# Do I need to backup cluster global metadata?
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/do-i-need-to-backup-cluster-global-metadata/46303
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [April 4, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/do-i-need-to-backup-cluster-global-metadata/46303 "2016-04-04T22:22:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@haizaar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/haizaar)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/do-i-need-to-backup-cluster-global-metadata/46303/1 "2016-04-04T22:22:32Z")
If yes, then how?
I'm thinking about scenario where all my master nodes are lost. I did [some tests here](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/where-cluster-metadata-is-stored/44540/9?u=haizaar) to check what happens when masters are lost; and I see that ES can recover from whatever is left on data nodes pretty well.
I wonder if it would help to restore masters from a backup in such case. If yes, then, again, how to properly create such backup?
Thanks,
Zaar
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### Author:  [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)
#### Post date: [April 4, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/do-i-need-to-backup-cluster-global-metadata/46303/2 "2016-04-04T22:56:21Z")
Use snapshot and restore - [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/2.3/modules-snapshots.html](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/2.3/modules-snapshots.html)
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### Author:  [@haizaar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/haizaar)
#### Post date: [April 5, 2016, 9:00am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/do-i-need-to-backup-cluster-global-metadata/46303/3 "2016-04-05T09:00:34Z")
Yes, but that talks about snapshots of indices. I'm interested in backing up the metadata only. My scenario is that masters (and only masters) die, i.e. I do not need to restore data nodes at all.
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### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 5, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/do-i-need-to-backup-cluster-global-metadata/46303/4 "2017-07-05T23:02:20Z")