Export data to another instance

The export endpoint transfers data directly from one Meilisearch instance to another over the network. Unlike dumps, which create a file on disk that you must manually move, exports push data straight to a remote instance in a single operation.

When to use exports

Environment migration: Move data from a staging instance to production (or vice versa).
Creating replicas: Set up a second instance with the same data for redundancy or load distribution.
Scaling: Transfer indexes to a larger instance when your data outgrows the current one.

Export data to a remote instance

Send a POST request to /export on the source instance, specifying the destination URL and (optionally) an API key:

curl \
  -X POST 'MEILISEARCH_URL/export' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer MEILISEARCH_KEY' \
  --data-binary '{
    "url": "https://destination-instance.example.com",
    "apiKey": "destination-api-key"
  }'

Meilisearch returns a summarized task object:

{
  "taskUid": 42,
  "indexUid": null,
  "status": "enqueued",
  "type": "export",
  "enqueuedAt": "2025-01-01T00:00:00.000000Z"
}

Monitor the export task

The export runs asynchronously. Use the task UID to check its progress:

curl \
  -X GET 'MEILISEARCH_URL/tasks/42' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer MEILISEARCH_KEY'

When the task status changes to succeeded, all data has been transferred to the destination instance.

Export vs. dumps

	Export	Dump
Mechanism	Direct network transfer to a remote instance	Creates a file on the source instance’s disk
Best for	Live migration between running instances	Backups, version upgrades, offline transfers
Requires	Network access to the destination	File system access to move the dump file

Next steps

Export API reference

Full API reference for the export endpoint

Monitor tasks

Track the status of asynchronous operations

Indexing overview

Learn more about how indexing works in Meilisearch

Document relations Compact an index

Capabilities

Full-text search

Hybrid and semantic search

Geo search

Conversational search

Multi-search

Filtering, sorting, and faceting

Personalization

Analytics

Security and tenant tokens

Search rules

Platform

Indexing

When to use exports

Export data to a remote instance

Monitor the export task

Export vs. dumps

Next steps

Export API reference

Monitor tasks

Indexing overview

​When to use exports

​Export data to a remote instance

​Monitor the export task

​Export vs. dumps

​Next steps

Export API reference

Monitor tasks

Indexing overview

When to use exports

Export data to a remote instance

Monitor the export task

Export vs. dumps

Next steps