> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ghoulsec.gitbook.io/ghoulsec-vault/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ghoulsec.gitbook.io/ghoulsec-vault/security-operations/zabbix-nms/zabbix-housekeeping.md).

# Zabbix Housekeeping

The **Zabbix Housekeeper** is a background process in Zabbix that automatically manages and cleans up old data from the database to ensure optimal performance and prevent the database from growing uncontrollably.

#### Key Functions of the Zabbix Housekeeper:

1. **Data Cleanup**: The housekeeper deletes old data based on the configured retention periods (such as history, trends, events, and logs).
2. **Maintains Database Size**: By removing unnecessary or outdated data, it helps prevent the database from becoming too large, which could affect Zabbix’s performance.
3. **Configurable**: You can set retention periods for different types of data, like history, trends, and events. This allows you to control how long data is stored before it’s purged.
4. **Scheduled Task**: The housekeeper runs automatically at regular intervals (defined in the Zabbix configuration) to clean up the database. This task is generally performed during low-traffic periods to minimize impact on performance.

***

#### General Recommendations:

* **Short-Term Data (1–30 days)**: For event data, service data, network discovery, and autoregistration data. This data is often not needed long-term unless you're troubleshooting.
* **Medium-Term Data (30–90 days)**: History data and user session data can typically be kept for 30 to 90 days, offering a good balance between operational review and storage constraints.
* **Long-Term Data (365 days or more)**: Trend data, service data, audit logs, and trigger data (for long-term analysis) should generally be kept for a year or more if necessary for compliance or deeper analysis.

***

<figure><img src="/files/LFd0ONKGwFj70diTjvyb" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>


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