OpenSearch Helm Chart: Deploy OpenSearch on Kubernetes

Deploy OpenSearch clusters on Kubernetes using the official Helm charts. This guide covers installation, configuration, and production deployment of OpenSearch and OpenSearch Dashboards.

Overview

The OpenSearch project maintains official Helm charts for deploying:

• opensearch - The core search and analytics engine
• opensearch-dashboards - The visualization and management interface

These charts deploy OpenSearch as StatefulSets with configurable replicas, persistence, and security settings.

Note: For automated lifecycle management, scaling, and advanced orchestration, consider the OpenSearch Kubernetes Operator instead.

Prerequisites

• Kubernetes 1.19+
• Helm 3.x
• kubectl configured with cluster access
• Persistent volume provisioner (recommended)

Quick Start

Add the Helm Repository

helm repo add opensearch https://opensearch-project.github.io/helm-charts
helm repo update

Install OpenSearch

For OpenSearch 2.12.0+, you must provide an initial admin password:

helm install opensearch opensearch/opensearch \
  --set singleNode=true \
  --set extraEnvs[0].name=OPENSEARCH_INITIAL_ADMIN_PASSWORD \
  --set extraEnvs[0].value=MyStr0ngP@ssword!

For a multi-node cluster:

helm install opensearch opensearch/opensearch \
  --set replicas=3 \
  --set extraEnvs[0].name=OPENSEARCH_INITIAL_ADMIN_PASSWORD \
  --set extraEnvs[0].value=MyStr0ngP@ssword!

Install OpenSearch Dashboards

helm install dashboards opensearch/opensearch-dashboards

Verify Installation

kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=opensearch
kubectl get svc -l app.kubernetes.io/name=opensearch

Configuration

Common Values

Create a values.yaml file for customization:

# OpenSearch values.yaml
replicas: 3

resources:
  requests:
    cpu: "1000m"
    memory: "2Gi"
  limits:
    cpu: "2000m"
    memory: "4Gi"

persistence:
  enabled: true
  size: 100Gi
  storageClass: "standard"

extraEnvs:
  - name: OPENSEARCH_INITIAL_ADMIN_PASSWORD
    value: "MyStr0ngP@ssword!"

config:
  opensearch.yml: |
    cluster.name: my-cluster
    network.host: 0.0.0.0
    plugins.security.ssl.http.enabled: true

Install with custom values:

helm install opensearch opensearch/opensearch -f values.yaml

Node Roles

Configure dedicated node types:

# Master nodes
masterService: "opensearch-cluster-master"
nodeGroup: "master"
roles:
  - master

# Data nodes (separate release)
nodeGroup: "data"
roles:
  - data
  - ingest

Security Configuration

Disable security for development (not recommended for production):

config:
  opensearch.yml: |
    plugins.security.disabled: true

Use custom certificates:

secretMounts:
  - name: certs
    secretName: opensearch-certs
    path: /usr/share/opensearch/config/certs

JVM Settings

opensearchJavaOpts: "-Xms2g -Xmx2g"

Set JVM heap to 50% of container memory, not exceeding 32GB.

Production Deployment

Multi-Node Cluster

Deploy separate node pools for production:

# Master nodes
helm install opensearch-master opensearch/opensearch \
  -f master-values.yaml \
  --set nodeGroup=master \
  --set roles='{master}'

# Data nodes
helm install opensearch-data opensearch/opensearch \
  -f data-values.yaml \
  --set nodeGroup=data \
  --set roles='{data,ingest}'

# Coordinating nodes
helm install opensearch-coord opensearch/opensearch \
  -f coord-values.yaml \
  --set nodeGroup=coordinating \
  --set roles='{}'

Resource Recommendations

Pod Anti-Affinity

Spread pods across nodes:

antiAffinity: "hard"

Pod Disruption Budget

podDisruptionBudget:
  enabled: true
  minAvailable: 2

Accessing OpenSearch

Port Forward

kubectl port-forward svc/opensearch-cluster-master 9200:9200

Test Connection

curl -k -u admin:MyStr0ngP@ssword! https://localhost:9200

Dashboards Access

kubectl port-forward svc/dashboards-opensearch-dashboards 5601:5601

Open https://localhost:5601 in your browser.

Upgrading

helm repo update
helm upgrade opensearch opensearch/opensearch -f values.yaml

For major version upgrades, review the OpenSearch documentation for migration steps.

Uninstall

# Remove releases
helm uninstall opensearch
helm uninstall dashboards

# Remove persistent data (optional)
kubectl delete pvc -l app.kubernetes.io/name=opensearch

Helm Chart vs Kubernetes Operator

Choose Helm charts for simpler deployments. Use the Kubernetes Operator for production environments requiring automated lifecycle management.

Enterprise Support

Need help with your OpenSearch deployment? Our team provides enterprise-grade support for OpenSearch clusters, including architecture planning, performance optimization, security hardening, and 24/7 incident response.

Learn more about OpenSearch Enterprise Support

Resources

• OpenSearch Helm Charts Repository
• Artifact Hub Package
• OpenSearch Documentation