[[cluster-health]]
=== Cluster health API
++++
<titleabbrev>Cluster health</titleabbrev>
++++

Returns the health status of a cluster.

[[cluster-health-api-request]]
==== {api-request-title}

`GET _cluster/health/<index>`

[[cluster-health-api-desc]]
==== {api-description-title}

The cluster health API returns a simple status on the health of the 
cluster. The API can also be executed against one or more indices to get just 
the specified indices health.

The cluster health status is: `green`, `yellow` or `red`. On the shard level, a 
`red` status indicates that the specific shard is not allocated in the cluster, 
`yellow` means that the primary shard is allocated but replicas are not, and 
`green` means that all shards are allocated. The index level status is 
controlled by the worst shard status. The cluster status is controlled by the 
worst index status.

One of the main benefits of the API is the ability to wait until the cluster 
reaches a certain high water-mark health level. For example, the following will 
wait for 50 seconds for the cluster to reach the `yellow` level (if it reaches 
the `green` or `yellow` status before 50 seconds elapse, it will return at that 
point):

[source,console]
--------------------------------------------------
GET /_cluster/health?wait_for_status=yellow&timeout=50s
--------------------------------------------------

[[cluster-health-api-path-params]]
==== {api-path-parms-title}

include::{docdir}/rest-api/common-parms.asciidoc[tag=index]

[[cluster-health-api-query-params]]
==== {api-query-parms-title}

`level`::
    (Optional, string) Can be one of `cluster`, `indices` or `shards`. Controls 
    the details level of the health information returned. Defaults to `cluster`.
    
include::{docdir}/rest-api/common-parms.asciidoc[tag=local]
    
include::{docdir}/rest-api/common-parms.asciidoc[tag=timeoutparms]

`wait_for_active_shards`::
    (Optional, string) A number controlling to how many active shards to wait 
    for, `all` to wait for all shards in the cluster to be active, or `0` to not 
    wait. Defaults to `0`.
    
`wait_for_events`::
    (Optional, string) Can be one of `immediate`, `urgent`, `high`, `normal`, 
    `low`, `languid`. Wait until all currently queued events with the given 
    priority are processed.

`wait_for_no_initializing_shards`::
    (Optional, boolean) A boolean value which controls whether to wait (until 
    the timeout provided) for the cluster to have no shard initializations. 
    Defaults to false, which means it will not wait for initializing shards.

`wait_for_no_relocating_shards`::
    (Optional, boolean) A boolean value which controls whether to wait (until 
    the timeout provided) for the cluster to have no shard relocations. Defaults 
    to false, which means it will not wait for relocating shards.

`wait_for_nodes`::
    (Optional, string) The request waits until the specified number `N` of
    nodes is available. It also accepts `>=N`, `<=N`, `>N` and `<N`.
    Alternatively, it is possible to use `ge(N)`, `le(N)`, `gt(N)` and
    `lt(N)` notation.

`wait_for_status`::
    (Optional, string) One of `green`, `yellow` or `red`. Will wait (until the 
    timeout provided) until the status of the cluster changes to the one
    provided or better, i.e. `green` > `yellow` > `red`. By default, will not
    wait for any status.

[[cluster-health-api-response-body]]
==== {api-response-body-title}

`cluster_name`::
    (string) The name of the cluster.

`status`::
include::{docdir}/rest-api/common-parms.asciidoc[tag=cluster-health-status]

`timed_out`::
    (boolean) If `false` the response returned within the period of 
    time that is specified by the `timeout` parameter (`30s` by default).

`number_of_nodes`::
    (integer) The number of nodes within the cluster.

`number_of_data_nodes`::
    (integer) The number of nodes that are dedicated data nodes.

`active_primary_shards`::
    (integer) The number of active primary shards.

`active_shards`::
    (integer) The total number of active primary and replica shards.

`relocating_shards`::
    (integer) The number of shards that are under relocation.

`initializing_shards`::
    (integer) The number of shards that are under initialization.

`unassigned_shards`::
    (integer) The number of shards that are not allocated.

`delayed_unassigned_shards`::
    (integer) The number of shards whose allocation has been delayed by the 
    timeout settings.

`number_of_pending_tasks`::
    (integer) The number of cluster-level changes that have not yet been 
    executed.

`number_of_in_flight_fetch`::
    (integer) The number of unfinished fetches.

`task_max_waiting_in_queue_millis`::
    (integer) The time expressed in milliseconds since the earliest initiated task 
    is waiting for being performed.

`active_shards_percent_as_number`::
    (float) The ratio of active shards in the cluster expressed as a percentage. 

[[cluster-health-api-example]]
==== {api-examples-title}

[source,console]
--------------------------------------------------
GET _cluster/health
--------------------------------------------------
// TEST[s/^/PUT test1\n/]

The API returns the following response in case of a quiet single node cluster 
with a single index with one shard and one replica:

[source,console-result]
--------------------------------------------------
{
  "cluster_name" : "testcluster",
  "status" : "yellow",
  "timed_out" : false,
  "number_of_nodes" : 1,
  "number_of_data_nodes" : 1,
  "active_primary_shards" : 1,
  "active_shards" : 1,
  "relocating_shards" : 0,
  "initializing_shards" : 0,
  "unassigned_shards" : 1,
  "delayed_unassigned_shards": 0,
  "number_of_pending_tasks" : 0,
  "number_of_in_flight_fetch": 0,
  "task_max_waiting_in_queue_millis": 0,
  "active_shards_percent_as_number": 50.0
}
--------------------------------------------------
// TESTRESPONSE[s/testcluster/integTest/]
// TESTRESPONSE[s/"number_of_pending_tasks" : 0,/"number_of_pending_tasks" : $body.number_of_pending_tasks,/]
// TESTRESPONSE[s/"task_max_waiting_in_queue_millis": 0/"task_max_waiting_in_queue_millis": $body.task_max_waiting_in_queue_millis/]

The following is an example of getting the cluster health at the
`shards` level:

[source,console]
--------------------------------------------------
GET /_cluster/health/twitter?level=shards
--------------------------------------------------
// TEST[setup:twitter]