Node settings

CrateDB nodes are configured using:

• The crate.yml configuration file (main method)

• Environment variables (override settings)

• Command-line options (rarely used)

All examples below use YAML syntax.

---

Configuration File

The main configuration file is:

CRATE_HOME/config/crate.yml

CrateDB reads this file at startup. Settings must be in valid YAML format.

---

Table of Contents

• Node Settings

• Path Settings

• Network Settings

• Discovery Settings

• Thread Pools

• Logging

• Example Configuration

• Notes

---

Node Settings

Setting	Description
cluster.name	Unique name of the cluster. All nodes in the same cluster must use the same name.
node.name	Optional. Unique identifier for a node. If not set, CrateDB auto-generates one.

---

Path Settings

Setting	Description
path.data	Path to store data (e.g., table storage). Default: data/
path.logs	Path for log files. Default: logs/
path.conf	Path to configuration files. Default: config/

---

Network Settings

Setting	Description
network.host	The IP or hostname the node binds to. Common values: 0.0.0.0 (all interfaces), 127.0.0.1 (local only)
http.port	Port for HTTP connections (e.g., Admin UI). Default: 4200
transport.tcp.port	Port for internal node-to-node communication. Default: 4300

---

Discovery Settings

Used to bootstrap and form a cluster.

Setting	Description
discovery.seed_hosts	List of IPs or hostnames used to discover other nodes. Required for clusters with more than one node.
cluster.initial_master_nodes	List of node names that can act as initial master nodes when bootstrapping a new cluster.

Example:

discovery.seed_hosts:
  - 192.168.1.1
  - 192.168.1.2

cluster.initial_master_nodes:
  - node1
  - node2

---

Thread Pools

Used to tune performance by adjusting how CrateDB handles internal threads.

Example:

thread_pool.write:
  size: 4
  queue_size: 200

Available pools include search, write, bulk, generic, and more.

---

Logging

Logging is configured via the log4j2.properties file in the config/ directory.

To change log levels or appenders (file/console output), edit log4j2.properties directly.

---

Example Configuration

cluster.name: my-cluster
node.name: crate-node-1

path:
  data: /var/lib/crate/data
  logs: /var/log/crate
  conf: /etc/crate/config

network.host: 0.0.0.0
http.port: 4200
transport.tcp.port: 4300

discovery.seed_hosts:
  - 192.168.1.10
  - 192.168.1.11

cluster.initial_master_nodes:
  - crate-node-1
  - crate-node-2

---

Notes

• Settings are case-sensitive.

• Use spaces, not tabs, in YAML files.

• Some settings require a full node restart to take effect.

• You can check current settings in SQL using:

  sqlCopierModifierSELECT * FROM sys.nodes;