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Command reference

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Command reference

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Elastic Agent provides commands for running Elastic Agent, managing Fleet Server, and doing common tasks:

You might need to log in as a root user (or Administrator on Windows) to run these commands.

elastic-agent enroll

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Enroll the Elastic Agent in Fleet.

Use this command to enroll the Elastic Agent in Fleet without installing the agent as a service. You will need to do this if you installed the Elastic Agent from a DEB or RPM package and plan to use systemd commands to start and manage the service. This command is also useful for testing Elastic Agent prior to installing it.

If you’ve already installed Elastic Agent, use this command to modify the settings that Elastic Agent runs with.

To enroll an Elastic Agent and install it as a service, use the install command instead. Installing as a service is the most common scenario.

We recommend that you run the enroll (or install) command as the root user because some integrations require root privileges to collect sensitive data. This command overwrites the elastic-agent.yml file in the agent directory.

This command includes optional flags to set up Fleet Server.

This command enrolls the Elastic Agent in Fleet; it does not start the agent. To start the agent, either start the service, if one exists, or use the run command to start the agent from a terminal.

Synopsis

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To enroll the Elastic Agent in Fleet:

elastic-agent enroll --url <string>
                     --enrollment-token <string>
                     [--ca-sha256 <string>]
                     [--certificate-authorities <string>]
                     [--force]
                     [--help]
                     [--insecure ]
                     [global-flags]

To enroll the Elastic Agent in Fleet and set up Fleet Server:

elastic-agent enroll --fleet-server-es <string>
                     --fleet-server-service-token <string>
                     [--ca-sha256 <string>]
                     [--certificate-authorities <string>]
                     [--fleet-server-cert <string>] 
                     [--fleet-server-cert-key <string>]
                     [--fleet-server-es-ca <string>]
                     [--fleet-server-host <string>]
                     [--fleet-server-insecure-http]
                     [--fleet-server-policy <string>]
                     [--fleet-server-port <uint16>]
                     [--force]
                     [--help]
                     [--url <string>] 
                     [global-flags]

	If no `fleet-server-cert*` flags are specified, Elastic Agent auto-generates a self-signed certificate with the hostname of the machine. Remote Elastic Agents enrolling into a Fleet Server with self-signed certificates must specify the `--insecure` flag.
	Required when enrolling in a Fleet Server with custom certificates. The URL must match the DNS name used to generate the certificate specified by `--fleet-server-cert`.

For more information about custom certificates, refer to Encrypt traffic in clusters with a self-managed Fleet Server.

Options

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--ca-sha256 <string>

Comma-separated list of certificate authority hash pins used for certificate verification.

--certificate-authorities <string>

Comma-separated list of root certificates used for server verification.

--enrollment-token <string>

Enrollment token to use to enroll Elastic Agent into Fleet. You can use the same enrollment token for multiple agents.

--fleet-server-cert <string>

Certificate to use for exposed Fleet Server HTTPS endpoint.

--fleet-server-cert-key <string>

Private key to use for exposed Fleet Server HTTPS endpoint.

--fleet-server-es <string>

Start a Fleet Server process when Elastic Agent is started, and connect to the specified Elasticsearch URL.

--fleet-server-es-ca <string>

Path to certificate authority to use to communicate with Elasticsearch.

--fleet-server-host <string>

Fleet Server HTTP binding host (overrides the policy).

--fleet-server-insecure-http

Expose Fleet Server over HTTP. This option is not recommended because it’s insecure. It’s useful during development and testing, but should not be used in production. When using this option, you should bind Fleet Server to the local host (this is the default).

--fleet-server-policy <string>

Used when starting a self-managed Fleet Server to allow a specific policy to be used, instead of the Default Fleet Server policy.

--fleet-server-port <uint16>

Fleet Server HTTP binding port (overrides the policy).

--fleet-server-service-token <string>

Service token to use for communication with Elasticsearch.

--force

Force overwrite of current configuration without prompting for confirmation. This flag is helpful when using automation software or scripted deployments.

--help

Show help for the enroll command.

--insecure

Allow the Elastic Agent to connect to Fleet Server over insecure connections. This setting is required in the following situations:

When connecting to an HTTP server. The API keys are sent in clear text.
When connecting to an HTTPs server and the certificate chain cannot be verified. The content is encrypted, but the certificate is not verified.
When using self-signed certificates generated by Elastic Agent.

We strongly recommend that you use a secure connection.

--url <string>

Fleet Server URL to use to enroll the Elastic Agent into Fleet.

For more flags, see Global flags.

