Qdrant Horizontal Scaling
QdrantOfficialPublished by Qdrant
- Skill
- Tool integration
- Data and AI
- Apache-2.0
- No issues found
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
This skill provides a structured approach to scaling Qdrant deployments, helping users decide between vertical and horizontal scaling. It covers essential distributed configuration patterns, such as optimal shard counts and replication factors, while providing specific operational advice for both Qdrant Cloud and self-hosted environments. The guide emphasizes best practices for maintaining cluster health, avoiding common pitfalls during resharding, and ensuring fault tolerance.
What it does
- Helps determine when to transition from vertical to horizontal scaling.
- Provides configuration recommendations for shard counts and replication factors.
- Explains the differences in scaling operations between Qdrant Cloud and self-hosted setups.
- Outlines safe procedures for modifying cluster topology and replication settings.
- Identifies common anti-patterns that lead to performance degradation or cluster instability.
When to use it
- When your data volume exceeds the capacity of a single node.
- When you need to improve fault tolerance or achieve zero-downtime maintenance.
- When planning the initial distributed architecture for a new Qdrant cluster.
- When you need to adjust replication factors or rebalance shards in an existing cluster.
- When you are unsure if your current performance issues require more nodes or better resource allocation.
Advantages
- Prevents common operational errors like manual replica interference on Qdrant Cloud.
- Promotes efficient resource usage by encouraging vertical scaling before horizontal complexity.
- Provides clear, actionable rules for maintaining cluster consensus and data availability.
- Reduces the risk of performance incidents caused by improper shard distribution.
Usage examples
- “Should I scale my Qdrant cluster horizontally or vertically?”
- The agent will guide you to evaluate if your current node is hitting memory or IOPS limits, recommending vertical scaling first for simplicity unless you specifically require fault tolerance or tenant isolation.
- “How do I change the replication factor on my Qdrant Cloud cluster?”
- The agent will instruct you to update the collection configuration directly and warn you against using manual cluster APIs, which would conflict with the platform's automated management.
- “How many shards should I configure for a 4-node cluster?”
- The agent will recommend a shard count between 6 and 12 to ensure an even distribution across nodes while balancing the overhead of managing multiple shards.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/qdrant/qdrant-horizontal-scaling/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip qdrant-horizontal-scaling.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Qdrant
What to Do When Qdrant Needs More Capacity
Vertical first: simpler operations, no network overhead, good up to ~100M vectors per node depending on dimensions and quantization. Horizontal when: data exceeds single node capacity, need fault tolerance, need to isolate tenants, or IOPS-bound (more nodes = more independent IOPS).
Most basic distributed configuration
3 nodes with
replication_factor: 2for zero-downtime scaling, and at least 2 shards per node (6 shards) so you can add nodes later without resharding Sharding
Minimum of 3 nodes is important for consensus and fault tolerance. With 3 nodes, you can lose 1 node without downtime. With 2 nodes, losing 1 node causes downtime for collection operations.
Replication factor of 2 means each shard has 1 replica, so you have 2 copies of data. This allows for zero-downtime scaling and maintenance. With replication_factor: 1, zero-downtime is not guaranteed even for point-level operations, and cluster maintenance requires downtime.
Changing replication factor
Use when: raising or lowering replication_factor on an existing collection, or removing extra replicas.
On Qdrant Cloud, update
replication_factorin the collection config and stop. The Cloud platform automatically adds or drops replicas to match, and lowering it from 3 to 2 converges to 2 replicas per shard within about a minute. Do not also drop or create replicas yourself with the cluster API (drop_replica,replicate_shard,move_shard): your calls race with the operation of the Cloud platform and can remove more replicas than intended ReplicationVerify with read-only calls:
GET /collections/{name}for the configured factor andGET /collections/{name}/clusterfor the replicas per shard. If the count hasn't converged yet, wait and re-check rather than intervening.On self-hosted, changing
replication_factoron an existing collection does not add or remove replicas, it only sets the target. Adding or dropping replicas is a manual step with the shard APIs ReplicationOn self-hosted, make shard changes one at a time and re-check
GET /collections/{name}/clusterbetween them. Never drop a replica if it would leave a shard with no healthy copy.
Choosing number of shards
Shards are the unit of data distribution. More shards allows more nodes and better distribution, but adds overhead. Fewer shards reduces overhead but limits horizontal scaling.
For cluster of 3-6 nodes the recommended shard count is 6-12. This allows for 2-4 shards per node, which balances distribution and overhead.
