--- title: "How to install Elasticsearch" description: "Elasticsearch is a free open-source analytics application capable of storing and recalling big data in real-time. It's a great option for anyone searching through large amounts of data on a regular..." url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/software/how-to-install-elasticsearch/ date: 2015-01-05 modified: 2022-05-31 author: "InMotion Hosting Contributor" categories: ["Software"] type: post lang: en --- # How to install Elasticsearch [Elasticsearch](https://www.elastic.co/elasticsearch/) is a free open-source analytics application capable of storing and recalling big data in real-time. It's a great option for anyone searching through large amounts of data on a regular basis. Elasticsearch can also be installed along with Logstash, Kibana, and Beats for a powerful security information and event management (SIEM) application called the Elastic Stack, or [ELK Stack](https://www.elastic.co/elk-stack). Even when not accompanied by the rest of the ELK Stack, it may be preferred over the popular ArcSight and [Splunk SIEM](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/security/install-splunk/) tools because of the price (free) and [Elasticsearch integrations](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/plugins/current/integrations.html) for many popular web applications today including [Drupal](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/drupal/drupal-8-release/), [Ansible](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/ansible/what-is-ansible/), and [Wireshark](https://www.wireshark.org/). In this article, we'll cover how to: - [Install Elasticsearch](#install) - [CentOS](#centos) - [Debian/Ubuntu](#debian) - [Start Elasticsearch](#systemd) - [Configure Elasticsearch](#config) - [Use Elasticsearch with WordPress](#wordpress) - [Use Elasticsearch Query DSL](#query) Get the best in security and performance without the high price with our [Managed Linux VPS Hosting](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/vps-hosting). ## Installing Elasticsearch The easiest way to install Elasticsearch is from their repositories instead of the OS default repos. This is still an easier option compared to a manual installation and ensures you'll be able easily keep Elasticsearch updated. For dedicated cPanel servers, Elasticsearch require that the "/tmp" directory be executable. Otherwise, you'll need to [compile Elasticsearch from source code](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch) and set your own temporary files directory during the configuration. ### Install Elasticsearch on CentOS 1. [SSH into your server](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/server/ssh/how-to-login-ssh/) as root. 2. Download the Elasticsearch PGP key: rpm --import https://artifacts.elastic.co/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch 3. Create an `elasticsearch.repo` file in `/etc/yum.repos.d/` using [Nano](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/server/ssh/how-to-edit-files-using-nano/), VIM, or Emacs: nano /etc/yum.repos.d/elasticsearch.repo 4. Add the following to the file:` name=Elasticsearch repository for 7.x packagesbaseurl=https://artifacts.elastic.co/packages/7.x/yumgpgcheck=1gpgkey=https://artifacts.elastic.co/GPG-KEY-elasticsearchenabled=0autorefresh=1type=rpm-md` 5. Save changes. 6. Now install Elasticsearch: sudo yum install --enablerepo=elasticsearch elasticsearch The configured repository is disabled by default to prevent upgrading Elasticsearch when upgrading the rest of the system. Therefore, installation and upgrade commands must explicitly enable the repo. 7. Open port 9200 in your firewall: [Firewalld](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/security/how-to-open-a-port-in-firewalld/), [UFW](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/security/open-a-port-in-ufw/), [CSF](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/security/install-csf-on-ubuntu/#ports), etc. Or if you need to use another port, [edit the Elasticsearch YAML file](#config). 8. Check that Elasticsearch is running on an open port: curl -X GET localhost:9200 9. If you receive `curl: (7) Failed connect to localhost:9200; Connection refused`, check your Firewalld settings again. ### Install Elasticsearch on Debian 1. [SSH into your server](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/server/ssh/how-to-login-ssh/) as root. 2. Download the Elasticsearch PGP key: wget -qO - https://artifacts.elastic.co/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch | sudo apt-key add - 3. Install apt-transport-https to access packages with an SSL (HTTPS) connection: sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https 4. Add the Elastic repo to a new elastic-7.x.list file: echo "deb https://artifacts.elastic.co/packages/7.x/apt stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/elastic-7.x.list 5. Install Elasticsearch: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install elasticsearch ## Setting Elasticsearch as a System Service Use the following command to start Elasticsearch now: systemctl start elasticsearch Use the following command to enable Elasticsearch to automatically start upon system reboot: systemctl enable elasticsearch Use the following command to check for any issues related to starting or enabling Elasticsearch: systemctl status elasticsearch ## Configuring Elasticsearch To make changes to Elasticsearch, edit the Elasticsearch YAML file: nano /etc/elasticsearch/elasticsearch.yml By default, Elasticsearch uses port 9200 or the next available port between 9200-9300. If you need to specify a different Elasticsearch port, change the following line and remove the `#` at the beginning: #http.port: 9200 Ensure Elasticsearch is running on an open port, changing `localhost` to your domain or other hostname as needed: curl -X GET localhost:9200 To find your server IP in the command line, use `hostname -i` If this Elasticsearch installation will join a node cluster, change the hostname to a [server IP address](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-find-your-shared-ip-address-of-your-server-in-cpanel/) or server hostname and remove the `#` at the beginning of the following line: #network.host: 192.168.0.1 You can also create descriptive node name for easier navigation among cluster setups by modifying the following line: #node.name: node-1 ![Installing ElasticPress for Elasticsearch functionality](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/wordpress_install-elasticpress-3-300x191.png) ## Elasticsearch with WordPress WordPress users that work with WP_Query objects can use the Elasticsearch search engine with [ElasticPress in WordPress](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/wordpress/integrating-elasticsearch-with-wordpress-using-elasticpress/). ## Elasticsearch Query DSL To get started, read about how to use the Elasticsearch Query domain specific language (DSL) for working with [indexes](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/software/working-with-indexes-in-elasticsearch/) or create [Elasticsearch documents](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/software/creating-documents-in-elasticsearch/).