# Index Templates for older filebeat indices...how?

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-templates-for-older-filebeat-indices-how/214461>\
**Category:** Logstash\
**Created:** [January 9, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-templates-for-older-filebeat-indices-how/214461 "2020-01-09T15:52:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![hueyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8c91f0/32.png) [@hueyg](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/hueyg)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-templates-for-older-filebeat-indices-how/214461/1 "2020-01-09T15:52:21Z")

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I migrated to a 7.4 cluster from a stand alone 5.x single test instance. I may have carried over some legacy bad habits so to speak. Attempting to implement ILM policies but exposing other issues.

I followed the same older example of shipping via filebeat to logstash and creating indices based on an index pattern. I never created any "index template" for these various indices and never really understood why it was required in the newer examples of shippers. I see mappings and shard settings so something is taking care of it.

Can I simply create a NEW index template for these pre-existing indices based on the index pattern so I can apply ILM policies to it? Will this cause an issue to the existing "rules" that are currently being applied to the filebeat indices based on index pattern?

Thanks

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/index-templates-for-older-filebeat-indices-how/214461/2 "2020-02-06T15:52:27Z")

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