Examples

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Enroll the Elastic Agent in Fleet:

elastic-agent enroll -f \
  --url=https://cedd4e0e21e240b4s2bbbebdf1d6d52f.fleet.eu-west-1.aws.cld.elstc.co:443 \
  --enrollment-token=NEFmVllaa0JLRXhKebVKVTR5TTI6N2JaVlJpSGpScmV0ZUVnZVlRUExFQQ==

Enroll the Elastic Agent in Fleet and set up Fleet Server:

elastic-agent enroll -f --fleet-server-es=http://elasticsearch:9200 \
  --fleet-server-service-token=AbEAAdesYXN1abMvZmxlZXQtc2VldmVyL3Rva2VuLTE2MTkxMzg3MzIzMTg7dzEta0JDTmZUcGlDTjlwRmNVTjNVQQ \
  --fleet-server-policy=a35fd520-26f5-11ec-8bd9-3374690g57b6

Start Elastic Agent with Fleet Server (running on a custom CA). This example assumes you’ve generated the certificates with the following names:

ca.crt: Root CA certificate
fleet-server.crt: Fleet Server certificate
fleet-server.key: Fleet Server private key
elasticsearch-ca.crt: CA certificate to use to connect to Elasticsearch

elastic-agent enroll -f \
  --url=https://fleet-server:8220 \
  --fleet-server-es=https://elasticsearch:9200 \
  --fleet-server-service-token=AAEBAWVsYXm0aWMvZmxlZXQtc2XydmVyL3Rva2VuLTE2MjM4OTAztDU1OTQ6dllfVW1mYnFTVjJwTC2ZQ0EtVnVZQQ \
  --fleet-server-policy=a35fd520-26f5-11ec-8bd9-3374690g57b6 \
  --certificate-authorities=/path/to/ca.crt \
  --fleet-server-es-ca=/path/to/elasticsearch-ca.crt \
  --fleet-server-cert=/path/to/fleet-server.crt \
  --fleet-server-cert-key=/path/to/fleet-server.key

Then enroll another Elastic Agent into the Fleet Server started in the previous example:

elastic-agent enroll -f --url=https://fleet-server:8220 \
  --enrollment-token=NEFmVllaa0JLRXhKebVKVTR5TTI6N2JaVlJpSGpScmV0ZUVnZVlRUExFQQ== \
  --certificate-authorities=/path/to/ca.crt

elastic-agent help

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Show help for a specific command.

Synopsis

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elastic-agent help <command> [--help] [global-flags]

Options

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command: The name of the command.
--help: Show help for the help command.

For more flags, see Global flags.

Example

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elastic-agent help enroll

elastic-agent inspect

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Show the current Elastic Agent configuration.

If no parameters are specified, shows the full Elastic Agent configuration.

Synopsis

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elastic-agent inspect [--help] [global-flags]
elastic-agent inspect output [--output <string>]
                             [--program <string>]
                             [--help]
                             [global-flags]

Options

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output

Display the current configuration for the output. This command accepts additional flags:

--output <string>: The name of the output to inspect.
--program <string>: The type of program to inspect. For example, filebeat. This option must be combined with --output.

--help

Show help for the inspect command.

For more flags, see Global flags.

Examples

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elastic-agent inspect
elastic-agent inspect output --output default
elastic-agent inspect output --output default --program filebeat

elastic-agent install

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Install Elastic Agent permanently on the system and manage it by using the system’s service manager. The agent will start automatically after installation is complete. On Linux (tar package), this command requires a system and service manager like systemd.

If you installed Elastic Agent from a DEB or RPM package, use the enroll command instead of install. The DEB and RPM packages include a service unit for Linux systems with systemd.

You must run this command as the root user (or Administrator on Windows) to write files to the correct locations. This command overwrites the elastic-agent.yml file in the agent directory.

Synopsis

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To install the Elastic Agent as a service, enroll it in Fleet, and start the elastic-agent service:

elastic-agent install --url <string>
                      --enrollment-token <string>
                      [--ca-sha256 <string>]
                      [--certificate-authorities <string>]
                      [--force]
                      [--help]
                      [--insecure ]
                      [global-flags]

To install the Elastic Agent as a service, enroll it in Fleet, and start a fleet-server process alongside the elastic-agent service:

elastic-agent install --fleet-server-es <string>
                      --fleet-server-service-token <string>
                      [--ca-sha256 <string>]
                      [--certificate-authorities <string>]
                      [--fleet-server-cert <string>] 
                      [--fleet-server-cert-key <string>]
                      [--fleet-server-es-ca <string>]
                      [--fleet-server-host <string>]
                      [--fleet-server-insecure-http]
                      [--fleet-server-policy <string>]
                      [--fleet-server-port <uint16>]
                      [--force]
                      [--help]
                      [--url <string>] 
                      [global-flags]

	If no `fleet-server-cert*` flags are specified, Elastic Agent auto-generates a self-signed certificate with the hostname of the machine. Remote Elastic Agents enrolling into a Fleet Server with self-signed certificates must specify the `--insecure` flag.
	Required when enrolling in a Fleet Server with custom certificates. The URL must match the DNS name used to generate the certificate specified by `--fleet-server-cert`.

