Aliases & templates

Add and remove alias targets, switch the write index, and add, edit or delete fields in index and component templates.

Alias targets

Open an alias in the Explorer. The Targets card lists every index behind it, marks the write index and any index that joins with a filter.

Add an index

1. Click + Add index.
2. Type or pick the index — suggestions are the indices that aren’t in the alias yet.
3. Tick write index if writes to the alias should go to this index. If another index is currently the write index, the checkbox says so (instead of listings-v7) and that index is demoted in the same request.
4. Click Add.

Make another index the write index

Click Make write index next to any target. The old write index is demoted and the new one promoted together.

Remove an index

Click ✕ next to the index and confirm. kabanos warns you when:

• it’s the only index — removing it deletes the alias (the page closes afterwards);
• it’s the write index and two or more indices remain — writes to the alias fail until you choose a new write index.

When you remove the write index and exactly one index is left, that index becomes the write index automatically, so writes keep working.

Every change is a single atomic POST _aliases request, so the alias is never half-updated. On a production connection you confirm first; on a read-only connection the change is blocked.

Index and component templates

A template only shapes indices created from now on — existing indices keep their mapping. That means template fields can be changed or deleted freely, without a reindex.

Open a template in the Explorer. Its own mapping is listed with the same editor as an index mapping:

• + Add field — the same form as for indices (types, sub-fields, analyzers, extra parameters). See Mappings.
• Edit a field, then Save field — applied directly.
• Delete field — in the edit dialog, after a confirmation. Deleting the last field of an object removes the empty object too.
• Edit template JSON — edit the entire template: index_patterns, priority, composed_of, template.settings, template.mappings, template.aliases and _meta.

Each save sends the whole template with PUT _index_template/<name> (or PUT _component_template/<name>). If the cluster rejects it — say, an empty index_patterns — the error is shown in the dialog and nothing changes.

Good to know:

• Built-in templates managed by Elasticsearch are read-only in kabanos: the stack would overwrite changes.
• If an index template is composed of component templates, their fields aren’t in the list — a note tells you which components to edit.
• Read-only timestamps returned by Elasticsearch 9 (created_date_millis, modified_date_millis) are removed automatically before saving.
• The Definition card on the right always shows the template exactly as the cluster returns it.