alias?
- As the creation of the index is handled by the Zipkin and it does not create an alias for the index how can I proceed autodeletion of the index?
(I know one possible solution is to use Curator or hit DELETE API from a cron job but I am looking a solution from ilm perspective)
Thanks.
---
### Author:  [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2020, 2:02am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545/2 "2020-09-07T02:02:27Z")
> [@ajoshi83](#):
>
> - Is it a must for an index to have an alias?
For ILM, yes.
> [@ajoshi83](#):
>
> As the creation of the index is handled by the Zipkin and it does not create an alias for the index how can I proceed autodeletion of the index?
Move from daily indices to letting ILM manage rollover for you.
---
### Author:  [@ajoshi83](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ajoshi83)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2020, 10:30am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545/3 "2020-09-08T10:30:27Z")
Hi Mark. Thanks for the reply.
As adding an alias to the index is not in our control (index is created by Zipkin), I have to proceed with the curator at least for now.
Does ILM or the ILM's alias feature need any commercial license? If not, I will check with the openzipkin team if they can add alias to the indices.
---
### Author:  [@Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_Dahlqvist)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2020, 12:42pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545/4 "2020-09-08T12:42:20Z")
The feature that requires an alias within ILM is rollover. This should as far as I know not be mandatory so you should be possible to use ILM with the indices exactly as they are currently created by zip kin.
---
### Author:  [@lzukel](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/lzukel)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2020, 12:58pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545/5 "2020-09-08T12:58:03Z")
Try taking out hot section of your ilm...
**PUT** [http://localhost:9200/\_ilm/policy/zipkin\_indices\_policy](http://localhost:9200/_ilm/policy/zipkin_indices_policy)
```
{"policy": {"phases": {"delete": {"min_age": "02m","actions": {"delete": {}}}}}}
```
---
### Author:  [@ajoshi83](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ajoshi83)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2020, 8:55am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545/6 "2020-09-10T08:55:17Z")
Hi Izukel. Many thanks for the reply which turned to the solution.
Yes, removing the hot phase and keeping only the delete phase in the policy removed the index.
---
### Author:  [@ajoshi83](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ajoshi83)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2020, 9:00am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545/7 "2020-09-10T09:00:37Z")
Hi Christian. Thanks for the reply.
Ignoring the rollover phase from the policy and to consider only delete phase worked.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2020, 9:00am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/auto-delete-zipkin-indices/247545/8 "2020-10-08T09:00:39Z")
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