diff --git a/elastic4s-core/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/api/IndexLifecycleManagementApi.scala b/elastic4s-core/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/api/IndexLifecycleManagementApi.scala
index 4aac12da93..b567c76891 100644
--- a/elastic4s-core/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/api/IndexLifecycleManagementApi.scala
+++ b/elastic4s-core/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/api/IndexLifecycleManagementApi.scala
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.api
 
-import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.{StartIlmRequest, GetIlmStatusRequest, StopIlmRequest}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicy
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement._
 
 trait IndexLifecycleManagementApi {
   def getIlmStatus: GetIlmStatusRequest = GetIlmStatusRequest()
@@ -8,4 +9,13 @@ trait IndexLifecycleManagementApi {
   def startIlm(): StartIlmRequest = StartIlmRequest()
 
   def stopIlm(): StopIlmRequest = StopIlmRequest()
+
+  def createIndexLifecyclePolicy(policy: IndexLifecyclePolicy): CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest =
+    CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest(policy)
+
+  def getIndexLifecyclePolicy(policyName: String): GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest =
+    GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest(policyName)
+
+  def deleteIndexLifecyclePolicy(policyName: String): DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest =
+    DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest(policyName)
 }
diff --git a/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest.scala b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d80afb19d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.ext.OptionImplicits.RichOptionImplicits
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicy
+
+import scala.concurrent.duration.Duration
+
+case class CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest(
+    policy: IndexLifecyclePolicy,
+    masterTimeout: Option[String] = None,
+    timeout: Option[String] = None
+) {
+  def masterTimeout(timeout: Duration): CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest =
+    copy(masterTimeout = s"${timeout.toNanos}nanos".some)
+  def masterTimeout(timeout: String): CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest   = copy(masterTimeout = timeout.some)
+
+  def timeout(timeout: Duration): CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest = copy(timeout = s"${timeout.toNanos}nanos".some)
+  def timeout(timeout: String): CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest   = copy(timeout = timeout.some)
+
+  def policy(policy: IndexLifecyclePolicy): CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest = copy(policy = policy)
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/CreateLifecyclePolicyResponse.scala b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/CreateLifecyclePolicyResponse.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..23c96ae3eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/CreateLifecyclePolicyResponse.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+case class CreateLifecyclePolicyResponse(acknowledged: Boolean)
diff --git a/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest.scala b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..db98581619
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+import scala.concurrent.duration.Duration
+
+case class DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest(
+    policyName: String,
+    masterTimeout: Option[String] = None,
+    timeout: Option[String] = None
+) {
+  def masterTimeout(timeout: Duration): DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest =
+    copy(masterTimeout = Some(s"${timeout.toNanos}nanos"))
+  def masterTimeout(timeout: String): DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest   =
+    copy(masterTimeout = Some(timeout))
+
+  def timeout(timeout: Duration): DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest = copy(timeout = Some(s"${timeout.toNanos}nanos"))
+  def timeout(timeout: String): DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest   = copy(timeout = Some(timeout))
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse.scala b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c3394bdde2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+case class DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse(acknowledged: Boolean)
diff --git a/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest.scala b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d81d5dd5f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+import scala.concurrent.duration.Duration
+
+case class GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest(
+    policyName: String,
+    masterTimeout: Option[String] = None,
+    timeout: Option[String] = None
+) {
+  def masterTimeout(timeout: Duration): GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest =
+    copy(masterTimeout = Some(s"${timeout.toNanos}nanos"))
+  def masterTimeout(timeout: String): GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest   = copy(masterTimeout = Some(timeout))
+
+  def timeout(timeout: Duration): GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest = copy(timeout = Some(s"${timeout.toNanos}nanos"))
+  def timeout(timeout: String): GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest   = copy(timeout = Some(timeout))
