Version: User Guides (Cloud)

Manage Partitions

A partition is a subset of a collection. Each partition shares the same data structure with its parent collection but contains only a subset of the data in the collection. This page helps you understand how to manage partitions.

Overview

When creating a collection, Zilliz Cloud also creates a partition named _default in the collection. If you are not going to add any other partitions, all entities inserted into the collection go into the default partition, and all searches and queries are also carried out within the default partition.

You can add more partitions and insert entities into them based on certain criteria. Then you can restrict your searches and queries within certain partitions, improving search performance.

A collection can have a maximum of 1,024 partitions.

📘Notes

The Partition Key feature is a search optimization based on partitions and allows Zilliz Cloud to distribute entities into different partitions based on the values in a specific scalar field. This feature helps implement partition-oriented multi-tenancy and improves search performance.

This feature will not be discussed on this page. To find more, refer to Use Partition Key.

List Partitions

When creating a collection, Zilliz Cloud also creates a partition named _default in the collection. You can list the partitions in a collection as follows.

Python
Java
NodeJS
Go
cURL

from pymilvus import MilvusClient

client = MilvusClient(
    uri="YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT",
    token="YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN"
)

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

print(res)

# Output
#
# ["_default"]

import io.milvus.v2.service.partition.request.ListPartitionsReq;
import io.milvus.v2.client.ConnectConfig;
import io.milvus.v2.client.MilvusClientV2;

import java.util.*;

String CLUSTER_ENDPOINT = "YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT";
String TOKEN = "YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN";

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

MilvusClientV2 client = new MilvusClientV2(connectConfig);

ListPartitionsReq listPartitionsReq = ListPartitionsReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .build();

List<String> partitionNames = client.listPartitions(listPartitionsReq);
System.out.println(partitionNames);

// Output:
// [_default]

import { MilvusClient, DataType } from "@zilliz/milvus2-sdk-node";

const address = "YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT";
const token = "YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN";
const client = new MilvusClient({address, token});

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

console.log(res);

// Output
// ["_default"]

import (
    "context"
    
    "github.com/milvus-io/milvus/client/v2/milvusclient"
)

ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
defer cancel()

milvusAddr := "YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT"

cli, err := milvusclient.New(ctx, &milvusclient.ClientConfig{
    Address: milvusAddr,
})
if err != nil {
    // handle error
}

defer cli.Close(ctx)

partitionNames, err := cli.ListPartitions(ctx, milvusclient.NewListPartitionOption("quick_setup"))
if err != nil {
    // handle error
}

fmt.Println(partitionNames)

export CLUSTER_ENDPOINT="YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT"
export TOKEN="YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN"

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/partitions/list" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup"
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": [
#         "_default"
#     ]
# }

Create Partition

You can add more partitions to the collection and insert entities into these partitions based on certain criteria.

Python
Java
NodeJS
Go
cURL

client.create_partition(
    collection_name="quick_setup",
    partition_name="partitionA"
)

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

print(res)

# Output
#
# ["_default", "partitionA"]

import io.milvus.v2.service.partition.request.CreatePartitionReq;

CreatePartitionReq createPartitionReq = CreatePartitionReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .partitionName("partitionA")
        .build();

client.createPartition(createPartitionReq);

ListPartitionsReq listPartitionsReq = ListPartitionsReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .build();

List<String> partitionNames = client.listPartitions(listPartitionsReq);
System.out.println(partitionNames);

// Output:
// [_default, partitionA]

await client.createPartition({
    collection_name: "quick_setup",
    partition_name: "partitionA"
})

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

console.log(res)

// Output
// ["_default", "partitionA"]

import (
    "fmt"
    
    client "github.com/milvus-io/milvus/client/v2/milvusclient"
)

err = cli.CreatePartition(ctx, milvusclient.NewCreatePartitionOption("quick_setup", "partitionA"))
if err != nil {
    // handle error
}

partitionNames, err := cli.ListPartitions(ctx, milvusclient.NewListPartitionOption("quick_setup"))
if err != nil {
    // handle error
}

fmt.Println(partitionNames)
// Output
// ["_default", "partitionA"]

export CLUSTER_ENDPOINT="YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT"
export TOKEN="YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN"

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/partitions/create" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup",
    "partitionName": "partitionA"
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": {}
# }

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/partitions/list" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup"
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": [
#         "_default",
#         "partitionA"
#     ]
# }

Check for a Specific Partition

The following code snippets demonstrate how to check whether a partition exists in a specific collection.

