# How to filter out system indices? **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [June 28, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-filter-out-system-indices/137851 "2018-06-28T19:15:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinggang\_Diao](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/jinggang_diao/32/31917_2.png) [@Jinggang\_Diao](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Jinggang_Diao)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-filter-out-system-indices/137851/1 "2018-06-28T19:15:08Z")
I cannot find any documentation on system indices. I want to retrieve all non-system indices and the way I am doing it is to get all indices first and filter out system indices. The filter I am using is "does the index name start with a dot? Like .task, .kibana, .monitoring". I don't think that's a very good/safe filter. It also means a user cannot have an index name starting with a dot. But what else filter can I use? I know one inconvenient solution which is to add aliases to non-system indices. Any easy solutions on a better filter logic? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-filter-out-system-indices/137851/2 "2018-06-28T19:30:24Z")
It's a convention. System indices start with a dot. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-filter-out-system-indices/137851/3 "2018-07-26T19:30:36Z")
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