Setting up Elasticsearch security is crucial when:
- Deploying Elasticsearch in production environments
- Handling sensitive or confidential data
- Ensuring compliance with data protection regulations
- Protecting against unauthorized access and data breaches
- Implementing multi-user or multi-tenant Elasticsearch clusters
Steps to Set Up Elasticsearch Security
Enable X-Pack Security:
- Edit
elasticsearch.yml
and add:xpack.security.enabled: true
- Restart Elasticsearch
- Edit
Set up passwords for built-in users:
- Run:
bin/elasticsearch-setup-passwords interactive
orauto
- Save the generated passwords securely
- Run:
Configure TLS/SSL encryption:
- Generate certificates using
elasticsearch-certutil
- Add TLS settings to
elasticsearch.yml
- Configure node-to-node encryption
- Generate certificates using
Set up role-based access control (RBAC):
- Define roles using Kibana or Elasticsearch API
- Assign roles to users
Implement API key authentication:
- Create API keys using Kibana or Elasticsearch API
- Use API keys for application authentication
Enable audit logging:
- Configure audit logging in
elasticsearch.yml
- Specify events to be logged
- Configure audit logging in
Implement IP filtering:
- Add IP filter rules to
elasticsearch.yml
- Add IP filter rules to
Set up field and document level security:
- Define field and document level security in role definitions
Configure Kibana security:
- Enable Kibana security features
- Set up Kibana-specific roles and permissions
Regularly update and patch:
- Keep Elasticsearch and all plugins up-to-date
- Apply security patches promptly
Best Practices
- Use strong, unique passwords for all users
- Implement the principle of least privilege
- Regularly rotate API keys and passwords
- Monitor security events and logs
- Perform regular security audits
- Use separate users for different applications/services
- Encrypt data at rest using Elasticsearch native encryption
- Implement network segmentation to isolate Elasticsearch clusters
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I enable basic authentication in Elasticsearch?
A: Enable X-Pack security in elasticsearch.yml
, then set up passwords for built-in users using the elasticsearch-setup-passwords
tool. Configure your clients to send appropriate credentials with each request.
Q: Can I use LDAP or Active Directory for Elasticsearch authentication?
A: Yes, Elasticsearch supports LDAP and Active Directory integration. Configure the xpack.security.authc.realms.ldap
settings in elasticsearch.yml
to connect to your LDAP/AD server.
Q: How can I secure communication between Elasticsearch nodes?
A: Use TLS/SSL encryption for node-to-node communication. Generate certificates using elasticsearch-certutil
, then configure xpack.security.transport.ssl
settings in elasticsearch.yml
for each node.
Q: What's the difference between role-based access control and field-level security?
A: Role-based access control (RBAC) defines what actions a user can perform on indices or clusters. Field-level security, part of document-level security, controls which specific fields within documents a user can see or modify.
Q: How often should I rotate Elasticsearch API keys and passwords?
A: It's recommended to rotate API keys and passwords regularly, typically every 30-90 days, depending on your security requirements. Implement a process for secure key rotation to minimize disruption to your services.