nodetool stop¶
Stops compaction operations.
Synopsis¶
nodetool [connection_options] stop <compaction_type>
Description¶
nodetool stop interrupts running compaction operations. This is useful when compaction is impacting cluster performance or when emergency intervention is needed.
Arguments¶
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
compaction_type |
Type of compaction to stop |
Compaction Types¶
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
COMPACTION |
Regular compaction |
VALIDATION |
Repair validation (Merkle tree) |
CLEANUP |
Cleanup after topology change |
SCRUB |
Scrub operation |
UPGRADE_SSTABLES |
SSTable upgrade |
INDEX_BUILD |
Secondary index builds |
TOMBSTONE_COMPACTION |
Tombstone-only compaction |
ANTICOMPACTION |
Post-repair anticompaction |
VERIFY |
Verification operations |
RELOCATE |
SSTable relocation |
Examples¶
Stop Regular Compaction¶
nodetool stop COMPACTION
Stop Validation (During Repair)¶
nodetool stop VALIDATION
Stop Cleanup¶
nodetool stop CLEANUP
Stop Index Build¶
nodetool stop INDEX_BUILD
Stop All Types¶
nodetool stop COMPACTION
nodetool stop VALIDATION
nodetool stop CLEANUP
When to Use¶
Emergency: High Latency¶
When compaction is causing unacceptable latency:
# Check if compaction is the cause
nodetool compactionstats
# Stop compaction
nodetool stop COMPACTION
Disk Full¶
When disk is critically low:
# Stop compaction immediately
nodetool stop COMPACTION
# Free space
nodetool clearsnapshot
# Consider reducing compaction throughput before resuming
nodetool setcompactionthroughput 32
Slow Repair¶
When repair validation is taking too long:
# Check repair status
nodetool repair_admin list
# Stop the validation
nodetool stop VALIDATION
# Cancel the repair
nodetool repair_admin cancel <id>
Behavior¶
Stop Behavior
When stopped:
- Current compaction is interrupted
- Partial work is discarded
- Compaction will restart automatically
- Manual compaction needs to be re-run
Auto-Resume¶
Automatic compactions resume based on the compaction strategy. To prevent immediate restart:
# Stop compaction
nodetool stop COMPACTION
# Disable auto-compaction for specific table
nodetool disableautocompaction my_keyspace my_table
Verification¶
Before Stop¶
# See what's running
nodetool compactionstats
After Stop¶
# Verify stopped
nodetool compactionstats
# Should show fewer or no active compactions
Impact¶
| Stop Type | Impact |
|---|---|
| COMPACTION | SSTable count may grow |
| VALIDATION | Repair incomplete |
| CLEANUP | Extra data remains temporarily |
| INDEX_BUILD | Index incomplete |
Workflow: Performance Issue¶
# 1. Identify compaction causing issues
nodetool compactionstats
# 2. Stop the compaction type
nodetool stop COMPACTION
# 3. Reduce throughput
nodetool setcompactionthroughput 32
# 4. Allow compaction to resume at lower rate
# (auto-compaction restarts automatically)
# 5. Monitor
watch nodetool compactionstats
Common Scenarios¶
Scenario: Large Compaction Blocking Operations¶
# Stop the compaction
nodetool stop COMPACTION
# Reduce compaction impact
nodetool setcompactionthroughput 32
nodetool setconcurrentcompactors 1
Scenario: Repair Taking Too Long¶
# Stop validation
nodetool stop VALIDATION
# Wait for current segment to finish
sleep 30
# Restart with smaller scope
nodetool repair -pr my_keyspace
Important Considerations¶
Stopping Compaction
- Does not prevent future compactions
- SSTable count will grow
- Read performance may degrade
- Disk usage may increase
- Should be temporary
Don't Use For¶
- Routine operations (use throughput tuning instead)
- Long-term compaction control (use strategy tuning)
- Disk space issues (will make worse long-term)
Related Commands¶
| Command | Relationship |
|---|---|
| compactionstats | View running compactions |
| setcompactionthroughput | Control compaction speed |
| compact | Force compaction |
| repair_admin | Manage repair sessions |