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse.scala b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..68f35ff564
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonProperty
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.JacksonSupport
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicy
+
+import scala.collection.JavaConverters._
+
+case class GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse(
+    version: Int,
+    modifiedDate: Long,
+    policy: IndexLifecyclePolicy,
+    inUseBy: Option[InUseBy]
+)
+
+object GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse {
+  def deserialize(node: JsonNode): GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse = {
+    val policyProperty = node.properties().iterator().next()
+    val policyNode     = policyProperty.getValue
+    val policyName     = policyProperty.getKey
+    val version        = Option(policyNode.get("version")).map(_.asInt(1)).getOrElse(1)
+    val modifiedDate   = Option(policyNode.get("modified_date")).map(_.asLong(0L)).getOrElse(0L)
+    val policy         = IndexLifecyclePolicy.deserialize(policyNode.get("policy"))
+    val inUseBy        = Option(policyNode.get("in_use_by")).map(InUseBy.deserialize)
+    GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse(version, modifiedDate, policy.copy(name = policyName), inUseBy)
+  }
+
+}
+
+case class InUseBy(indices: List[String], data_streams: List[String], composable_templates: List[String])
+
+object InUseBy {
+  def deserialize(node: JsonNode): InUseBy = {
+    val indices             =
+      Option(node.get("indices")).getOrElse(JacksonSupport.mapper.createObjectNode())
+        .values().asScala.map(_.asText()).toList
+    val dataStreams         =
+      Option(node.get("data_streams")).getOrElse(JacksonSupport.mapper.createObjectNode())
+        .values().asScala.map(_.asText()).toList
+    val composableTemplates =
+      Option(node.get("composable_templates")).getOrElse(JacksonSupport.mapper.createObjectNode())
+        .values().asScala.map(_.asText()).toList
+    InUseBy(indices, dataStreams, composableTemplates)
+  }
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/policy/IndexLifecyclePolicy.scala b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/policy/IndexLifecyclePolicy.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..35f30ee194
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/policy/IndexLifecyclePolicy.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.JacksonSupport
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.json.{JsonValue, StringValue}
+
+import scala.collection.JavaConverters._
+
+case class IndexLifecyclePolicy(
+    name: String,
+    phases: List[IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase],
+    meta: Map[String, JsonValue]
+) {
+  def withPhases(addPhases: IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase*): IndexLifecyclePolicy =
+    copy(phases = addPhases.toList ::: phases)
+  def withMeta(meta: (String, JsonValue)*): IndexLifecyclePolicy              =
+    copy(meta = this.meta ++ meta.toMap)
+
+  override def equals(obj: Any): Boolean = obj match {
+    case that: IndexLifecyclePolicy =>
+      this.name == that.name &&
+      this.phases.sortBy(_.phaseName) == that.phases.sortBy(_.phaseName) &&
+      this.meta == that.meta
+    case _                          => false
+  }
+}
+
+object IndexLifecyclePolicy {
+  def apply(name: String): IndexLifecyclePolicy = IndexLifecyclePolicy(name, Nil, Map.empty)
+
+  def deserialize(node: JsonNode): IndexLifecyclePolicy = {
+
+    val phases = Option(node.get("phases"))
+      .getOrElse(JacksonSupport.mapper.createObjectNode())
+      .properties()
+      .asScala
+      .map(entry => IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase.deserialize(entry.getKey, entry.getValue))
+      .toList
+
+    val meta = Option(node.get("_meta"))
+      .getOrElse(JacksonSupport.mapper.createObjectNode())
+      .properties()
+      .asScala
+      .map(entry => entry.getKey -> StringValue(entry.getValue.asText()))
+      .toMap
+
+    IndexLifecyclePolicy("", phases, meta)
+  }
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/policy/IndexLifecyclePolicyAction.scala b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/policy/IndexLifecyclePolicyAction.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a59602ca36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/policy/IndexLifecyclePolicyAction.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.json.{JsonValue, StringValue}
+
+import scala.collection.JavaConverters._
+
+case class IndexLifecyclePolicyAction(
+    actionName: String,
+    settings: Map[String, JsonValue]
+) {
+
+  def withSettings(settings: (String, JsonValue)*): IndexLifecyclePolicyAction =
+    copy(settings = this.settings ++ settings.toMap)
+}
+
+object IndexLifecyclePolicyAction {
+  def apply(actionName: String): IndexLifecyclePolicyAction = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction(actionName, Map.empty)
+
+  def deserialize(actionName: String, node: JsonNode): IndexLifecyclePolicyAction = {
+    val settings = node.properties().asScala.map { entry =>
+      entry.getKey -> StringValue(entry.getValue.asText())
+    }.toMap
+
+    IndexLifecyclePolicyAction(actionName, settings)
+  }
+
+  val ForceMergeAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction         = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("forcemerge")
+  val DeleteAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction             = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("delete")
