diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/epm/server/lib/ilm/ilm.test.ts b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/epm/server/lib/ilm/ilm.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..00bf12a6316d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/epm/server/lib/ilm/ilm.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License;
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
+ */
+
+import { getIndexWithWithAlias } from './ilm';
+
+test('get index with alias', () => {
+  const aliasName = 'bar';
+
+  const data = getIndexWithWithAlias(aliasName);
+  // Verifies that the bar key exists and write index is set to true
+  expect(data.aliases.bar.is_write_index).toStrictEqual(true);
+});
diff --git a/x-pack/legacy/plugins/epm/server/lib/ilm/ilm.ts b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/epm/server/lib/ilm/ilm.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..65c7783669908
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/legacy/plugins/epm/server/lib/ilm/ilm.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License;
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
+ */
+
+export function getIndexWithWithAlias(aliasName: string) {
+  return {
+    aliases: {
+      [aliasName]: {
+        is_write_index: true,
+      },
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns the current default policy used for Beats.
+ * This will later be replaced by the default policies.
+ *
+ * This policy will have to be pushed to PUT /_ilm/policy/{policy-name}
+ */
+export function getPolicy() {
+  return {
+    policy: {
+      phases: {
+        hot: {
+          actions: {
+            rollover: {
+              max_size: '50gb',
+              max_age: '30d',
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  };
+}
diff --git a/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/ilm.ts b/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/ilm.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..8037f813633eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/ilm.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License;
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
+ */
+
+import expect from '@kbn/expect';
+import { FtrProviderContext } from '../../api_integration/ftr_provider_context';
+import { getPolicy, getIndexWithWithAlias } from '../../../legacy/plugins/epm/server/lib/ilm/ilm';
+
+export default function({ getService }: FtrProviderContext) {
+  describe('ilm', () => {
+    it('setup policy', async () => {
+      const policyName = 'foo';
+      const es = getService('es');
+      const policy = getPolicy();
+
+      const data = await es.transport.request({
+        method: 'PUT',
+        path: '/_ilm/policy/' + policyName,
+        body: policy,
+      });
+
+      expect(data.body.acknowledged).to.eql(true);
+      expect(data.statusCode).to.eql(200);
+    });
+
+    it('setup index with alias', async () => {
+      const indexName = 'test-index-with-alias';
+      const aliasName = 'alias-to-index';
+      const es = getService('es');
+
+      // Delete index first if it exists as otherwise we get an error
+      const existsBody = await es.indices.exists({ index: indexName });
+      if (existsBody.statusCode === 200) {
+        const response = await es.indices.delete({ index: indexName });
+
+        // Sanity check to make sure removal work as expected
+        // If it didn't we already know where the problem lays in the test
+        expect(response.statusCode).to.eql(200);
+      }
+
+      // Calls the given esClient, creates and index and sets it as write index on the given alias.
+      //
+      // This should be moved later to the ilm lib but have it here for now as passing the client
+      // does not work.
+      const body = getIndexWithWithAlias(aliasName);
+      const data = await es.indices.create({
+        index: indexName,
+        body,
+      });
+
+      // Sanity checks to make sure ES confirmed the data we sent is sane
+      // and the index with the alias was created.
+      expect(data.body.acknowledged).to.eql(true);
+      expect(data.statusCode).to.eql(200);
+
+      // Retreiving the index information again to see if the is_write_index
+      // is set correctly for the alias.
+      const indexData = await es.indices.get({ index: indexName });
+      expect(indexData.body[indexName].aliases[aliasName].is_write_index).to.eql(true);
+    });
+  });
+}
diff --git a/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/index.js b/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/index.js
index 117aa51cae5d2..3dc4624d15cf4 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/index.js
+++ b/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/index.js
@@ -10,5 +10,6 @@ export default function ({ loadTestFile }) {
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./list'));
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./file'));
     loadTestFile(require.resolve('./template'));
+    loadTestFile(require.resolve('./ilm'));
   });
 }
diff --git a/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/template.ts b/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/template.ts
index 97cf24619f65f..e46ffff4cdc9c 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/template.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/epm_api_integration/apis/template.ts
@@ -15,15 +15,23 @@ export default function({ getService }: FtrProviderContext) {
   // This test was inspired by https://github.com/elastic/kibana/blob/master/x-pack/test/api_integration/apis/monitoring/common/mappings_exist.js
   describe('template', async () => {
     it('can be loaded', async () => {
-      const body = getTemplate(indexPattern);
+      const template = getTemplate(indexPattern);
 
-      const { body: response } = await es.indices.putTemplate({
+      // This test is not an API integration test with Kibana
+      // We want to test here if the template is valid and for this we need a running ES instance.
+      // If the ES instance takes the template, we assume it is a valid template.
+      const { body: response1 } = await es.indices.putTemplate({
         name: templateName,
-        body,
+        body: template,
       });
-      expect(response).to.eql({ acknowledged: true });
-      const { body: indexTemplate } = await es.indices.getTemplate({ name: templateName });
-      expect(indexTemplate[templateName].index_patterns).to.eql([indexPattern]);
+      // Checks if template loading worked as expected
+      expect(response1).to.eql({ acknowledged: true });
+
+      const { body: response2 } = await es.indices.getTemplate({ name: templateName });
+      // Checks if the content of the template that was loaded is as expected
+      // We already know based on the above test that the template was valid
+      // but we check here also if we wrote the index pattern inside the template as expected
+      expect(response2[templateName].index_patterns).to.eql([indexPattern]);
     });
   });
 }