Remote-backed storage is an experimental feature. Therefore, we do not recommend the use of remote-backed storage in a production environment. For updates on the progress of remote-backed storage, or if you want leave feedback that could help improve the feature, refer to the issue on [GitHub](https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/issues/1968).
Remote-backed storage offers OpenSearch users a new way to protect against data loss by automatically creating backups of all index transactions and sending them to remote storage. In order to expose this feature, segment replication must also be enabled. See [Segment replication]({{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/opensearch/segment-replication/) for additional information.
There are several methods for enabling remote store feature, depending on the install type. You will also need to enable `remote_store` property when creating the index.
As an alternative to directly modifying `config/jvm.options`, you can define the properties by using an environment variable. This can be done in a single command when you start OpenSearch or by defining the variable with `export`.
To add these flags in-line when starting OpenSearch:
To create new indexes with remote-backed storage enabled, you must first enable these features by adding the correct properties to `run.gradle` before building OpenSearch. See the [developer guide](https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/blob/main/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md) for information about to use how Gradle to build OpenSearch.
Add the following properties to `run.gradle` to enable the feature:
Now that your deployment is running with the feature flags enabled, the next step is to register a remote repository where backups will be stored. See [Register repository]({{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/opensearch/snapshots/snapshot-restore#register-repository) for more information.
## Create an index
Remote-backed storage is enabled for an index when it is created. This feature cannot be enabled for indexes that already exist.
When creating the index, include the `remote_store` property to enable the feature and specify a target repository:
```bash
curl -X PUT "https://localhost:9200/my-index?pretty" -ku admin:admin -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d'
{
"settings": {
"index": {
"number_of_shards": 1,
"number_of_replicas": 0,
"replication": {
"type": "SEGMENT"
},
"remote_store": {
"enabled": true,
"repository": "my-repo-1"
}
}
}
}
'
```
All data that is added to the index will also be uploaded to the remote storage once it is committed.
### Restoring from a backup
To restore an index from a remote backup, such as in the event of a node failure, you must first close the index:
```bash
curl -X POST "https://localhost:9200/my-index/_close" -ku admin:admin
```
Restore the index from the backup stored on the remote repository:
```bash
curl -X POST "https://localhost:9200/_remotestore/_restore" -ku admin:admin -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d'
{
"indices": ["my-index"]
}
'
```
If the security plugin is enabled, a user must have the `cluster:admin/remotestore/restore` permission. See [Access control](/security-plugin/access-control/index/) for information about configuring user permissions.