Changing number of shards
Use when: shard count isn't evenly divisible by node count, causing uneven distribution, or need to rebalance.
Resharding is expensive and time-consuming, so use it as a last resort if regular data distribution is not possible. The collection stays available during resharding, with slightly reduced performance, but a lot of data moves between nodes Resharding.
Available in Qdrant Cloud Resharding
Resharding is not available for self-hosted deployments.
Better alternatives: over-provision shards initially, or spin up new cluster with correct config and migrate data.
What NOT to Do
Do not jump to horizontal before exhausting vertical (adds complexity for no gain)
Do not set
shard_numberthat isn't a multiple of node count (uneven distribution)Do not use
replication_factor: 1in production if you need fault toleranceDo not drop or move replicas by hand on Qdrant Cloud after changing
replication_factor; the Cloud platform does it, and manual calls race with itDo not add nodes to a self-hosted cluster without rebalancing shards (use the shard move API to redistribute); Qdrant Cloud rebalances shards automatically Cluster scaling
Do not scale down RAM without load testing (cache eviction causes days-long latency incidents)
Do not hit the collection limit by using one collection per tenant (use payload partitioning)
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer890 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
- SKILL.md4.8 KiB
LICENSE
Apache License
Version 2.0, January 2004
http://www.apache.org/licenses/
TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION
1. Definitions.
"License" shall mean the terms and conditions for use, reproduction,
and distribution as defined by Sections 1 through 9 of this document.
"Licensor" shall mean the copyright owner or entity authorized by
the copyright owner that is granting the License.
"Legal Entity" shall mean the union of the acting entity and all
other entities that control, are controlled by, or are under common
control with that entity. For the purposes of this definition,
"control" means (i) the power, direct or indirect, to cause the
direction or management of such entity, whether by contract or
otherwise, or (ii) ownership of fifty percent (50%) or more of the
outstanding shares, or (iii) beneficial ownership of such entity.
"You" (or "Your") shall mean an individual or Legal Entity
exercising permissions granted by this License.
"Source" form shall mean the preferred form for making modifications,
including but not limited to software source code, documentation
source, and configuration files.
"Object" form shall mean any form resulting from mechanical
transformation or translation of a Source form, including but
not limited to compiled object code, generated documentation,
and conversions to other media types.
"Work" shall mean the work of authorship, whether in Source or
Object form, made available under the License, as indicated by a
copyright notice that is included in or attached to the work
(an example is provided in the Appendix below).
"Derivative Works" shall mean any work, whether in Source or Object
form, that is based on (or derived from) the Work and for which the
editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications
represent, as a whole, an original work of authorship. For the purposes
of this License, Derivative Works shall not include works that remain
separable from, or merely link (or bind by name) to the interfaces of,
the Work and Derivative Works thereof.
"Contribution" shall mean any work of authorship, including
the original version of the Work and any modifications or additions
to that Work or Derivative Works thereof, that is intentionally
submitted to Licensor for inclusion in the Work by the copyright owner
or by an individual or Legal Entity authorized to submit on behalf of
the copyright owner. For the purposes of this definition, "submitted"
means any form of electronic, verbal, or written communication sent
to the Licensor or its representatives, including but not limited to
communication on electronic mailing lists, source code control systems,
and issue tracking systems that are managed by, or on behalf of, the
Licensor for the purpose of discussing and improving the Work, but
excluding communication that is conspicuously marked or otherwise
designated in writing by the copyright owner as "Not a Contribution."
"Contributor" shall mean Licensor and any individual or Legal Entity
on behalf of whom a Contribution has been received by Licensor and
subsequently incorporated within the Work.
2. Grant of Copyright License. Subject to the terms and conditions of
this License, each Contributor hereby grants to You a perpetual,
worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable
copyright license to reproduce, prepare Derivative Works of,
publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute the
Work and such Derivative Works in Source or Object form.
3. Grant of Patent License. Subject to the terms and conditions of
this License, each Contributor hereby grants to You a perpetual,
worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable
(except as stated in this section) patent license to make, have made,
use, offer to sell, sell, import, and otherwise transfer the Work,
where such license applies only to those patent claims licensable
by such Contributor that are necessarily infringed by their
Contribution(s) alone or by combination of their Contribution(s)
with the Work to which such Contribution(s) was submitted. If You
institute patent litigation against any entity (including a
cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that the Work
or a Contribution incorporated within the Work constitutes direct
or contributory patent infringement, then any patent licenses
granted to You under this License for that Work shall terminate
as of the date such litigation is filed.