+  val AllocateAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction           = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("allocate")
+  val DownsampleAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction         = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("downsample")
+  val FreezeAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction             = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("freeze")
+  val MigrateAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction            = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("migrate")
+  val ReadonlyAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction           = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("readonly")
+  val RolloverAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction           = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("rollover")
+  val SetPriorityAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction        = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("set_priority")
+  val SearchableSnapshotAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("searchable_snapshot")
+  val ShrinkAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction             = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("shrink")
+  val UnfollowAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction           = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("unfollow")
+  val WaitForSnapshotAction: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction    = IndexLifecyclePolicyAction("wait_for_snapshot")
+
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/policy/IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase.scala b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/policy/IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e7b83b1731
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-domain/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/policy/IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.JsonNode
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.JacksonSupport
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.json.{JsonValue, StringValue}
+
+import scala.collection.JavaConverters._
+
+case class IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase(
+    phaseName: String,
+    settings: Map[String, JsonValue],
+    actions: List[IndexLifecyclePolicyAction]
+) {
+  def withSettings(settings: (String, JsonValue)*): IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase =
+    copy(settings = this.settings ++ settings.toMap)
+
+  def withActions(actions: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction*): IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase =
+    copy(actions = actions.toList ::: this.actions)
+
+  override def equals(obj: Any): Boolean = obj match {
+    case that: IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase =>
+      this.phaseName == that.phaseName &&
+      this.settings == that.settings &&
+      this.actions.sortBy(_.actionName) == that.actions.sortBy(_.actionName)
+    case _                               => false
+  }
+}
+
+object IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase {
+  def apply(phaseName: String): IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase = IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase(phaseName, Map.empty, Nil)
+
+  def deserialize(name: String, node: JsonNode): IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase = {
+    val actions = Option(node.get("actions"))
+      .getOrElse(JacksonSupport.mapper.createObjectNode())
+      .properties()
+      .asScala
+      .map(entry => IndexLifecyclePolicyAction.deserialize(entry.getKey, entry.getValue))
+      .toList
+
+    val settings = node.properties().asScala.filterNot(_.getKey == "actions").map { entry =>
+      entry.getKey -> StringValue(entry.getValue.asText())
+    }.toMap
+
+    IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase(name, settings, actions)
+  }
+
+  val DeletePhase: IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase = IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase("delete")
+  val WarmPhase: IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase   = IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase("warm")
+  val ColdPhase: IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase   = IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase("cold")
+  val FrozenPhase: IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase = IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase("frozen")
+  val HotPhase: IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase    = IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase("hot")
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/ElasticPolicyActionContentBuilder.scala b/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/ElasticPolicyActionContentBuilder.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e2502a0f40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/ElasticPolicyActionContentBuilder.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.handlers.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.json.{XContentBuilder, XContentFactory}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicyAction
+
+object ElasticPolicyActionContentBuilder {
+  def apply(action: IndexLifecyclePolicyAction): XContentBuilder = {
+    val builder = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder()