Python
Java
NodeJS
Go
cURL

res = client.has_partition(
    collection_name="quick_setup",
    partition_name="partitionA"
)

print(res)

# Output
#
# True

import io.milvus.v2.service.partition.request.HasPartitionReq;

HasPartitionReq hasPartitionReq = HasPartitionReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .partitionName("partitionA")
        .build();

Boolean hasPartitionRes = client.hasPartition(hasPartitionReq);
System.out.println(hasPartitionRes);

// Output:
// true

res = await client.hasPartition({
    collection_name: "quick_setup",
    partition_name: "partitionA"
})

console.log(res.value)

// Output
// true

import (
    "fmt"
    
    "github.com/milvus-io/milvus/client/v2/milvusclient"
)

result, err := cli.HasPartition(ctx, milvusclient.NewHasPartitionOption("quick_setup", "partitionA"))
if err != nil {
    // handle error
}

fmt.Println(result)

// Output:
// true

export CLUSTER_ENDPOINT="YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT"
export TOKEN="YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN"

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/partitions/has" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup",
    "partitionName": "partitionA"
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": {
#        "has": true
#     }
# }

Load and Release Partitions

You can separately load or release one or certain partitions.

Load Partitions

You can separately load specific partitions in a collection. It is worth noting that the load status of a collection stays unloaded if there is an unloaded partition in the collection.

Python
Java
NodeJS
Go
cURL

client.load_partitions(
    collection_name="quick_setup",
    partition_names=["partitionA"]
)

res = client.get_load_state(
    collection_name="quick_setup",
    partition_name="partitionA"
)

print(res)
# Output
#
# {
#     "state": "<LoadState: Loaded>"
# }

import io.milvus.v2.service.partition.request.LoadPartitionsReq;
import io.milvus.v2.service.collection.request.GetLoadStateReq;

LoadPartitionsReq loadPartitionsReq = LoadPartitionsReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .partitionNames(Collections.singletonList("partitionA"))
        .build();

client.loadPartitions(loadPartitionsReq);

GetLoadStateReq getLoadStateReq = GetLoadStateReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .partitionName("partitionA")
        .build();

Boolean getLoadStateRes = client.getLoadState(getLoadStateReq);
System.out.println(getLoadStateRes);

// True

await client.loadPartitions({
    collection_name: "quick_setup",
    partition_names: ["partitionA"]
})

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

console.log(res)

// Output
// 
// LoadStateLoaded
// 

import (
    "context"
    
    "github.com/milvus-io/milvus/client/v2/milvusclient"
)

task, err := cli.LoadPartitions(ctx, milvusclient.NewLoadPartitionsOption("quick_setup", "partitionA"))

// sync wait collection to be loaded
err = task.Await(ctx)
if err != nil {
    // handle error
}

export CLUSTER_ENDPOINT="YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT"
export TOKEN="YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN"

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/partitions/load" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup",
    "partitionNames": ["partitionA"]
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": {}
# }

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/collections/get_load_state" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup",
    "partitionNames": ["partitionA"]
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": {
#         "loadProgress": 100,
#         "loadState": "LoadStateLoaded",
#         "message": ""
#     }
# }

Release Partitions

You can also release specific partitions.

