---
layout: docs
page_title: Duration String Format
description: A description of Vault's duration string format used throughout Vault.
---

# Duration string format

Vault uses a unique duration string format as part of its configuration and APIs.
This format is used throughout Vault wherever durations are provided. For
example, telemetry configuration contains various options using this format, such as
`usage_gauge_period`, which is the interval of collection for high-cardinality usage data.

## How it works

A duration string is a possibly signed sequence of decimal numbers, each with an optional fraction and
an optional unit suffix. If no unit is given, we interpret the numbers as seconds.

Valid time units are:

- `ns` Nanoseconds
- `us` (or `µs`): Microseconds
- `ms`: Milliseconds
- `s`: Seconds
- `m`: Minutes
- `h`: Hours
- `d`: Days

## Examples

Example values could be:

- `100` (One hundred seconds, equivalent to `100s`)
- `60h` (Sixty hours)
- `1.5h` (One and a half hours)
- `50d` (Fifty days)
- `100ms` (One hundred milliseconds)
- `50ns` (Fifty nanoseconds)

