# Is it possible to remove node from ES 6.8?
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/is-it-possible-to-remove-node-from-es-6-8/245583
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [August 19, 2020, 10:37am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/is-it-possible-to-remove-node-from-es-6-8/245583 "2020-08-19T10:37:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@tarkhil](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/tarkhil)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2020, 10:37am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/is-it-possible-to-remove-node-from-es-6-8/245583/1 "2020-08-19T10:37:52Z")
Hello
I've set up a server, started a ES 6.8 instance, run it for a while in cluster and found an error in disk setup requiring me to reinstall everything starting from OS.
As far as I can understand, I have only one or two options - backup everything and reinstall or somehow remove node from cluster, wait for all shards to move to active nodes, remove ES data and than backup/restore much less data.
First option will result in a long downtime of a node; the second should take more time overall, but no downtime and less mine time.
Is it possible to safely remove a node from cluster? Or should I first add a replica to every shard, or is it impossible at all?
---
### Author:  [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2020, 4:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/is-it-possible-to-remove-node-from-es-6-8/245583/2 "2020-08-20T04:41:03Z")
If your data is at all important, running replicas is the bare minimum step you should be doing.
To remove a node you will want to;
1. Exclude it from allocation - [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/7.9/shard-allocation-filtering.html](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/7.9/shard-allocation-filtering.html)
2. Wait for that to complete
3. Stop the Elasticsearch process on the node
4. Done.
---
### Author:  [@tarkhil](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/tarkhil)
#### Post date: [August 20, 2020, 7:18am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/is-it-possible-to-remove-node-from-es-6-8/245583/3 "2020-08-20T07:18:21Z")
I do know about replicas, but until now I was able to run only two nodes, both loaded enough without replicas. The main purpose of the third node was need for replicas.
I'll try excluding right now.
---
### Author:  [@tarkhil](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/tarkhil)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/is-it-possible-to-remove-node-from-es-6-8/245583/4 "2020-08-21T14:06:20Z")
Tried, nothing meaningful happened, I've ended up stopping cluster, backup and recover. Current index was (and is) clogged anyway and I don't understand yet what to do with it.
---
### Author:  [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2020, 5:35am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/is-it-possible-to-remove-node-from-es-6-8/245583/5 "2020-08-22T05:35:44Z")
It not clear what you tried and what did or didn't happen. I don't know what a clogged index is either, there is no such concept in Elasticsearch/
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2020, 5:35am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/is-it-possible-to-remove-node-from-es-6-8/245583/6 "2020-09-19T05:35:58Z")
This topic was automatically closed 28 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.