+    action.settings.foreach { case (name, value) => builder.field(name, value) }
+    builder
+  }
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/ElasticPolicyPhaseContentBuilder.scala b/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/ElasticPolicyPhaseContentBuilder.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1a7f165d89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/ElasticPolicyPhaseContentBuilder.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.handlers.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.json.{XContentBuilder, XContentFactory}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase
+
+object ElasticPolicyPhaseContentBuilder {
+  def apply(phase: IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase): XContentBuilder = {
+    val builder = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder()
+    phase.settings.foreach { case (name, value) => builder.field(name, value) }
+    builder.startObject("actions")
+    phase.actions.map(action => builder.rawField(action.actionName, ElasticPolicyActionContentBuilder(action)))
+    builder.endObject()
+    builder.endObject()
+  }
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/IndexLifecycleManagementHandlers.scala b/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/IndexLifecycleManagementHandlers.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2e8fb0db21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/IndexLifecycleManagementHandlers.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.handlers.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.HttpEntity.ByteArrayEntity
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.handlers.ElasticErrorParser
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s._
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement._
+
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets
+import scala.util.Try
+
+trait IndexLifecycleManagementHandlers {
+  implicit object IndexLifecycleStatusHandler extends Handler[GetIlmStatusRequest, GetIlmStatusResponse] {
+    override def responseHandler: ResponseHandler[GetIlmStatusResponse] = (response: HttpResponse) => {
+      response.statusCode match {
+        case 200 | 201 => Right(ResponseHandler.fromResponse[GetIlmStatusResponse](response))
+        case 400       => Left(ElasticErrorParser.parse(response))
+        case _         => sys.error("Invalid response")
+      }
+    }
+
+    override def build(request: GetIlmStatusRequest): ElasticRequest = {
+      val endpoint = "/_ilm/status"
+
+      ElasticRequest("GET", endpoint)
+    }
+  }
+
+  implicit object IndexLifecycleStartHandler extends Handler[StartIlmRequest, StartIlmResponse] {
+    override def responseHandler: ResponseHandler[StartIlmResponse] = (response: HttpResponse) => {
+      response.statusCode match {
+        case 200 | 201 => Right(ResponseHandler.fromResponse[StartIlmResponse](response))
+        case 400       => Left(ElasticErrorParser.parse(response))
+        case _         => sys.error("Invalid response")
+      }
+    }
+
+    override def build(request: StartIlmRequest): ElasticRequest = {
+      val endpoint = "/_ilm/start"
+
+      val params = scala.collection.mutable.Map.empty[String, String]
+      request.masterTimeout.foreach(params.put("master_timeout", _))
+      request.timeout.foreach(params.put("timeout", _))
+
+      ElasticRequest("POST", endpoint, params.toMap)
+    }
+  }
+
+  implicit object IndexLifecycleStopHandler extends Handler[StopIlmRequest, StopIlmResponse] {
+    override def responseHandler: ResponseHandler[StopIlmResponse] = (response: HttpResponse) => {
+      response.statusCode match {
+        case 200 | 201 => Right(ResponseHandler.fromResponse[StopIlmResponse](response))
+        case 400       => Left(ElasticErrorParser.parse(response))
+        case _         => sys.error("Invalid response")
+      }
+    }
+
+    override def build(request: StopIlmRequest): ElasticRequest = {
+      val endpoint = "/_ilm/stop"
+
+      val params = scala.collection.mutable.Map.empty[String, String]
+      request.masterTimeout.foreach(params.put("master_timeout", _))
+      request.timeout.foreach(params.put("timeout", _))
+
+      ElasticRequest("POST", endpoint, params.toMap)
+    }
+  }
+
+  private val policyPath = (policyName: String) => s"/_ilm/policy/$policyName"
+
+  implicit object CreateElasticPolicyHandler
+      extends Handler[CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest, CreateLifecyclePolicyResponse] {
+
+    override def build(request: CreateLifecyclePolicyRequest): ElasticRequest = {
+      val endpoint = policyPath(request.policy.name)
+      val params   = List(
+        request.masterTimeout.map("master_timeout" -> _),
+        request.timeout.map("timeout" -> _)
+      ).flatten.toMap
+
+      val body   = IndexLifecyclePolicyContentBuilder(request.policy).string
+      val entity = ByteArrayEntity(body.getBytes(StandardCharsets.UTF_8), Some("application/json"))
+
+      ElasticRequest("PUT", endpoint, params, entity)
+    }
+  }
+
+  implicit object GetElasticPolicyHandler
+      extends Handler[GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest, Option[GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse]] {
+
+    override def build(request: GetIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest): ElasticRequest = {
+      val endpoint = policyPath(request.policyName)
+      val params   = List(
+        request.masterTimeout.map("master_timeout" -> _),
