Manage Collections (SDKs)

This guide walks you through creating and managing collections using the SDK of your choice, which is more flexible and customizable when compared with the operations on the intuitive Web UI of the Zilliz Cloud console.

Before you start

• You have created a cluster. To create a cluster, refer to Create Cluster (Dev).

• You have installed the SDK of your choice. To install an SDK, refer to Install SDKs.

Overview

On Zilliz Cloud, you store your vector embeddings in collections. All vector embeddings within a collection share the same dimensionality and distance metric for measuring similarity.

Zilliz Cloud collections support dynamic fields (i.e., fields not pre-defined in the schema) and automatic incrementation of primary keys.

To accommodate different preferences, Zilliz Cloud offers two methods for creating a collection. One provides a quick setup, while the other allows for detailed customization of the collection schema and index parameters.

Additionally, you can view, load, release, and drop a collection when necessary.

Create Collection

You can create a collection in one of the following ways:

• Quick setup

  In this manner, you can create a collection by simply giving it a name and specifying the number of dimensions of the vector embeddings to be stored in this collection. For details, refer to Quick setup.

• Customized setup

  Instead of letting Zilliz Cloud decide almost everything for your collection, you can determine the schema and index parameters of the collection on your own. For details, refer to Customized setup.

• With multiple vector fields ^(Beta)

  Zilliz Cloud enables multi-vector support, allowing you to add a maximum of 4 vector fields per collection. Currently, this feature is in Beta, exclusively available for clusters that have been upgraded to the Beta version. For details, refer to With multiple vector fields.

Quick setup

Against the backdrop of the great leap in the AI industry, most developers just need a simple yet dynamic collection to start with. Zilliz Cloud allows a quick setup of such a collection with just three arguments:

• Name of the collection to create,

• Dimension of the vector embeddings to insert, and

• Metric type used to measure similarities between vector embeddings.

Python

from pymilvus import MilvusClient, DataType

CLUSTER_ENDPOINT = "YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT"
TOKEN = "YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN"

# 1. Set up a Milvus client
client = MilvusClient(
    uri=CLUSTER_ENDPOINT,
    token=TOKEN 
)

# 2. Create a collection in quick setup mode
client.create_collection(
    collection_name="quick_setup",
    dimension=5 # The dimension value should be an integer greater than 1.
)

res = client.get_load_state(
    collection_name="quick_setup"
)

print(res)

# Output
#
# {
#     "state": "<LoadState: Loaded>"
# }

Java

import io.milvus.v2.client.ConnectConfig;
import io.milvus.v2.client.MilvusClientV2;
import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.GetLoadStateReq;
import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.CreateCollectionReq;

String CLUSTER_ENDPOINT = "YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT";
String TOKEN = "YOUR_TOKEN";

// 1. Connect to Milvus server
ConnectConfig connectConfig = ConnectConfig.builder()
    .uri(CLUSTER_ENDPOINT)
    .token(TOKEN)
    .build();

MilvusClientV2 client = new MilvusClientV2(connectConfig);

// 2. Create a collection in quick setup mode
CreateCollectionReq quickSetupReq = CreateCollectionReq.builder()
    .collectionName("quick_setup")
    .dimension(5) // The dimension value should be an integer greater than 1.
    .build();

client.createCollection(quickSetupReq);

// Thread.sleep(5000);

GetLoadStateReq quickSetupLoadStateReq = GetLoadStateReq.builder()
    .collectionName("quick_setup")
    .build();

Boolean res = client.getLoadState(quickSetupLoadStateReq);

System.out.println(res);

// Output:
// true

NodeJS

// 1. Set up a Milvus Client
client = new MilvusClient({address, token});

// 2. Create a collection in quick setup mode
let res = await client.createCollection({
    collection_name: "quick_setup",
    dimension: 5, // The dimension value should be an integer greater than 1.
});  

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

res = await client.getLoadState({
    collection_name: "quick_setup"
})

console.log(res.state)

// Output
// 
// LoadStateLoaded
// 

The collection generated in the above code contains only two fields: id (as the primary key) and vector (as the vector field), with auto_id and enable_dynamic_field settings enabled by default.

