# rpk redpanda mode

> 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 redpanda mode
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.2.1
latest-console-tag: v3.10.0
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: July 28, 2027
latest-connect-version: 4.104.0
docname: rpk/rpk-redpanda/rpk-redpanda-mode
page-component-name: streaming
page-version: "26.2"
page-component-version: "26.2"
page-component-title: Streaming
page-relative-src-path: rpk/rpk-redpanda/rpk-redpanda-mode.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/docs/edit/main/modules/reference/pages/rpk/rpk-redpanda/rpk-redpanda-mode.adoc
description: "Enable a default configuration mode. This command allows you to set one of the following modes: Development, Production, or Recovery."
page-git-created-date: "2023-05-17"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-08-03"
support-status: supported
---

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

Enable a default configuration mode.

This command allows you to set one of the following modes: Development, Production, or Recovery.

> 📝 **NOTE**
>
> This command is only available on Linux.

## [](#usage)Usage

```bash
rpk redpanda mode <mode> [flags]
```

## [](#mode-details)Mode details

### [](#development-mode)Development mode

Development mode (`development` or `dev`) includes the following development-only settings:

-   Sets `developer_mode` to `true`. This starts Redpanda with dev-mode only settings, including:

    -   No minimal memory limits are enforced.

    -   No core assignment rules for Redpanda brokers are enforced.

    -   Enables write caching, which is a relaxed mode of `acks=all` that acknowledges a message as soon as it is received and acknowledged on a majority of brokers, without waiting for it to fsync to disk. This provides lower latency while still ensuring that a majority of brokers acknowledge the write. For more information, or to disable this, see [write caching](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/current/develop/manage-topics/config-topics/#configure-write-caching).

    -   Bypasses `fsync` (from [Seastar option `unsafe_bypass_fsync`](https://docs.seastar.io/master/structseastar_1_1reactor%5F%5Foptions.html#ad66cb23f59ed5dfa8be8189313988692)), which results in unrealistically fast clusters and may result in data loss.


-   Sets `overprovisioned` to `true`. Redpanda expects a dev system to be an overprovisioned environment. Based on a [Seastar option](https://docs.seastar.io/master/structseastar_1_1reactor%5F%5Foptions.html#a0caf6c2ad579b8c22e1352d796ec3c1d), setting `overprovisioned` disables thread affinity, zeros idle polling time, and disables busy-poll for disk I/O.

-   Sets all autotuner [tuners](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/current/reference/rpk/rpk-redpanda/rpk-redpanda-tune-list/#tuners) to `false`. The tuners are intended to run only for production mode.


### [](#production-mode)Production mode

Production mode (`production` or `prod`) disables dev-mode settings:

-   `developer_mode: false`

-   `overprovisioned: false`


It also enables a set of tuners of the autotuner. For descriptions about the tuners, see [Tuners](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/current/reference/rpk/rpk-redpanda/rpk-redpanda-tune-list/#tuners) in the [rpk redpanda tune list](https://docs.redpanda.com/streaming/current/reference/rpk/rpk-redpanda/rpk-redpanda-tune-list/) command reference.

### [](#recovery-mode)Recovery mode

Recovery mode (`recovery`) sets the broker configuration property `recovery_mode_enabled` to `true`. This provides a stable environment for troubleshooting and restoring a failed cluster.

### [](#production)Production

-   Enforces optimal runtime checks.

-   Enables all `rpk` tuners, for you to run `rpk redpanda tune`.


### [](#development)Development

-   Disables optimal checks and bypasses fsync, which results in unrealistically fast clusters and may result in data loss.

-   Disables all `rpk` tuners. The tuners are intended to run only for production mode.


### [](#recovery)Recovery

Sets the broker configuration property 'redpanda.recovery\_mode\_enabled=true' in your `redpanda.yaml`. This provides a stable environment for troubleshooting and restoring a failed cluster. Restart required.

## [](#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. |