---
layout: docs
page_title: operator migrate - Command
description: >-
  The "operator migrate" command copies data between storage backends to
  facilitate

  migrating Vault between configurations. It operates directly at the storage

  level, with no decryption involved.
---

# operator migrate

The `operator migrate` command copies data between storage backends to facilitate
migrating Vault between configurations. It operates directly at the storage
level, with no decryption involved. Keys in the destination storage backend will
be overwritten, and the destination should _not_ be initialized prior to the
migrate operation. The source data is not modified, with the exception of a small lock
key added during migration.

This is intended to be an offline operation to ensure data consistency, and Vault
will not allow starting the server if a migration is in progress.

## Examples

Migrate all keys:

```shell-session
$ vault operator migrate -config migrate.hcl

2018-09-20T14:23:23.656-0700 [INFO ] copied key: data/core/seal-config
2018-09-20T14:23:23.657-0700 [INFO ] copied key: data/core/wrapping/jwtkey
2018-09-20T14:23:23.658-0700 [INFO ] copied key: data/logical/fd1bed89-ffc4-d631-00dd-0696c9f930c6/31c8e6d9-2a17-d98f-bdf1-aa868afa1291/archive/metadata
2018-09-20T14:23:23.660-0700 [INFO ] copied key: data/logical/fd1bed89-ffc4-d631-00dd-0696c9f930c6/31c8e6d9-2a17-d98f-bdf1-aa868afa1291/metadata/5kKFZ4YnzgNfy9UcWOzxxzOMpqlp61rYuq6laqpLQDnB3RawKpqi7yBTrawj1P
...
```

Migration is done in a consistent, sorted order. If the migration is halted or
exits before completion (e.g. due to a connection error with a storage backend),
it may be resumed from an arbitrary key prefix:

```shell-session
$ vault operator migrate -config migrate.hcl -start "data/logical/fd"
```

## Configuration

The `operator migrate` command uses a dedicated configuration file to specify the source
and destination storage backends. The format of the storage stanzas is identical
to that used to [configure Vault](/vault/docs/configuration/storage),
with the only difference being that two stanzas are required: `storage_source` and `storage_destination`.

```hcl
storage_source "mysql" {
  username = "user1234"
  password = "secret123!"
  database = "vault"
}

storage_destination "consul" {
  address = "127.0.0.1:8500"
  path    = "vault/"
}
```

## Migrating to integrated raft storage

### Example configuration

The below configuration will migrate away from Consul storage to integrated
raft storage. The raft data will be stored on the local filesystem in the
defined `path`. `node_id` can optionally be set to identify this node.
[cluster_addr](/vault/docs/configuration#cluster_addr) must be set to the
cluster hostname of this node. For more configuration options see the [raft
storage configuration documentation](/vault/docs/configuration/storage/raft).

If the original configuration uses "raft" for `ha_storage` a different
`path` needs to be declared for the path in `storage_destination` and the new
configuration for the node post-migration.

```hcl
storage_source "consul" {
  address = "127.0.0.1:8500"
  path    = "vault"
}

storage_destination "raft" {
  path = "/path/to/raft/data"
  node_id = "raft_node_1"
}
cluster_addr = "http://127.0.0.1:8201"
```

### Run the migration

Vault will need to be offline during the migration process. First, stop Vault.
Then, run the migration on the server you wish to become a the new Vault node.

```shell-session
$ vault operator migrate -config migrate.hcl

2018-09-20T14:23:23.656-0700 [INFO ] copied key: data/core/seal-config
2018-09-20T14:23:23.657-0700 [INFO ] copied key: data/core/wrapping/jwtkey
2018-09-20T14:23:23.658-0700 [INFO ] copied key: data/logical/fd1bed89-ffc4-d631-00dd-0696c9f930c6/31c8e6d9-2a17-d98f-bdf1-aa868afa1291/archive/metadata
2018-09-20T14:23:23.660-0700 [INFO ] copied key: data/logical/fd1bed89-ffc4-d631-00dd-0696c9f930c6/31c8e6d9-2a17-d98f-bdf1-aa868afa1291/metadata/5kKFZ4YnzgNfy9UcWOzxxzOMpqlp61rYuq6laqpLQDnB3RawKpqi7yBTrawj1P
...
```

After migration has completed, the data is stored on the local file system. To
use the new storage backend with Vault, update Vault's configuration file as
described in the [raft storage configuration
documentation](/vault/docs/configuration/storage/raft). Then start and unseal the
vault server.

### Join additional nodes

After migration the raft cluster will only have a single node. Additional peers
should be joined to this node.

If the cluster was previously HA-enabled using "raft" as the `ha_storage`, the
nodes will have to re-join to the migrated node before unsealing.

## Usage

The following flags are available for the `operator migrate` command.

- `-config` `(string: <required>)` - Path to the migration configuration file.

- `-start` `(string: "")` - Migration starting key prefix. Only keys at or after this value will be copied.

- `-reset` - Reset the migration lock. A lock file is added during migration to prevent
  starting the Vault server or another migration. The `-reset` option can be used to
  remove a stale lock file if present.

- `-max-parallel` `int: 10` - Allows the operator to specify the maximum number of lightweight threads (goroutines)
  which may be used to migrate data in parallel. This can potentially speed up migration on slower backends at
  the cost of more resources (e.g. CPU, memory). Permitted values range from `1` (synchronous) to the maximum value
  for an `integer`. If not supplied, a default of `10` parallel goroutines will be used.

  ~> Note: The maximum number of concurrent requests handled by a storage backend is ultimately governed by the
  storage backend configuration setting, which enforces a maximum number of concurrent requests (`max_parallel`).