• auto_id

  Enabling this setting ensures that the primary key increments automatically. There's no need for manual provision of primary keys during data insertion.

• enable_dynamic_field

  When enabled, all fields, excluding id and vector in the data to be inserted, are treated as dynamic fields. These additional fields are saved as key-value pairs within a special field named $meta. This feature allows the inclusion of extra fields during data insertion.

The automatically indexed and loaded collection from the provided code is ready for immediate data insertions.

Customized setup

Instead of letting Zilliz Cloud decide almost everything for your collection, you can determine the schema and index parameters of the collection on your own.

Step 1: Set up schema

A schema defines the structure of a collection. Within the schema, you have the option to enable or disable enable_dynamic_field, add pre-defined fields, and set attributes for each field. For a detailed explanation of the concept and available data types, refer to Schema Explained.

Python

# 3. Create a collection in customized setup mode

# 3.1. Create schema
schema = MilvusClient.create_schema(
    auto_id=False,
    enable_dynamic_field=True,
)

# 3.2. Add fields to schema
schema.add_field(field_name="my_id", datatype=DataType.INT64, is_primary=True)
# The dim value should be an integer greater than 1.
schema.add_field(field_name="my_vector", datatype=DataType.FLOAT_VECTOR, dim=5)

Java

import io.milvus.v2.common.DataType;
import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.CreateCollectionReq;

// 3. Create a collection in customized setup mode

// 3.1 Create schema
CreateCollectionReq.CollectionSchema schema = client.createSchema();

// 3.2 Add fields to schema
schema.addField(AddFieldReq.builder()
    .fieldName("my_id")
    .dataType(DataType.Int64)
    .isPrimaryKey(true)
    .autoID(false)
    .build());

schema.addField(AddFieldReq.builder()
    .fieldName("my_vector")
    .dataType(DataType.FloatVector)
    .dimension(5) // The dimension value should be an integer greater than 1
    .build());

NodeJS

// 3. Create a collection in customized setup mode
// 3.1 Define fields
const fields = [
    {
        name: "my_id",
        data_type: DataType.Int64,
        is_primary_key: true,
        auto_id: false
    },
    {
        name: "my_vector",
        data_type: DataType.FloatVector,
        dim: 5 // The dim value should be an integer greater than 1.
    },
]

In the provided code snippet for Python, the enable_dynamic_field is set to True, and auto_id is enabled for the primary key. Additionally, a vector field is introduced, configured with a dimensionality of 768, along with the inclusion of four scalar fields, each with its respective attributes. The dimensionality of a valid vector field should be greater than 1.

Step 2: Set up index parameters

Index parameters dictate how Zilliz Cloud organizes your data within a collection. You can tailor the indexing process for specific fields by adjusting their metric_type and index_type. On Zilliz Cloud, the recommended index type is always AUTOINDEX. For the vector field, you have the flexibility to select COSINE, L2, or IP as the metric_type. For additional insights into index types, refer to AUTOINDEX Explained.

Python

# 3.3. Prepare index parameters
index_params = client.prepare_index_params()

# 3.4. Add indexes
index_params.add_index(
    field_name="my_id",
    index_type="STL_SORT"
)

index_params.add_index(
    field_name="my_vector", 
    index_type="AUTOINDEX",
    metric_type="IP",
    params={ "nlist": 128 }
)

Java

import io.milvus.v2.common.IndexParam;

// 3.3 Prepare index parameters
IndexParam indexParamForIdField = IndexParam.builder()
    .fieldName("my_id")
    .indexType(IndexParam.IndexType.STL_SORT)
    .build();

IndexParam indexParamForVectorField = IndexParam.builder()
    .fieldName("my_vector")
    .indexType(IndexParam.IndexType.AUTOINDEX)
    .metricType(IndexParam.MetricType.L2)
    .extraParams(Map.of("nlist", 1024))
    .build();

List<IndexParam> indexParams = new ArrayList<>();
indexParams.add(indexParamForIdField);
indexParams.add(indexParamForVectorField);

NodeJS

// 3.2 Prepare index parameters
const index_params = [{
    field_name: "my_id",
    index_type: "STL_SORT"
},{
    field_name: "my_vector",
    index_type: "AUTOINDEX",
    metric_type: "IP",
    params: { nlist: 1024}
}]

The code snippet above demonstrates how to set up index parameters for the vector field and a scalar field, respectively. For the vector field, set both the metric type and the index type. For a scalar field, set only the index type. It is recommended to create an index for the vector field and any scalar fields that are frequently used for filtering.

