Elastic provides comprehensive official resources for troubleshooting Elasticsearch issues. This guide helps you navigate these resources effectively.
Official Documentation
Elasticsearch Reference
The primary source for Elasticsearch documentation:
URL: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/index.html
Key sections:
Troubleshooting Documentation
Direct troubleshooting resources:
- Fix common cluster issues: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/fix-common-cluster-issues.html
- Circuit breaker errors: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/circuit-breaker-errors.html
- High JVM memory pressure: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/high-jvm-memory-pressure.html
- Red or yellow cluster status: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/red-yellow-cluster-status.html
Performance Tuning
- Tune for indexing speed: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/tune-for-indexing-speed.html
- Tune for search speed: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/tune-for-search-speed.html
- Size your shards: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/size-your-shards.html
Elastic Discuss Forums
Community support forum:
URL: https://discuss.elastic.co/
Popular categories:
Tips for effective forum use:
- Search existing posts first
- Include version numbers
- Provide relevant logs and configurations
- Share cluster state information
GitHub Issues
For bugs and feature requests:
Repository: https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch
Before creating an issue:
- Search existing issues
- Reproduce on latest version if possible
- Include minimal reproduction steps
- Provide diagnostic information
Diagnostic APIs
Cluster Diagnostics
Use these APIs to gather diagnostic information:
# Overall health
GET /_cluster/health?pretty
# Detailed cluster state
GET /_cluster/state
# Node information
GET /_nodes?pretty
# Node statistics
GET /_nodes/stats?pretty
# Hot threads
GET /_nodes/hot_threads
# Pending tasks
GET /_cluster/pending_tasks
# Allocation explanation
GET /_cluster/allocation/explain
Support Diagnostics Tool
Elastic provides a diagnostic collection tool:
Download: https://github.com/elastic/support-diagnostics
Usage:
# Run diagnostics
./diagnostics.sh --host localhost --port 9200
# With authentication
./diagnostics.sh --host localhost --port 9200 --user elastic --password <password>
This collects:
- Cluster state and statistics
- Node configurations
- Thread dumps
- Log excerpts
Elastic Cloud Support
For Elastic Cloud users:
Support Channels
- Elastic Cloud Console: Support tickets through the UI
- Email: support@elastic.co (for paid subscriptions)
Self-Service Resources
- Cloud documentation: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/cloud/current/index.html
- Cloud status page: https://status.elastic.co/
Best Practices for Getting Help
Information to Include
When requesting support, provide:
- Version information:
GET /
- Cluster health:
GET /_cluster/health?pretty
GET /_cat/nodes?v
Relevant logs (sanitized of sensitive data)
Steps to reproduce the issue
What you've already tried
Sanitizing Sensitive Data
Before sharing:
- Remove passwords and API keys
- Anonymize index/field names if confidential
- Remove sensitive data from log excerpts
Common Troubleshooting Workflows
Cluster Red/Yellow
- Check
GET /_cluster/health - Identify unassigned shards:
GET /_cat/shards?v&h=index,shard,state,unassigned.reason - Get allocation explanation:
GET /_cluster/allocation/explain - Reference: Fix red/yellow status
Performance Issues
- Check hot threads:
GET /_nodes/hot_threads - Review thread pools:
GET /_cat/thread_pool?v - Check slow logs
- Reference: Tune for search speed
Memory Issues
- Check heap usage:
GET /_nodes/stats/jvm - Review circuit breakers:
GET /_nodes/stats/breaker - Check GC statistics
- Reference: High JVM memory pressure
Version-Specific Resources
Different versions have different documentation:
- 8.x: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/8.x/index.html
- 7.x: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/7.17/index.html
Always match documentation to your version!
Training and Certification
Elastic Training
- Free training: https://www.elastic.co/training/free
- Certifications: https://www.elastic.co/training/certification
Useful Courses
- Elasticsearch Engineer
- Observability Engineer
- Elastic Cloud Operations
Additional Resources
Blogs and Articles
- Elastic Blog: https://www.elastic.co/blog
- Engineering posts: In-depth technical articles
Webinars and Videos
- Elastic YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/elastic
- Virtual events: https://www.elastic.co/events/
Books
- "Elasticsearch: The Definitive Guide" (available free online)
- "Relevant Search" by Doug Turnbull