4. Redistribution. You may reproduce and distribute copies of the
Work or Derivative Works thereof in any medium, with or without
modifications, and in Source or Object form, provided that You
meet the following conditions:
(a) You must give any other recipients of the Work or
Derivative Works a copy of this License; and
(b) You must cause any modified files to carry prominent notices
stating that You changed the files; and
(c) You must retain, in the Source form of any Derivative Works
that You distribute, all copyright, patent, trademark, and
attribution notices from the Source form of the Work,
excluding those notices that do not pertain to any part of
the Derivative Works; and
(d) If the Work includes a "NOTICE" text file as part of its
distribution, then any Derivative Works that You distribute must
include a readable copy of the attribution notices contained
within such NOTICE file, excluding those notices that do not
pertain to any part of the Derivative Works, in at least one
of the following places: within a NOTICE text file distributed
as part of the Derivative Works; within the Source form or
documentation, if provided along with the Derivative Works; or,
within a display generated by the Derivative Works, if and
wherever such third-party notices normally appear. The contents
of the NOTICE file are for informational purposes only and
do not modify the License. You may add Your own attribution
notices within Derivative Works that You distribute, alongside
or as an addendum to the NOTICE text from the Work, provided
that such additional attribution notices cannot be construed
as modifying the License.
You may add Your own copyright statement to Your modifications and
may provide additional or different license terms and conditions
for use, reproduction, or distribution of Your modifications, or
for any such Derivative Works as a whole, provided Your use,
reproduction, and distribution of the Work otherwise complies with
the conditions stated in this License.
5. Submission of Contributions. Unless You explicitly state otherwise,
any Contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the Work
by You to the Licensor shall be under the terms and conditions of
this License, without any additional terms or conditions.
Notwithstanding the above, nothing herein shall supersede or modify
the terms of any separate license agreement you may have executed
with Licensor regarding such Contributions.
6. Trademarks. This License does not grant permission to use the trade
names, trademarks, service marks, or product names of the Licensor,
except as required for reasonable and customary use in describing the
origin of the Work and reproducing the content of the NOTICE file.
7. Disclaimer of Warranty. Unless required by applicable law or
agreed to in writing, Licensor provides the Work (and each
Contributor provides its Contributions) on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or
implied, including, without limitation, any warranties or conditions
of TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, or FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. You are solely responsible for determining the
appropriateness of using or redistributing the Work and assume any
risks associated with Your exercise of permissions under this License.
8. Limitation of Liability. In no event and under no legal theory,
whether in tort (including negligence), contract, or otherwise,
unless required by applicable law (such as deliberate and grossly
negligent acts) or agreed to in writing, shall any Contributor be
liable to You for damages, including any direct, indirect, special,
incidental, or consequential damages of any character arising as a
result of this License or out of the use or inability to use the
Work (including but not limited to damages for loss of goodwill,
work stoppage, computer failure or malfunction, or any and all
other commercial damages or losses), even if such Contributor
has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
9. Accepting Warranty or Additional Liability. While redistributing
the Work or Derivative Works thereof, You may choose to offer,
and charge a fee for, acceptance of support, warranty, indemnity,
or other liability obligations and/or rights consistent with this
License. However, in accepting such obligations, You may act only
on Your own behalf and on Your sole responsibility, not on behalf
of any other Contributor, and only if You agree to indemnify,
defend, and hold each Contributor harmless for any liability
incurred by, or claims asserted against, such Contributor by reason
of your accepting any such warranty or additional liability.
END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS
APPENDIX: How to apply the Apache License to your work.
To apply the Apache License to your work, attach the following
boilerplate notice, with the fields enclosed by brackets "[]"
replaced with your own identifying information. (Don't include
the brackets!) The text should be enclosed in the appropriate
comment syntax for the file format. We also recommend that a
file or class name and description of purpose be included on the
same "printed page" as the copyright notice for easier
identification within third-party archives.
Copyright 2026 Qdrant Solutions GmbH
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.
Needs: Needs Node.js
Security
No issues found by our static scan· No issues found
A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.
Attribution and licence
- Published by
- Qdrant
- Publisher
- Qdrant (Official)
- Source
- qdrant/skills · skills/qdrant-scaling/scaling-data-volume/horizontal-scaling · commit 9f55f6a
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Qdrant or Qdrant.
Download ZIP
The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download qdrant-horizontal-scaling.zip