---
title: "Use new nodes after you scale up"
description: "Put data on the nodes you added to a Qdrant vector database by creating a collection, replicating shards, or moving shards."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "vector-database"
platform: "TIR"
url: "/tir/vector-database/how-to/use-new-nodes/"
topic: ["scale-and-resize"]
---

# Use new nodes after you scale up

Nodes you add start empty, and your data stays on the existing nodes until you spread it. Create a new collection, replicate
existing shards, or move existing shards to spread your data across all nodes.

## Before you begin

You need [scaled up](/tir/vector-database/how-to/scale-up-a-vector-database/) a
**Running** database, and have its endpoint and API key from
[Connect to a vector database](/tir/vector-database/how-to/connect-to-a-vector-database/). The commands
below are Qdrant API calls. `<your-endpoint-url>` is the **Endpoint URL**, `<your-api-key>` is your
API key, and `<collection_name>` is a collection in the database.

Choose the option that fits what you need.

| Option                    | Use it when                                                                         |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Create a new collection   | New data should spread across all nodes by its shard number and replication factor. |
| Replicate existing shards | You want a copy of a shard on the new node for redundancy.                          |
| Move existing shards      | You want to relocate a shard to the new node rather than copy it.                   |

## Create a new collection

Set the shard number to a multiple of your node count for an even spread.

```bash
curl -X PUT \
  -H "api-key: <your-api-key>" \
  -d '{
    "vectors": { "size": 300, "distance": "Cosine" },
    "shard_number": 8,
    "replication_factor": 3
  }' \
  https://<your-endpoint-url>:6333/collections/<collection_name>
```

## Replicate an existing shard

Get the collection's cluster information to find the peer IDs and which shards sit on each:

```bash
curl -X GET \
  -H "api-key: <your-api-key>" \
  https://<your-endpoint-url>:6333/collections/<collection_name>/cluster
```

Replicate a shard to the new node. In the call below, the first peer ID is the node that holds the
shard now. The second is the new node. Both come from that output.

```bash
curl -X PUT \
  -H "api-key: <your-api-key>" \
  -d '{
    "replicate_shard": {
      "shard_id": 0,
      "from_peer_id": 123,
      "to_peer_id": 456
    }
  }' \
  https://<your-endpoint-url>:6333/collections/<collection_name>/cluster
```

To remove a copy from a node later, drop the replica:

```bash
curl -X POST \
  -H "api-key: <your-api-key>" \
  -d '{
    "drop_replica": {
      "shard_id": 0,
      "peer_id": 123
    }
  }' \
  https://<your-endpoint-url>:6333/collections/<collection_name>/cluster
```

## Move a shard

Moving a shard relocates it rather than copying it.

```bash
curl -X POST \
  -H "api-key: <your-api-key>" \
  -d '{
    "move_shard": {
      "shard_id": 0,
      "from_peer_id": 123,
      "to_peer_id": 456
    }
  }' \
  https://<your-endpoint-url>:6333/collections/<collection_name>/cluster
```

A move streams the shard's records to the new node in batches by default. To transfer the shard with
its index and quantized data as a snapshot instead, add a `method` entry set to `snapshot` to the
JSON you send:

```json
"move_shard": { "shard_id": 0, "from_peer_id": 123, "to_peer_id": 456, "method": "snapshot" }
```

## Check the result

Run the cluster information call again. The shard now lists the new node's peer ID. The **Total
cluster peers** count on the **Overview** tab shows the number of nodes in the cluster. To watch the
cluster after a change, check **Total pending operations** on the **Service** graphs; see
[Monitor a vector database](/tir/vector-database/how-to/monitor-a-vector-database/).

## What to do next

Take a [snapshot](/tir/vector-database/how-to/take-a-snapshot/) before a bulk change. For help, see
[Troubleshooting Vector Database](/tir/vector-database/troubleshooting/vector-database/).