# Deleting old ES logs /var/log/elasticsearch

**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/deleting-old-es-logs-var-log-elasticsearch/21142
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [December 8, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/deleting-old-es-logs-var-log-elasticsearch/21142 "2014-12-08T11:57:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![jprante](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/jprante/32/44941_2.png) [@jprante](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/jprante)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2014, 1:14pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/deleting-old-es-logs-var-log-elasticsearch/21142/2 "2014-12-08T13:14:08Z")

</div>

The dailyRollingFIle appender parameter for retention is 'maxBackupIndex'

E.g.

file:  
type: dailyRollingFile  
file: ${path.logs}/${cluster.name}.log  
datePattern: "'.'yyyy-MM-dd"  
maxBackupIndex: 7  
layout:  
type: pattern  
conversionPattern: "[%d{ISO8601}][%-5p][%-25c] %m%n"

Jörg

On Mon, Dec 8, 2014 at 12:57 PM, Kasper Brandenburg \<  
[kasper.brandenburg@gmail.com](mailto:kasper.brandenburg@gmail.com)\> wrote:

> Hi guys,
> 
> Help me configure log-retention for ES.  
> I've struggling to delete old logfiles created by my ES clusters.
> 
> I've tried several settings in logging.yml, and none of them (log4j) seems  
> to work.  
> The the file appenders i've tried to add MaxDateRollBackups, maxSizeRollBackups  
> an others, no result.
> 
> appender:  
> console:  
> type: console  
> layout:  
> type: consolePattern  
> conversionPattern: "[%d{ISO8601}][%-5p][%-25c] %m%n"
> 
> file:  
> type: dailyRollingFile  
> file: ${path.logs}/${cluster.name}.log  
> datePattern: "'.'yyyy-MM-dd"  
> MaxDateRollBackups: 2  
> layout:  
> type: pattern  
> conversionPattern: "[%d{ISO8601}][%-5p][%-25c] %m%n"
> 
> logfile format looks like this:
> 
> -rw-r--r-- 1 elasticsearch elasticsearch 29M Oct 30 23:59  
> SHQA01ESCL1.log.2014-10-30  
> -rw-r--r-- 1 elasticsearch elasticsearch 18M Oct 31 23:59  
> SHQA01ESCL1.log.2014-10-31  
> -rw-r--r-- 1 elasticsearch elasticsearch 13M Nov 1 23:58  
> SHQA01ESCL1.log.2014-11-01  
> -rw-r--r-- 1 elasticsearch elasticsearch 202M Nov 2 23:51  
> SHQA01ESCL1.log.2014-11-02  
> -rw-r--r-- 1 elasticsearch elasticsearch 35M Nov 3 23:59  
> SHQA01ESCL1.log.2014-11-03  
> -rw-r--r-- 1 elasticsearch elasticsearch 43M Nov 4 23:59  
> SHQA01ESCL1.log.2014-11-04  
> -rw-r--r-- 1 elasticsearch elasticsearch 4.6M Nov 5 19:33  
> SHQA01ESCL1.log.2014-11-05  
> -rw-r--r-- 1 elasticsearch elasticsearch 95M Nov 6 23:59  
> SHQA01ESCL1.log.2014-11-06
> 
> Currently my ES cluster is 1.0.3, and we should upgrade to latest version  
> in Q1, 2015..
> 
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