+        request.timeout.map("timeout" -> _)
+      ).flatten.toMap
+
+      ElasticRequest("GET", endpoint, params)
+    }
+
+    override def responseHandler: ResponseHandler[Option[GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse]] =
+      (response: HttpResponse) => {
+        response.statusCode match {
+          case 200 | 201 =>
+            response.entity.map(_.content).map { responseString =>
+              Try(JacksonSupport.mapper.readTree(responseString))
+                .flatMap { node => Try(GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse.deserialize(node)) }
+                .fold(
+                  err => Left(ElasticError.fromThrowable(err)),
+                  res => Right(Some(res))
+                )
+            }.getOrElse(Right(None))
+          case 404       =>
+            Right(None)
+          case _         =>
+            Left(ElasticErrorParser.parse(response))
+        }
+      }
+  }
+
+  implicit object DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyHandler
+      extends Handler[DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest, DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse] {
+
+    override def build(request: DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyRequest): ElasticRequest = {
+      val endpoint = policyPath(request.policyName)
+      val params   = List(
+        request.masterTimeout.map("master_timeout" -> _),
+        request.timeout.map("timeout" -> _)
+      ).flatten.toMap
+
+      ElasticRequest("DELETE", endpoint, params)
+    }
+
+    override def responseHandler: ResponseHandler[DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse] = { (response: HttpResponse) =>
+      super.responseHandler.handle(response) match {
+        case Left(error: ElasticError) if error.`type` == "resource_not_found_exception" =>
+          Right(DeleteIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse(false))
+        case Left(error)                                                                 => Left(error)
+        case Right(response)                                                             => Right(response)
+      }
+
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/IndexLifecycleManagmentHandlers.scala b/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/IndexLifecycleManagmentHandlers.scala
deleted file mode 100644
index 3800464c13..0000000000
--- a/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/IndexLifecycleManagmentHandlers.scala
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,69 +0,0 @@
-package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.handlers.indexlifecyclemanagement
-
-import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.handlers.ElasticErrorParser
-import com.sksamuel.elastic4s._
-import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement._
-
-trait IndexLifecycleManagementHandlers {
-  implicit object IndexLifecycleStatusHandler extends Handler[GetIlmStatusRequest, GetIlmStatusResponse] {
-    override def responseHandler: ResponseHandler[GetIlmStatusResponse] = new ResponseHandler[GetIlmStatusResponse] {
-      override def handle(response: HttpResponse): Either[ElasticError, GetIlmStatusResponse] = {
-        response.statusCode match {
-          case 200 | 201 => Right(ResponseHandler.fromResponse[GetIlmStatusResponse](response))
-          case 400       => Left(ElasticErrorParser.parse(response))
-          case _         => sys.error("Invalid response")
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
-    override def build(request: GetIlmStatusRequest): ElasticRequest = {
-      val endpoint = "/_ilm/status"
-
-      ElasticRequest("GET", endpoint)
-    }
-  }
-
-  implicit object IndexLifecycleStartHandler extends Handler[StartIlmRequest, StartIlmResponse] {
-    override def responseHandler: ResponseHandler[StartIlmResponse] = new ResponseHandler[StartIlmResponse] {
-      override def handle(response: HttpResponse): Either[ElasticError, StartIlmResponse] = {
-        response.statusCode match {
-          case 200 | 201 => Right(ResponseHandler.fromResponse[StartIlmResponse](response))
-          case 400       => Left(ElasticErrorParser.parse(response))
-          case _         => sys.error("Invalid response")
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
-    override def build(request: StartIlmRequest): ElasticRequest = {
-      val endpoint = "/_ilm/start"
-
-      val params = scala.collection.mutable.Map.empty[String, String]
-      request.masterTimeout.foreach(params.put("master_timeout", _))
-      request.timeout.foreach(params.put("timeout", _))
-
-      ElasticRequest("POST", endpoint, params.toMap)
-    }
-  }
-
-  implicit object IndexLifecycleStopHandler extends Handler[StopIlmRequest, StopIlmResponse] {
-    override def responseHandler: ResponseHandler[StopIlmResponse] = new ResponseHandler[StopIlmResponse] {
-      override def handle(response: HttpResponse): Either[ElasticError, StopIlmResponse] = {
-        response.statusCode match {
-          case 200 | 201 => Right(ResponseHandler.fromResponse[StopIlmResponse](response))
-          case 400       => Left(ElasticErrorParser.parse(response))
-          case _         => sys.error("Invalid response")
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
-    override def build(request: StopIlmRequest): ElasticRequest = {
-      val endpoint = "/_ilm/stop"
-
-      val params = scala.collection.mutable.Map.empty[String, String]
-      request.masterTimeout.foreach(params.put("master_timeout", _))
