# What's the best way to backup ILM policies & index templates
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/whats-the-best-way-to-backup-ilm-policies-index-templates/251231
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [October 7, 2020, 8:20am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/whats-the-best-way-to-backup-ilm-policies-index-templates/251231 "2020-10-07T08:20:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Chr0my](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Chr0my)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2020, 8:20am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/whats-the-best-way-to-backup-ilm-policies-index-templates/251231/1 "2020-10-07T08:20:18Z")
Hi everyone,
I'm currently looking for a way to backup ILM policies and index templates automatically, but I cannot find where these informations are stored, and I don't want to snapshot my entire cluster.
Is it stored in a dedicated index ?
If it's the case, I will be able to use the snapshot functionality, if not, I still can develop something to talk with the API directly and get the json...
Do you have any advice ?
Thanks !
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### Author:  [@Wolfram\_Haussig](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Wolfram_Haussig)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2020, 8:33am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/whats-the-best-way-to-backup-ilm-policies-index-templates/251231/2 "2020-10-07T08:33:22Z")
Hi,
We use the ElasticSearch API to backup [ILM policies](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/master/ilm-get-lifecycle.html) and [index templates](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/indices-get-template.html).
This API also allows restoring the data using a PUT request...
Best regards
Wolfram
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### Author:  [@Chr0my](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Chr0my)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/whats-the-best-way-to-backup-ilm-policies-index-templates/251231/3 "2020-10-12T13:03:04Z")
Hi, thanks for your answer. Yes basically that's what I had in mind and it works well.
But still don't find where these data can be located precisely 🤔
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### Author:  [@Wolfram\_Haussig](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Wolfram_Haussig)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2020, 6:01am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/whats-the-best-way-to-backup-ilm-policies-index-templates/251231/4 "2020-10-15T06:01:40Z")
> [@Chr0my](#):
>
> But still don't find where these data can be located precisely
What do you want to know? Do you mean where Elasticsearch stores it internally?
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### Author:  [@Chr0my](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Chr0my)
#### Post date: [October 15, 2020, 7:26am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/whats-the-best-way-to-backup-ilm-policies-index-templates/251231/5 "2020-10-15T07:26:51Z")
That's it
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### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2020, 7:26am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/whats-the-best-way-to-backup-ilm-policies-index-templates/251231/6 "2020-11-12T07:26:56Z")
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