---
layout: docs
page_title: Integrated Storage Autopilot
sidebar_title: Autopilot
description: Learn about the autopilot subsystem of integrated raft storage in Vault.
---

# Autopilot

Autopilot enables automated workflows for managing Raft clusters. The current
feature set includes 3 main features: Server Stabilization, Dead Server Cleanup
and State API. These three features are introduced in Vault 1.7.

## Server Stabilization

Server stabilization helps to retain the stability of the Raft cluster by safely
joining new voting nodes to the cluster. When a new voter node is joined to an
existing cluster, autopilot adds it as a non-voter instead, and waits for a
pre-configured amount of time to monitor it's health. If the node remains to be
healthy for the entire duration of stabilization, then that node will be
promoted as a voter. The server stabilization period can be tuned using
`server_stabilization_time` (see below).

## Dead Server Cleanup

Dead server cleanup automatically removes nodes deemed unhealthy from the
Raft cluster, avoiding the manual operator intervention. This feature can be
tuned using the `cleanup_dead_servers`, `dead_server_last_contact_threshold`,
and `min_quorum` (see below).

## State API

State API provides detailed information about all the nodes in the Raft cluster
in a single call. This API can be used for monitoring for cluster health.

### Follower Health

Follower node health is determined by 2 factors.
- Its ability to heartbeat to leader node at regular intervals. Tuned using
`last_contact_threshold` (see below).
- Its ability to keep up with data replication from the leader node. Tuned using
`max_trailing_logs` (see below).

### Default Configuration

By default, Autopilot will be enabled with clusters using Vault 1.7+,
although dead server cleanup is not enabled by default. Upgrade of
Raft clusters deployed with older versions of Vault will also transition to use
Autopilot automatically.

Autopilot exposes a [configuration
API](/api/system/storage/raftautopilot#set-configuration) to manage its
behavior. Autopilot gets initialized with the following default values.

- `cleanup_dead_servers` - `false`

- `dead_server_last_contact_threshold` - `24h`

- `min_quorum` - This doesn't default to anything and will need to be set to at
least 3 when `cleanup_dead_servers` is set as `true`.

- `max_trailing_logs` - `1000`

- `last_contact_threshold` - `10s`

- `server_stabilization_time` - `10s`

## Replication

Performance secondary clusters have their own Autopilot configuration, managed
independently of their primary.

DR secondary clusters do not currently support Autopilot.