-      request.timeout.foreach(params.put("timeout", _))
-
-      ElasticRequest("POST", endpoint, params.toMap)
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/IndexLifecyclePolicyContentBuilder.scala b/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/IndexLifecyclePolicyContentBuilder.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..886880736c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-handlers/src/main/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/handlers/indexlifecyclemanagement/IndexLifecyclePolicyContentBuilder.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.handlers.indexlifecyclemanagement
+
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.json.{XContentBuilder, XContentFactory}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicy
+
+object IndexLifecyclePolicyContentBuilder {
+  def apply(policy: IndexLifecyclePolicy): XContentBuilder = {
+    val builder = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder()
+    builder.startObject("policy")
+    if (policy.meta.nonEmpty) {
+      builder.startObject("_meta")
+      policy.meta.foreach { case (k, v) => builder.field(k, v) }
+      builder.endObject()
+    }
+    builder.startObject("phases")
+    policy.phases.foreach(phase => builder.rawField(phase.phaseName, ElasticPolicyPhaseContentBuilder(phase)))
+    builder.endObject()
+    builder.endObject()
+  }
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-tests/src/test/resources/json/indexlifecyclemanagement/test_policy_create.json b/elastic4s-tests/src/test/resources/json/indexlifecyclemanagement/test_policy_create.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..86e506187a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-tests/src/test/resources/json/indexlifecyclemanagement/test_policy_create.json
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+{
+    "policy": {
+        "_meta": {
+            "description": "used for nginx log",
+            "project": {
+                "name": "myProject",
+                "department": "myDepartment"
+            }
+        },
+        "phases": {
+            "warm": {
+                "min_age": "10d",
+                "actions": {
+                    "forcemerge": {
+                        "max_num_segments": 1
+                    }
+                }
+            },
+            "delete": {
+                "min_age": "30d",
+                "actions": {
+                    "delete": {}
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-tests/src/test/resources/json/indexlifecyclemanagement/test_policy_get.json b/elastic4s-tests/src/test/resources/json/indexlifecyclemanagement/test_policy_get.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d3d5c22a31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-tests/src/test/resources/json/indexlifecyclemanagement/test_policy_get.json
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+{
+    "my_policy": {
+        "version": 1,
+        "modified_date": 82392349,
+        "policy": {
+            "phases": {
+                "warm": {
+                    "min_age": "10d",
+                    "actions": {
+                        "forcemerge": {
+                            "max_num_segments": 1
+                        }
+                    }
+                },
+                "delete": {
+                    "min_age": "30d",
+                    "actions": {
+                        "delete": {
+                            "delete_searchable_snapshot": true
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        },
+        "in_use_by" : {
+            "indices" : [],
+            "data_streams" : [],
+            "composable_templates" : []
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-tests/src/test/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/politics/IndexLifecyclePolicyApiTest.scala b/elastic4s-tests/src/test/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/politics/IndexLifecyclePolicyApiTest.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a921306a6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-tests/src/test/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/politics/IndexLifecyclePolicyApiTest.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.politics
+
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.ElasticDsl
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.json.{RawValue, StringValue}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.{
+  IndexLifecyclePolicy,
+  IndexLifecyclePolicyAction
+}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase.DeletePhase
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.testkit.DockerTests
+import org.scalatest.BeforeAndAfterAll
+import org.scalatest.concurrent.Eventually
+import org.scalatest.flatspec.AnyFlatSpec
+import org.scalatest.matchers.should.Matchers
+
+class IndexLifecyclePolicyApiTest extends AnyFlatSpec with Matchers with ElasticDsl with DockerTests with Eventually
+    with BeforeAndAfterAll {
+  "index lifecycle policy delete" should "be success on empty elasticsearch" in {
+    client.execute(
+      deleteIndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+    ).await.result.acknowledged shouldBe false
+  }
+
+  "index lifecycle policy" should "be created" in {
+    client.execute(
+      deleteIndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+    ).await.result
+
+    val policy = IndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+      .withPhases(
+        DeletePhase
+          .withSettings("min_age" -> StringValue("30d"))