Step 3: Create the collection

You have the option to create a collection and an index file separately or to create a collection with the index loaded simultaneously upon creation.

• Create a collection with the index loaded simultaneously upon creation.

  Python

  # 3.5. Create a collection with the index loaded simultaneously
  client.create_collection(
      collection_name="customized_setup_1",
      schema=schema,
      index_params=index_params
  )
  
  time.sleep(5)
  
  res = client.get_load_state(
      collection_name="customized_setup_1"
  )
  
  print(res)
  
  # Output
  #
  # {
  #     "state": "<LoadState: Loaded>"
  # }

  Java

  import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.CreateCollectionReq;
  import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.GetLoadStateReq;
  
  // 3.4 Create a collection with schema and index parameters
  CreateCollectionReq customizedSetupReq1 = CreateCollectionReq.builder()
      .collectionName("customized_setup_1")
      .collectionSchema(schema)
      .indexParams(indexParams)
      .build();
  
  client.createCollection(customizedSetupReq1);
  
  // Thread.sleep(5000);
  
  // 3.5 Get load state of the collection
  GetLoadStateReq customSetupLoadStateReq1 = GetLoadStateReq.builder()
      .collectionName("customized_setup_1")
      .build();
  
  res = client.getLoadState(customSetupLoadStateReq1);
  
  System.out.println(res);
  
  // Output:
  // true

  NodeJS

  // 3.3 Create a collection with fields and index parameters
  res = await client.createCollection({
      collection_name: "customized_setup_1",
      fields: fields,
      index_params: index_params,
  })
  
  console.log(res.error_code)  
  
  // Output
  // 
  // Success
  // 
  
  res = await client.getLoadState({
      collection_name: "customized_setup_1"
  })
  
  console.log(res.state)
  
  // Output
  // 
  // LoadStateLoaded
  // 

  The collection created above is loaded automatically. To learn more about loading and releasing a collection, refer to Load & Release Collection.

• Create a collection and an index file separately.

  Python

  # 3.6. Create a collection and index it separately
  client.create_collection(
      collection_name="customized_setup_2",
      schema=schema,
  )
  
  res = client.get_load_state(
      collection_name="customized_setup_2"
  )
  
  print(res)
  
  # Output
  #
  # {
  #     "state": "<LoadState: NotLoad>"
  # }

  Java

  // 3.6 Create a collection and index it separately
  CreateCollectionReq customizedSetupReq2 = CreateCollectionReq.builder()
      .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
      .collectionSchema(schema)
      .build();
  
  client.createCollection(customizedSetupReq2);

  NodeJS

  // 3.4 Create a collection and index it seperately
  res = await client.createCollection({
      collection_name: "customized_setup_2",
      fields: fields,
  })
  
  console.log(res.error_code)
  
  // Output
  // 
  // Success
  // 
  
  res = await client.getLoadState({
      collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
  })
  
  console.log(res.state)
  
  // Output
  // 
  // LoadStateNotLoad
  // 

  The collection created above is not loaded automatically. You can create an index for the collection as follows. Creating an index for the collection in a separate manner does not automatically load the collection. For details, refer to Load & Release Collection.

  Python

  # 3.6 Create index
  client.create_index(
      collection_name="customized_setup_2",
      index_params=index_params
  )
  
  res = client.get_load_state(
      collection_name="customized_setup_2"
  )
  
  print(res)
  
  # Output
  #
  # {
  #     "state": "<LoadState: NotLoad>"
  # }

  Java

  CreateIndexReq  createIndexReq = CreateIndexReq.builder()
      .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
      .indexParams(indexParams)
      .build();
  
  client.createIndex(createIndexReq);
  
  // Thread.sleep(1000);
  
