open-consul/website/source/docs/agent/http/operator.html.markdown

---
layout: "docs"
page_title: "Operator (HTTP)"
sidebar_current: "docs-agent-http-operator"
description: >
  The operator endpoint provides cluster-level tools for Consul operators.
---

# Operator HTTP Endpoint

The Operator endpoint provides cluster-level tools for Consul operators, such
as interacting with the Raft subsystem. This was added in Consul 0.7.

~> Use this interface with extreme caution, as improper use could lead to a Consul
   outage and even loss of data.

If ACLs are enabled then a token with operator privileges may required in
order to use this interface. See the [ACL](/docs/internals/acl.html#operator)
internals guide for more information.

See the [Outage Recovery](/docs/guides/outage.html) guide for some examples of how
these capabilities are used. For a CLI to perform these operations manually, please
see the documentation for the [`consul operator`](/docs/commands/operator.html)
command.

The following endpoints are supported:

* [`/v1/operator/raft/configuration`](#raft-configuration): Inspects the Raft configuration
* [`/v1/operator/raft/peer`](#raft-peer): Operates on Raft peers

Not all endpoints support blocking queries and all consistency modes,
see details in the sections below.

The operator endpoints support the use of ACL Tokens. See the
[ACL](/docs/internals/acl.html#operator) internals guide for more information.

### <a name="raft-configuration"></a> /v1/operator/raft/configuration

The Raft configuration endpoint supports the `GET` method.

#### GET Method

When using the `GET` method, the request will be forwarded to the cluster
leader to retrieve its latest Raft peer configuration.

If the cluster doesn't currently have a leader an error will be returned. You
can use the "?stale" query parameter to read the Raft configuration from any
of the Consul servers.

By default, the datacenter of the agent is queried; however, the `dc` can be
provided using the "?dc=" query parameter.

If ACLs are enabled, the client will need to supply an ACL Token with
[`operator`](/docs/internals/acl.html#operator) read privileges.

A JSON body is returned that looks like this:

```javascript
{
  "Servers": [
    {
      "ID": "127.0.0.1:8300",
      "Node": "alice",
      "Address": "127.0.0.1:8300",
      "Leader": true,
      "Voter": true
    },
    {
      "ID": "127.0.0.2:8300",
      "Node": "bob",
      "Address": "127.0.0.2:8300",
      "Leader": false,
      "Voter": true
    },
    {
      "ID": "127.0.0.3:8300",
      "Node": "carol",
      "Address": "127.0.0.3:8300",
      "Leader": false,
      "Voter": true
    }
  ],
  "Index": 22
}
```

The `Servers` array has information about the servers in the Raft peer
configuration:

`ID` is the ID of the server. This is the same as the `Address` in Consul 0.7
but may  be upgraded to a GUID in a future version of Consul.

`Node` is the node name of the server, as known to Consul, or "(unknown)" if
the node is stale and not known.

`Address` is the IP:port for the server.

`Leader` is either "true" or "false" depending on the server's role in the
Raft configuration.

`Voter` is "true" or "false", indicating if the server has a vote in the Raft
configuration. Future versions of Consul may add support for non-voting servers.

The `Index` value is the Raft corresponding to this configuration. Note that
the latest configuration may not yet be committed if changes are in flight.

### <a name="raft-peer"></a> /v1/operator/raft/peer

The Raft peer endpoint supports the `DELETE` method.

#### DELETE Method

Using the `DELETE` method, this endpoint will remove the Consul server with
given address from the Raft configuration.

There are rare cases where a peer may be left behind in the Raft configuration
even though the server is no longer present and known to the cluster. This
endpoint can be used to remove the failed server so that it is no longer
affects the Raft quorum.

An "?address=" query parameter is required and should be set to the
"IP:port" for the server to remove. The port number is usually 8300, unless
configured otherwise. Nothing is required in the body of the request.

By default, the datacenter of the agent is targeted; however, the `dc` can be
provided using the "?dc=" query parameter.

If ACLs are enabled, the client will need to supply an ACL Token with
[`operator`](/docs/internals/acl.html#operator) write privileges.

The return code will indicate success or failure.