# Create a max of 7 monitoring indices
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/create-a-max-of-7-monitoring-indices/343603
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [September 22, 2023, 8:06am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/create-a-max-of-7-monitoring-indices/343603 "2023-09-22T08:06:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rakhshunda\_Noorein\_J](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Rakhshunda_Noorein_J)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2023, 8:06am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/create-a-max-of-7-monitoring-indices/343603/1 "2023-09-22T08:06:00Z")
Hello,
I want to configure monitoring setting as such that only 7 days monitoring indices is created in my cluster in order to monitor for only 7 days and not more..
Also Is there a way that only 1 elasticsearch monitoring index is created once a week or month?? I dont dont want daily creation of monitoring index.
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### Author:  [@yago82](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/yago82)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2023, 8:09am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/create-a-max-of-7-monitoring-indices/343603/2 "2023-09-22T08:09:09Z")
Hi Rakhshunda,
You can configure index lifecycle management (ILM) policies to automatically manage indices according to your performance, resiliency, and retention requirements. For example, you could use ILM to:
- Spin up a new index when an index reaches a certain size or number of documents
\*\*\* Create a new index each day, week, or month and archive previous ones\*\*
- Delete stale indices to enforce data retention standards
[https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/index-lifecycle-management.html](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/index-lifecycle-management.html)
Regards
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### Author:  [@Rakhshunda\_Noorein\_J](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Rakhshunda_Noorein_J)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2023, 8:16am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/create-a-max-of-7-monitoring-indices/343603/3 "2023-09-22T08:16:45Z")
.monitoring indices is not maintaining any alias or template. so I cannot attach an ILM policy to .monitoring indices..
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### Author:  [@miltonhultgren](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/miltonhultgren)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2023, 8:27am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/create-a-max-of-7-monitoring-indices/343603/4 "2023-09-22T08:27:59Z")
The `.monitoring-*` indices do indeed have templates, but they are System templates so they are hidden by default in the UI.
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### Author:  [@leandrojmp](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/leandrojmp)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2023, 11:56am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/create-a-max-of-7-monitoring-indices/343603/5 "2023-09-22T11:56:24Z")
> [@Rakhshunda\_Noorein\_J](#):
>
> .monitoring indices is not maintaining any alias or template. so I cannot attach an ILM policy to .monitoring indices..
You do not need to attach any policy as one already exists.
It is called `.monitoring-8-ilm-policy`, you need to edit this policy to delete after 7 days.
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### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2023, 11:57am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/create-a-max-of-7-monitoring-indices/343603/6 "2023-10-20T11:57:01Z")
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