  // 3.7 Get load state of the collection
  GetLoadStateReq customSetupLoadStateReq2 = GetLoadStateReq.builder()
      .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
      .build();
  
  res = client.getLoadState(customSetupLoadStateReq2);
  
  System.out.println(res);
  
  // Output:
  // false

  NodeJS

  // 3.5 Create index
  res = await client.createIndex({
      collection_name: "customized_setup_2",
      field_name: "my_vector",
      index_type: "IVF_FLAT",
      metric_type: "IP",
      params: { nlist: 1024}
  })
  
  res = await client.getLoadState({
      collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
  })
  
  console.log(res.state)
  
  // Output
  // 
  // LoadStateNotLoad
  // 

With multiple vector fields (Beta)

The process for creating a collection with multiple vector fields keeps consistent with that for customized setup. To create a collection with multiple vector fields (up to 4), you need to define the configuration of all the vector fields you want to store in the collection. Each vector field in the collection has its own name and distant metric type used to measure how similar the entities are. For more information on vector data types and metrics, refer to Similarity Metrics Explained and Schema Explained.

📘Notes

Currently, this feature is in Beta, exclusively available for clusters that have been upgraded to the Beta version.

The example below defines two vector fields, text_vector and image_vector, in the collection schema.

# Create a collection with multiple vector fields

schema = client.create_schema(
    auto_id=False,
    enable_dynamic_field=True,
)

# Add primary key field to schema
schema.add_field(field_name="my_id", datatype=DataType.INT64, is_primary=True)

# Add vector field 1 to schema
# The dim value should be an integer greater than 1.
# Binary vector dimensions must be a multiple of 8
schema.add_field(field_name="text_vector", datatype=DataType.BINARY_VECTOR, dim=8)

# Add vector field 2 to schema
# The dim value should be an integer greater than 1.
schema.add_field(field_name="image_vector", datatype=DataType.FLOAT_VECTOR, dim=128)

# Output:
# {'auto_id': False, 'description': '', 'fields': [{'name': 'my_id', 'description': '', 'type': <DataType.INT64: 5>, 'is_primary': True, 'auto_id': False}, {'name': 'text_vector', 'description': '', 'type': <DataType.BINARY_VECTOR: 100>, 'params': {'dim': 8}}, {'name': 'image_vector', 'description': '', 'type': <DataType.FLOAT_VECTOR: 101>, 'params': {'dim': 128}}], 'enable_dynamic_field': True}

In the example code above,

• The create_schema method is used to create a new schema for the collection, with auto_id set to False and dynamic fields enabled.

• A primary key field my_id of type INT64 is added to the schema.

• Two vector fields are added: text_vector (a binary vector with a dimension of 8) and image_vector (a float vector with a dimension of 128).

📘Notes

For vector fields of the BINARY_VECTOR type,

• The dimension value (dim) must be a multiple of 8.

• The available metric types are HAMMING and JACCARD.

After defining the schema, you can create an index for each vector field separately. The example code below demonstrates how to prepare and add indexes for both vector fields text_vector and image_vector.

# Prepare index parameters

index_params = client.prepare_index_params()

index_params.add_index(
    field_name="text_vector", 
    # In Zilliz Cloud, the index type should always be `AUTOINDEX`.
    index_type="AUTOINDEX", 
    # For vector of the `BINARY_VECTOR` type, use `HAMMING` or `JACCARD` as the metric type.
    metric_type="HAMMING", 
    params={ "nlist": 128 }
)

index_params.add_index(
    field_name="image_vector", 
    index_type="AUTOINDEX",
    metric_type="IP",
    params={ "nlist": 128 }
)

client.create_collection(
    collection_name="demo_multiple_vector_fields",
    schema=schema,
    index_params=index_params
)

In the example code above,

• The prepare_index_params method prepares the parameters for indexing.

• Indexes are added to both vector fields: text_vector uses HAMMING as the metric type, and image_vector uses IP (Inner Product).

• The create_collection method creates the collection with the defined schema and index parameters.

📘Notes

For vector fields of the BINARY_VECTOR type,

• The dimension value (dim) must be a multiple of 8.

• The available metric types are HAMMING and JACCARD.

