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Algolia uses one ranking strategy per index. If you want to use different rankings for the same data, you can use replica indices.

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Standard and virtual replicas

Standard replicas are exact copies of your index. They let you to have a completely different configuration of your index, while keeping the data in sync with your primary index. Virtual replicas are an optional feature that references a primary index instead of duplicating it. They’re more efficient than standard replicas but you can only change a subset of the index settings. Virtual replicas are optimized for relevant sorting.
This feature isn’t available on every plan. Refer to your pricing plan to see if it’s included.

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Naming replica indices

To help you identify your replica indices, you should adopt a naming pattern, such as {primaryIndex}_{sortingAttribute}_{asc_or_desc}. For example, products_price_desc is a replica index of your products index, where the results are sorted by the price attribute in descending order.

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Create replica indices in the dashboard

  1. Go to the Algolia dashboard and select your Algolia application.
  2. On the left sidebar, select Search.
  3. Select your Algolia index.
  4. On the Replicas tab, click Create Replica Index.
  5. In the Create a new replica dialog, select Standard Replica (default) or Virtual Replica for Relevant Sort, enter a name for your replica, and click Create replica.
  6. You can add multiple replicas at once.
  7. Click Review and Save Settings.

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Create replica indices with the API

To create replica indices, use the replicas setting in your primary index. 
var response = await client.SetSettingsAsync(
  "ALGOLIA_INDEX_NAME",
  new IndexSettings { Replicas = new List { "products_price_desc" } }
);
To create virtual indices, use the virtual modifier for the replica index name: 
var response = await client.SetSettingsAsync(
  "ALGOLIA_INDEX_NAME",
  new IndexSettings { Replicas = new List { "virtual(products_price_desc)" } }
);

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Next steps

After creating your replica indices, you can change their settings—for example, by adding a attribute for sorting.
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