# rpk shadow

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [streaming-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming-full.txt)

---
title: rpk shadow
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.14
latest-console-tag: v3.9.0
latest-operator-version: v26.2.1
# EOL = End-of-Life (support lifecycle status)
page-is-nearing-eol: "false"
page-is-past-eol: "false"
page-eol-date: March 31, 2027
latest-connect-version: 4.104.0
docname: rpk/rpk-shadow/rpk-shadow
page-component-name: streaming
page-version: "26.1"
page-component-version: "26.1"
page-component-title: Streaming
page-relative-src-path: rpk/rpk-shadow/rpk-shadow.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/docs/edit/v/26.1/modules/reference/pages/rpk/rpk-shadow/rpk-shadow.adoc
description: Manage Redpanda Shadow Links. Shadowing is Redpanda's enterprise-grade disaster recovery solution that establishes asynchronous, offset-preserving replication between two distinct Redpanda clusters.
page-git-created-date: "2025-11-19"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-07-17"
support-status: supported
---

<!-- Source: https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/26.1/reference/rpk/rpk-shadow/rpk-shadow.md -->

Manage Redpanda Shadow Links.

Shadowing is Redpanda’s enterprise-grade disaster recovery solution that establishes asynchronous, offset-preserving replication between two distinct Redpanda clusters. A cluster is able to create a dedicated client that continuously replicates source cluster data, including offsets, timestamps, and cluster metadata.

## [](#usage)Usage

```bash
rpk shadow [flags]
```

## [](#subcommands)Subcommands

| Command | Description |
| --- | --- |
| rpk shadow config | Generate a Redpanda Shadow Link configuration file. |
| rpk shadow create | Create a Redpanda Shadow Link. This command creates a Shadow Link using a configuration file that defines the connection details and synchronization settings. |
| rpk shadow delete | Delete a Redpanda Shadow Link. This command deletes a Shadow Link by name. |
| rpk shadow describe | Describe one or more shadow links. For Redpanda Cloud, rpk uses the Redpanda ID of the cluster you are currently logged in to. |
| rpk shadow failover | Failover a Redpanda Shadow Link. This command performs a failover operation for a Shadow Link. |
| rpk shadow list | List Redpanda Shadow Links. This command lists all Shadow Links on the shadow cluster, showing their names, unique identifiers, and current states. |
| rpk shadow status | Display the status of a shadow link. When using --format json or --format yaml, the command outputs all sections by default. |
| rpk shadow update | Update a Shadow Link. This command opens your default editor with the current Shadow Link configuration. |

## [](#global-flags)Global flags

| Value | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| --config | string | Redpanda or rpk config file; default search paths are ~/.config/rpk/rpk.yaml, $PWD/redpanda.yaml, and /etc/redpanda/redpanda.yaml. |
| -X, --config-opt | stringArray | Override rpk configuration settings; -X help for detail or -X list for terser detail. |
| --ignore-profile | bool | Ignore rpk.yaml and redpanda.yaml; use default settings. |
| --profile | string | rpk profile to use. |
| -v, --verbose | bool | Enable verbose logging. |