View Collections

You can check the details of an existing collection as follows:

Python

# 5. View Collections
res = client.describe_collection(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2"
)

print(res)

# Output
#
# {
#     "collection_name": "customized_setup_2",
#     "auto_id": false,
#     "num_shards": 1,
#     "description": "",
#     "fields": [
#         {
#             "field_id": 100,
#             "name": "my_id",
#             "description": "",
#             "type": 5,
#             "params": {},
#             "element_type": 0,
#             "is_primary": true
#         },
#         {
#             "field_id": 101,
#             "name": "my_vector",
#             "description": "",
#             "type": 101,
#             "params": {
#                 "dim": 5
#             },
#             "element_type": 0
#         }
#     ],
#     "aliases": [],
#     "collection_id": 448143479230158446,
#     "consistency_level": 2,
#     "properties": {},
#     "num_partitions": 1,
#     "enable_dynamic_field": true
# }

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.DescribeCollectionReq;
import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.response.DescribeCollectionResp;

// 4. View collections
DescribeCollectionReq describeCollectionReq = DescribeCollectionReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
    .build();

DescribeCollectionResp describeCollectionRes = client.describeCollection(describeCollectionReq);

System.out.println(JSONObject.toJSON(describeCollectionRes));

// Output:
// {
//     "createTime": 449005822816026627,
//     "collectionSchema": {"fieldSchemaList": [
//         {
//             "autoID": false,
//             "dataType": "Int64",
//             "name": "my_id",
//             "description": "",
//             "isPrimaryKey": true,
//             "maxLength": 65535,
//             "isPartitionKey": false
//         },
//         {
//             "autoID": false,
//             "dataType": "FloatVector",
//             "name": "my_vector",
//             "description": "",
//             "isPrimaryKey": false,
//             "dimension": 5,
//             "maxLength": 65535,
//             "isPartitionKey": false
//         }
//     ]},
//     "vectorFieldName": ["my_vector"],
//     "autoID": false,
//     "fieldNames": [
//         "my_id",
//         "my_vector"
//     ],
//     "description": "",
//     "numOfPartitions": 1,
//     "primaryFieldName": "my_id",
//     "enableDynamicField": true,
//     "collectionName": "customized_setup_2"
// }

NodeJS

// 5. View Collections
res = await client.describeCollection({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
})

console.log(res)

// Output
// 
// {
//   virtual_channel_names: [ 'by-dev-rootcoord-dml_13_449007919953017716v0' ],
//   physical_channel_names: [ 'by-dev-rootcoord-dml_13' ],
//   aliases: [],
//   start_positions: [],
//   properties: [],
//   status: {
//     extra_info: {},
//     error_code: 'Success',
//     reason: '',
//     code: 0,
//     retriable: false,
//     detail: ''
//   },
//   schema: {
//     fields: [ [Object], [Object] ],
//     properties: [],
//     name: 'customized_setup_2',
//     description: '',
//     autoID: false,
//     enable_dynamic_field: false
//   },
//   collectionID: '449007919953017716',
//   created_timestamp: '449024569603784707',
//   created_utc_timestamp: '1712892797866',
//   shards_num: 1,
//   consistency_level: 'Bounded',
//   collection_name: 'customized_setup_2',
//   db_name: 'default',
//   num_partitions: '1'
// }
// 

To list all existing collections, you can do as follows:

Python

# 6. List all collection names
res = client.list_collections()

print(res)

# Output
#
# [
#     "customized_setup_2",
#     "quick_setup",
#     "customized_setup_1"
# ]

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.response.ListCollectionsResp;

// 5. List all collection names
ListCollectionsResp listCollectionsRes = client.listCollections();

System.out.println(listCollectionsRes.getCollectionNames());

// Output:
// [
//     "customized_setup_2",
//     "quick_setup",
//     "customized_setup_1"
// ]

NodeJS

// 5. List all collection names
res = await client.listCollections()

console.log(res)

// Output:
// [
//     "customized_setup_1",
//     "quick_setup",
//     "customized_setup_2"
// ]

Load & Release Collection

During the loading process of a collection, Zilliz Cloud loads the collection's index file into memory. Conversely, when releasing a collection, Zilliz Cloud unloads the index file from memory. Before conducting searches in a collection, ensure that the collection is loaded.

