Set up minimal security for Elasticsearch

You only need to complete the following steps if you’re running an existing, unsecured cluster and want to enable the Elasticsearch security features.

In Elasticsearch 8.0 and later, security is enabled automatically when you start Elasticsearch for the first time.

If you’re running an existing Elasticsearch cluster where security is disabled, you can manually enable the Elasticsearch security features and then create passwords for built-in users. You can add more users later, but using the built-in users simplifies the process of enabling security for your cluster.

The minimal security scenario is not sufficient for production mode clusters. If your cluster has multiple nodes, you must enable minimal security and then configure Transport Layer Security (TLS) between nodes.

Enable Elasticsearch security features

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Enabling the Elasticsearch security features provides basic authentication so that you can run a local cluster with username and password authentication.

On every node in your cluster, stop both Kibana and Elasticsearch if they are running.
On every node in your cluster, add the xpack.security.enabled setting to the $ES_PATH_CONF/elasticsearch.yml file and set the value to true:
```
xpack.security.enabled: true
```
The $ES_PATH_CONF variable is the path for the Elasticsearch configuration files. If you installed Elasticsearch using archive distributions (zip or tar.gz), the variable defaults to $ES_HOME/config. If you used package distributions (Debian or RPM), the variable defaults to /etc/elasticsearch.
If your cluster has a single node, add the discovery.type setting in the $ES_PATH_CONF/elasticsearch.yml file and set the value to single-node. This setting ensures that your node does not inadvertently connect to other clusters that might be running on your network.
```
discovery.type: single-node
```

Set passwords for built-in users

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To communicate with your cluster, you must configure a password for the elastic and kibana_system built-in users. Unless you enable anonymous access (not recommended), all requests that don’t include credentials are rejected.

You only need to set passwords for the elastic and kibana_system users when enabling minimal or basic security.

On every node in your cluster, start Elasticsearch. For example, if you installed Elasticsearch with a .tar.gz package, run the following command from the ES_HOME directory:
```
./bin/elasticsearch
```
On any node in your cluster, open another terminal window and set the password for the elastic built-in user by running the elasticsearch-reset-password utility. This command resets the password to an auto-generated value.
```
./bin/elasticsearch-reset-password -u elastic
```
If you want to set the password to a specific value, run the command with the interactive (-i) parameter.
```
./bin/elasticsearch-reset-password -i -u elastic
```

Set the password for the kibana_system built-in user.

./bin/elasticsearch-reset-password -u kibana_system

Save the new passwords. In the next step, you’ll add the the password for the kibana_system user to Kibana.

Next: Configure Kibana to connect to Elasticsearch with a password

Configure Kibana to connect to Elasticsearch with a password

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When the Elasticsearch security features are enabled, users must log in to Kibana with a valid username and password.

You’ll configure Kibana to use the built-in kibana_system user and the password that you created earlier. Kibana performs some background tasks that require use of the kibana_system user.

This account is not meant for individual users and does not have permission to log in to Kibana from a browser. Instead, you’ll log in to Kibana as the elastic superuser.

Add the elasticsearch.username setting to the KBN_PATH_CONF/kibana.yml file and set the value to the kibana_system user:
```
elasticsearch.username: "kibana_system"
```
The KBN_PATH_CONF variable is the path for the Kibana configuration files. If you installed Kibana using archive distributions (zip or tar.gz), the variable defaults to KIB_HOME/config. If you used package distributions (Debian or RPM), the variable defaults to /etc/kibana.
From the directory where you installed Kibana, run the following commands to create the Kibana keystore and add the secure settings:
1. Create the Kibana keystore:
```
./bin/kibana-keystore create
```
2. Add the password for the kibana_system user to the Kibana keystore:
```
./bin/kibana-keystore add elasticsearch.password
```
  When prompted, enter the password for the kibana_system user.
Restart Kibana. For example, if you installed Kibana with a .tar.gz package, run the following command from the Kibana directory:
```
./bin/kibana
```
Log in to Kibana as the elastic user. Use this superuser account to manage spaces, create new users, and assign roles. If you’re running Kibana locally, go to http://localhost:5601 to view the login page.

What’s next?

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Congratulations! You enabled password protection for your local cluster to prevent unauthorized access. You can log in to Kibana securely as the elastic user and create additional users and roles. If you’re running a single-node cluster, then you can stop here.

If your cluster has multiple nodes, then you must configure Transport Layer Security (TLS) between nodes. Production mode clusters will not start if you do not enable TLS.

Set up basic security for the Elastic Stack to secure all internal communication between nodes in your cluster.

« Manually configure security Set up basic security for the Elastic Stack »