Python
Java
NodeJS
Go
cURL

client.release_partitions(
    collection_name="quick_setup",
    partition_names=["partitionA"]
)

res = client.get_load_state(
    collection_name="quick_setup",
    partition_name="partitionA"
)

print(res)

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

import io.milvus.v2.service.partition.request.ReleasePartitionsReq;

ReleasePartitionsReq releasePartitionsReq = ReleasePartitionsReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .partitionNames(Collections.singletonList("partitionA"))
        .build();

client.releasePartitions(releasePartitionsReq);

GetLoadStateReq getLoadStateReq = GetLoadStateReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .partitionName("partitionA")
        .build();

Boolean getLoadStateRes = client.getLoadState(getLoadStateReq);
System.out.println(getLoadStateRes);

// False

await client.releasePartitions({
    collection_name: "quick_setup",
    partition_names: ["partitionA"]
})

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

console.log(res)

// Output
// 
// LoadStateNotLoaded
// 

import "github.com/milvus-io/milvus/client/v2/milvusclient"

err = cli.ReleasePartitions(ctx, milvusclient.NewReleasePartitionsOptions("quick_setup", "partitionA"))
if err != nil {
    // handle error
}

export CLUSTER_ENDPOINT="YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT"
export TOKEN="YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN"

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/partitions/release" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup",
    "partitionNames": ["partitionA"]
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": {}
# }

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/collections/get_load_state" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup",
    "partitionNames": ["partitionA"]
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": {
#         "loadProgress": 0,
#         "loadState": "LoadStateNotLoaded",
#         "message": ""
#     }
# }

Data Operations Within Partitions

Insert and Delete Entities

You can perform insert, upsert, and delete operations in specific operations. For details, refer to

Search and Query

You can conduct searches and queries within specific partitions. For details, refer to

Drop Partition

You can drop partitions that are no longer needed. Before dropping a partition, ensure that the partition has been released.

Python
Java
NodeJS
Go
cURL

client.release_partitions(
    collection_name="quick_setup",
    partition_names=["partitionA"]
)

client.drop_partition(
    collection_name="quick_setup",
    partition_name="partitionA"
)

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

print(res)

# ["_default"]

import io.milvus.v2.service.partition.request.DropPartitionReq;
import io.milvus.v2.service.partition.request.ReleasePartitionsReq;
import io.milvus.v2.service.partition.request.ListPartitionsReq;

ReleasePartitionsReq releasePartitionsReq = ReleasePartitionsReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .partitionNames(Collections.singletonList("partitionA"))
        .build();

client.releasePartitions(releasePartitionsReq);

DropPartitionReq dropPartitionReq = DropPartitionReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .partitionName("partitionA")
        .build();

client.dropPartition(dropPartitionReq);

ListPartitionsReq listPartitionsReq = ListPartitionsReq.builder()
        .collectionName("quick_setup")
        .build();

List<String> partitionNames = client.listPartitions(listPartitionsReq);
System.out.println(partitionNames);

// Output:
// [_default]

await client.releasePartitions({
    collection_name: "quick_setup",
    partition_names: ["partitionA"]
})

await client.dropPartition({
    collection_name: "quick_setup",
    partition_name: "partitionA"
})

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

console.log(res)

// Output
// ["_default"]

import "github.com/milvus-io/milvus/client/v2/milvusclient"

err := cli.DropPartition(ctx, milvusclient.NewDropPartitionOption("quick_setup", "partitionA"))
if err != nil {
    // handle error
}

export CLUSTER_ENDPOINT="YOUR_CLUSTER_ENDPOINT"
export TOKEN="YOUR_CLUSTER_TOKEN"

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/partitions/release" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup",
    "partitionNames": ["partitionA"]
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": {}
# }

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/partitions/drop" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup",
    "partitionName": "partitionA"
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": {}
# }

curl --request POST \
--url "${CLUSTER_ENDPOINT}/v2/vectordb/partitions/list" \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ${TOKEN}" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
    "collectionName": "quick_setup"
}'

# {
#     "code": 0,
#     "data": [
#         "_default"
#     ]
# }

Overview​

List Partitions​

Create Partition​

Check for a Specific Partition​

Load and Release Partitions​

Load Partitions​

Release Partitions​

Data Operations Within Partitions​

Insert and Delete Entities​

Search and Query​

Drop Partition​