Load a collection

Python

# 7. Load the collection
client.load_collection(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2"
)

res = client.get_load_state(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2"
)

print(res)

# Output
#
# {
#     "state": "<LoadState: Loaded>"
# }

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.LoadCollectionReq;

// 6. Load the collection
LoadCollectionReq loadCollectionReq = LoadCollectionReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
    .build();

client.loadCollection(loadCollectionReq);

// Thread.sleep(5000);

// 7. Get load state of the collection
GetLoadStateReq loadStateReq = GetLoadStateReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
    .build();

res = client.getLoadState(loadStateReq);

System.out.println(res);

// Output:
// true

NodeJS

// 7. Load the collection
res = await client.loadCollection({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

await sleep(3000)

res = await client.getLoadState({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
})

console.log(res.state)

// Output
// 
// LoadStateLoaded
// 

Release a collection

Python

# 8. Release the collection
client.release_collection(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2"
)

res = client.get_load_state(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2"
)

print(res)

# Output
#
# {
#     "state": "<LoadState: NotLoad>"
# }

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.ReleaseCollectionReq;

// 8. Release the collection
ReleaseCollectionReq releaseCollectionReq = ReleaseCollectionReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
    .build();

client.releaseCollection(releaseCollectionReq);

// Thread.sleep(1000);

res = client.getLoadState(loadStateReq);

System.out.println(res);

// Output:
// false

NodeJS

// 8. Release the collection
res = await client.releaseCollection({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

res = await client.getLoadState({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
})

console.log(res.state)

// Output
// 
// LoadStateNotLoad
// 

Set up aliases

You can assign aliases for collections to make them more meaningful in a specific context. You can assign multiple aliases for a collection, but multiple collections cannot share an alias.

Create aliases

Python

# 9. Manage aliases
# 9.1. Create aliases
client.create_alias(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2",
    alias="bob"
)

client.create_alias(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2",
    alias="alice"
)

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.utility.request.CreateAliasReq;

// 9. Manage aliases

// 9.1 Create alias
CreateAliasReq createAliasReq = CreateAliasReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
    .alias("bob")
    .build();

client.createAlias(createAliasReq);

createAliasReq = CreateAliasReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
    .alias("alice")
    .build();

client.createAlias(createAliasReq);

NodeJS

// 9. Manage aliases
// 9.1 Create aliases
res = await client.createAlias({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2",
    alias: "bob"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

res = await client.createAlias({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2",
    alias: "alice"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

List aliases

Python

# 9.2. List aliases
res = client.list_aliases(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2"
)

print(res)

# Output
#
# {
#     "aliases": [
#         "bob",
#         "alice"
#     ],
#     "collection_name": "customized_setup_2",
#     "db_name": "default"
# }

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.utility.request.ListAliasesReq;
import io.milvus.v2.service.utility.response.ListAliasResp;

// 9.2 List alises
ListAliasesReq listAliasesReq = ListAliasesReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
    .build();

ListAliasResp listAliasRes = client.listAliases(listAliasesReq);

System.out.println(listAliasRes.getAlias());

// Output:
// [
//     "bob",
//     "alice"
// ]

NodeJS

// 9.2 List aliases
res = await client.listAliases({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
})

console.log(res.aliases)

// Output
// 
// [ 'bob', 'alice' ]
// 

Describe aliases

Python

# 9.3. Describe aliases
res = client.describe_alias(
    alias="bob"
)

print(res)

# Output
#
# {
#     "alias": "bob",
#     "collection_name": "customized_setup_2",
#     "db_name": "default"
# }

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.utility.request.DescribeAliasReq;
import io.milvus.v2.service.utility.response.DescribeAliasResp;

// 9.3 Describe alias
DescribeAliasReq describeAliasReq = DescribeAliasReq.builder()
    .alias("bob")
    .build();

DescribeAliasResp describeAliasRes = client.describeAlias(describeAliasReq);

System.out.println(JSONObject.toJSON(describeAliasRes));

// Output:
// {
//     "alias": "bob",
//     "collectionName": "customized_setup_2"
// }

