# Removal of mapping types - cluster shard limit **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [November 22, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/removal-of-mapping-types-cluster-shard-limit/108756 "2017-11-22T16:34:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jondruse](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/jondruse/32/24575_2.png) [@jondruse](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/jondruse)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/removal-of-mapping-types-cluster-shard-limit/108756/1 "2017-11-22T16:34:09Z")
In the docs for Removal of mapping types it's casually mentioned that a cluster has a "limit on how many primary shards a cluster can have". Here's the link: [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/master/removal-of-types.html#\_custom\_type\_field](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/master/removal-of-types.html#_custom_type_field) What does this mean? Is there a hard limit on how many primary shards a cluster can support? Or is it a functional limit on how many shards each node can support. Or is it something else? Our current cluster is: v 1.7 (i know, i know) 11 nodes 100+ indices with an average of 5 mapping types 40M+ total documents 100K+ percolator queries and growing So if we switched to a separate index per mapping type we'd have about 500 indices and about 2500 primary shards. We're also always adding more sources of data which means this is likely to double in the next year or so. I ask this because we are currently working toward upgrading. Thanks for your help! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/removal-of-mapping-types-cluster-shard-limit/108756/2 "2017-12-20T16:34:31Z")
Closed on December 20, 2017, 4:34pm UTC This topic was automatically closed 28 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.