+          .withActions(IndexLifecyclePolicyAction.DeleteAction)
+      )
+
+    val result =
+      client.execute(
+        createIndexLifecyclePolicy(policy)
+      ).await.result
+
+    result.acknowledged shouldBe true
+  }
+
+  "index lifecycle policy" should "be found" in {
+    client.execute(
+      deleteIndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+    ).await
+
+    val policy = IndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+      .withPhases(
+        DeletePhase
+          .withSettings("min_age" -> StringValue("30d"))
+          .withActions(
+            IndexLifecyclePolicyAction.DeleteAction
+              .withSettings("delete_searchable_snapshot" -> StringValue("true"))
+          )
+      )
+
+    client.execute(
+      createIndexLifecyclePolicy(policy)
+    ).await
+
+    val policyFromElastic = client.execute(
+      getIndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+    ).await.result
+
+    policyFromElastic.map(_.policy) shouldBe Some(policy)
+  }
+
+  "index lifecycle policy" should "be deleted" in {
+    client.execute(
+      deleteIndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+    ).await
+
+    val policy = IndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+
+    client.execute(
+      createIndexLifecyclePolicy(policy)
+    ).await
+
+    client.execute(
+      deleteIndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+    ).await
+
+    client.execute(
+      getIndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+    ).await.result shouldBe None
+  }
+
+  override def afterAll(): Unit = {
+    client.execute(
+      deleteIndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+    ).await
+  }
+
+}
diff --git a/elastic4s-tests/src/test/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/politics/IndexLifecyclePolicyModelsTest.scala b/elastic4s-tests/src/test/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/politics/IndexLifecyclePolicyModelsTest.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e2ff8f4c53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/elastic4s-tests/src/test/scala/com/sksamuel/elastic4s/requests/indexlifecyclemanagement/politics/IndexLifecyclePolicyModelsTest.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+package com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.politics
+
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.handlers.indexlifecyclemanagement.IndexLifecyclePolicyContentBuilder
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.json.{IntValue, ObjectValue, RawValue, StringValue}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicy
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicyAction.{
+  DeleteAction,
+  ForceMergeAction
+}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.policy.IndexLifecyclePolicyPhase.{
+  DeletePhase,
+  WarmPhase
+}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.requests.indexlifecyclemanagement.{GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse, InUseBy}
+import com.sksamuel.elastic4s.{JacksonSupport, JsonSugar}
+import org.scalatest.flatspec.AnyFlatSpec
+import org.scalatest.matchers.should.Matchers
+import org.scalatestplus.mockito.MockitoSugar
+
+import scala.io.Source
+
+class IndexLifecyclePolicyModelsTest extends AnyFlatSpec with MockitoSugar with JsonSugar with Matchers {
+  "the create lifecycle policy dsl" should "generate the correct json" in {
+
+    val policy = IndexLifecyclePolicy("testPolicy")
+      .withMeta(
+        "description" -> StringValue("used for nginx log"),
+        "project"     ->
+          ObjectValue.empty
+            .putValue("name", StringValue("myProject"))
+            .putValue("department", StringValue("myDepartment"))
+      )
+      .withPhases(
+        WarmPhase
+          .withSettings("min_age" -> StringValue("10d"))
+          .withActions(
+            ForceMergeAction.withSettings("max_num_segments" -> IntValue(1))
+          ),
+        DeletePhase
+          .withSettings("min_age" -> StringValue("30d"))
+          .withActions(
+            DeleteAction
+          )
+      )
+
+    IndexLifecyclePolicyContentBuilder(policy).string should matchJsonResource(
+      "/json/indexlifecyclemanagement/test_policy_create.json"
+    )
+  }
+
+  "the create lifecycle policy dsl" should "parse json correctly" in {
+    val resourceName = "/json/indexlifecyclemanagement/test_policy_get.json"
+    val patternValue = GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse(
+      version = 1,
+      modifiedDate = 82392349,
+      policy = IndexLifecyclePolicy("my_policy")
+        .withPhases(
+          WarmPhase
+            .withSettings("min_age" -> StringValue("10d"))
+            .withActions(ForceMergeAction.withSettings("max_num_segments" -> StringValue("1"))),
+          DeletePhase
+            .withSettings("min_age" -> StringValue("30d"))
+            .withActions(DeleteAction.withSettings("delete_searchable_snapshot" -> StringValue("true")))
+        ),
+      inUseBy = Some(InUseBy(Nil, Nil, Nil))
+    )
+
+    val jsonResourceStream = getClass.getResourceAsStream(resourceName)
+    withClue(s"expected JSON resource [$resourceName] ") {
+      jsonResourceStream should not be null
+    }
+    val source             = Source.fromInputStream(jsonResourceStream)
+    val jsonReference      =
+      try
+        source.mkString
+      finally
+        source.close()
+
+    GetIndexLifecyclePolicyResponse.deserialize(JacksonSupport.mapper.readTree(jsonReference)) shouldBe patternValue
+  }
+}