# Separating Elastic configuration and data directory

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/separating-elastic-configuration-and-data-directory/73879>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [February 3, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/separating-elastic-configuration-and-data-directory/73879 "2017-02-03T16:07:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![baxter19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@baxter19](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/baxter19)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/separating-elastic-configuration-and-data-directory/73879/1 "2017-02-03T16:07:36Z")

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We would like to separate the elasticsearch configuration (confg, logs, plugins, work) location from the data directory where all the index files are stored (primarly to put the data directory on a partition that with more capable/expandable storage).

Has anyone done this, anything we should be concerned about with this approach?

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**Author:** ![baxter19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d6d6ee/32.png) [@baxter19](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/baxter19)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/separating-elastic-configuration-and-data-directory/73879/2 "2017-02-03T16:10:10Z")

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Additionally, to do this on an existing cluster is it as simple as shutting down the node, updating the elasticsearch.yml file to adjust the "path.data" setting?

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**Author:** ![tanguy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/tanguy/32/6030_2.png) [@tanguy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/tanguy)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/separating-elastic-configuration-and-data-directory/73879/3 "2017-02-03T16:18:29Z")

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Hi,

It depends how Elasticsearch has been installed.

If you installed ES using a tar.gz archive, then you just have to configure path.data, path.conf, path.plugins etc in elasticsearch.yml and move the existing directories and files.

If you installed ES using a deb/rpm it's a bit different (but almost as simple) and you should check the documentation here : [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/5.2/install-elasticsearch.html](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/5.2/install-elasticsearch.html)

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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:** [March 3, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/separating-elastic-configuration-and-data-directory/73879/4 "2017-03-03T16:18:44Z")

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