NodeJS

// 9.3 Describe aliases
res = await client.describeAlias({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2",
    alias: "bob"
})

console.log(res)

// Output
// 
// {
//   status: {
//     extra_info: {},
//     error_code: 'Success',
//     reason: '',
//     code: 0,
//     retriable: false,
//     detail: ''
//   },
//   db_name: 'default',
//   alias: 'bob',
//   collection: 'customized_setup_2'
// }
// 

Reassign aliases

Python

# 9.4 Reassign aliases to other collections
client.alter_alias(
    collection_name="customized_setup_1",
    alias="alice"
)

res = client.list_aliases(
    collection_name="customized_setup_1"
)

print(res)

# Output
#
# {
#     "aliases": [
#         "alice"
#     ],
#     "collection_name": "customized_setup_1",
#     "db_name": "default"
# }

res = client.list_aliases(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2"
)

print(res)

# Output
#
# {
#     "aliases": [
#         "bob"
#     ],
#     "collection_name": "customized_setup_2",
#     "db_name": "default"
# }

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.utility.request.AlterAliasReq;

// 9.4 Reassign alias to other collections
AlterAliasReq alterAliasReq = AlterAliasReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_1")
    .alias("alice")
    .build();

client.alterAlias(alterAliasReq);

listAliasesReq = ListAliasesReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_1")
    .build();

listAliasRes = client.listAliases(listAliasesReq);

System.out.println(listAliasRes.getAlias());

// Output:
// ["alice"]

listAliasesReq = ListAliasesReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
    .build();

listAliasRes = client.listAliases(listAliasesReq);

System.out.println(listAliasRes.getAlias());

// Output:
// ["bob"]

NodeJS

// 9.4 Reassign aliases to other collections
res = await client.alterAlias({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_1",
    alias: "alice"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

res = await client.listAliases({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_1"
})

console.log(res.aliases)

// Output
// 
// [ 'alice' ]
// 

res = await client.listAliases({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
})

console.log(res.aliases)

// Output
// 
// [ 'bob' ]
// 

Drop aliases

Python

# 9.5 Drop aliases
client.drop_alias(
    alias="bob"
)

client.drop_alias(
    alias="alice"
)

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.utility.request.DropAliasReq;

// 9.5 Drop alias
DropAliasReq dropAliasReq = DropAliasReq.builder()
    .alias("bob")
    .build();

client.dropAlias(dropAliasReq);

dropAliasReq = DropAliasReq.builder()
    .alias("alice")
    .build();

client.dropAlias(dropAliasReq);

NodeJS

// 9.5 Drop aliases
res = await client.dropAlias({
    alias: "bob"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

res = await client.dropAlias({
    alias: "alice"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

Drop a Collection

If a collection is no longer needed, you can drop the collection.

Python

# 10. Drop the collections
client.drop_collection(
    collection_name="quick_setup"
)

client.drop_collection(
    collection_name="customized_setup_1"
)

client.drop_collection(
    collection_name="customized_setup_2"
)

Java

import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.DropCollectionReq;

// 10. Drop collections

DropCollectionReq dropQuickSetupParam = DropCollectionReq.builder()
    .collectionName("quick_setup")
    .build();

client.dropCollection(dropQuickSetupParam);

DropCollectionReq dropCustomizedSetupParam = DropCollectionReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_1")
    .build();

client.dropCollection(dropCustomizedSetupParam);

dropCustomizedSetupParam = DropCollectionReq.builder()
    .collectionName("customized_setup_2")
    .build();

client.dropCollection(dropCustomizedSetupParam);

NodeJS

// 10. Drop the collection
res = await client.dropCollection({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_2"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

res = await client.dropCollection({
    collection_name: "customized_setup_1"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

res = await client.dropCollection({
    collection_name: "quick_setup"
})

console.log(res.error_code)

// Output
// 
// Success
// 

Collection Limits

For a free cluster, you can create up to two collections.

For a serverless cluster, you can create up to ten collections.

For a dedicated cluster, the number of collections you can create varies with the CU that your cluster uses.

	Maximum number of collections
Free cluster	2
Serverless cluster	10
Dedicated cluster (8 CUs and less)	32
Dedicated cluster (More than 8 CUs)	256