Configure specialized cluster nodes

Thread allocation on this page applies to the Parquet storage engine. If your cluster runs the upgraded storage engine (the default for new clusters in InfluxDB 3 Enterprise 3.11+), see the storage engine configuration reference instead.

Optimize performance for specific workloads in your InfluxDB 3 Enterprise cluster by configuring specialized nodes in distributed deployments. Assign specific modes and thread allocations to nodes to maximize cluster efficiency.

Specialize nodes for specific workloads

In an InfluxDB 3 Enterprise cluster, you can dedicate nodes to specific tasks:

  • Ingest nodes: Optimized for high-throughput data ingestion
  • Query nodes: Maximized for complex analytical queries
  • Compactor nodes: Dedicated to data compaction and optimization
  • Process-capable nodes: Any node with --plugin-dir configured runs the Processing Engine and follows every ingest node’s WAL through object storage. Use --node-spec when creating a trigger to control which process nodes’ schedulers own it, see Run the Processing Engine in a cluster.
  • All-in-one nodes: Balanced for mixed workloads (single-node deployments only)

Configure node modes

Pass the --mode parameter when starting the node to specify its capabilities:

# Single mode
influxdb3 serve --mode=ingest

# Multiple modes
influxdb3 serve --mode=ingest,query

# All modes (default, for single-node Enterprise only)
influxdb3 serve --mode=all

Available modes:

  • all: All capabilities enabled (single-node Enterprise deployments only)