For more information about custom certificates, refer to Encrypt traffic in clusters with a self-managed Fleet Server.

Options

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--ca-sha256 <string>

Comma-separated list of certificate authority hash pins used for certificate verification.

--certificate-authorities <string>

Comma-separated list of root certificates used for server verification.

--enrollment-token <string>

Enrollment token to use to enroll Elastic Agent into Fleet. You can use the same enrollment token for multiple agents.

--fleet-server-cert <string>

Certificate to use for exposed Fleet Server HTTPS endpoint.

--fleet-server-cert-key <string>

Private key to use for exposed Fleet Server HTTPS endpoint.

--fleet-server-es <string>

Start a Fleet Server process when Elastic Agent is started, and connect to the specified Elasticsearch URL.

--fleet-server-es-ca <string>

Path to certificate authority to use to communicate with Elasticsearch.

--fleet-server-host <string>

Fleet Server HTTP binding host (overrides the policy).

--fleet-server-insecure-http

--fleet-server-policy <string>

Used when starting a self-managed Fleet Server to allow a specific policy to be used, instead of the Default Fleet Server policy.

--fleet-server-port <uint16>

Fleet Server HTTP binding port (overrides the policy).

--fleet-server-service-token <string>

Service token to use for communication with Elasticsearch.

--force

Force overwrite of current configuration without prompting for confirmation. This flag is helpful when using automation software or scripted deployments.

--help

Show help for the enroll command.

--insecure

Allow the Elastic Agent to connect to Fleet Server over insecure connections. This setting is required in the following situations:

When connecting to an HTTP server. The API keys are sent in clear text.
When connecting to an HTTPs server and the certificate chain cannot be verified. The content is encrypted, but the certificate is not verified.
When using self-signed certificates generated by Elastic Agent.

We strongly recommend that you use a secure connection.

--url <string>

Fleet Server URL to use to enroll the Elastic Agent into Fleet.

For more flags, see Global flags.

Examples

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Install the Elastic Agent as a service, enroll it in Fleet, and start the elastic-agent service:

elastic-agent install -f \
  --url=https://cedd4e0e21e240b4s2bbbebdf1d6d52f.fleet.eu-west-1.aws.cld.elstc.co:443 \
  --enrollment-token=NEFmVllaa0JLRXhKebVKVTR5TTI6N2JaVlJpSGpScmV0ZUVnZVlRUExFQQ==

Install the Elastic Agent as a service, enroll it in Fleet, and start a fleet-server process alongside the elastic-agent service:

elastic-agent install -f --fleet-server-es=http://elasticsearch:9200 \
  --fleet-server-service-token=AbEAAdesYXN1abMvZmxlZXQtc2VldmVyL3Rva2VuLTE2MTkxMzg3MzIzMTg7dzEta0JDTmZUcGlDTjlwRmNVTjNVQQ \
  --fleet-server-policy=a35fd620-26f6-11ec-8bd9-3374690f57b6

Start Elastic Agent with Fleet Server (running on a custom CA). This example assumes you’ve generated the certificates with the following names:

ca.crt: Root CA certificate
fleet-server.crt: Fleet Server certificate
fleet-server.key: Fleet Server private key
elasticsearch-ca.crt: CA certificate to use to connect to Elasticsearch

elastic-agent install -f \
  --url=https://fleet-server:8220 \
  --fleet-server-es=https://elasticsearch:9200 \
  --fleet-server-service-token=AAEBAWVsYXm0aWMvZmxlZXQtc2XydmVyL3Rva2VuLTE2MjM4OTAztDU1OTQ6dllfVW1mYnFTVjJwTC2ZQ0EtVnVZQQ \
  --fleet-server-policy=a35fd520-26f5-11ec-8bd9-3374690g57b6 \
  --certificate-authorities=/path/to/ca.crt \
  --fleet-server-es-ca=/path/to/elasticsearch-ca.crt \
  --fleet-server-cert=/path/to/fleet-server.crt \
  --fleet-server-cert-key=/path/to/fleet-server.key

Then install another Elastic Agent and enroll it into the Fleet Server started in the previous example:

elastic-agent install -f --url=https://fleet-server:8220 \
  --enrollment-token=NEFmVllaa0JLRXhKebVKVTR5TTI6N2JaVlJpSGpScmV0ZUVnZVlRUExFQQ== \
  --certificate-authorities=/path/to/ca.crt

elastic-agent restart

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Restart the currently running Elastic Agent daemon.

Synopsis

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elastic-agent restart [--help] [global-flags]

Options

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--help: Show help for the restart command.

For more flags, see Global flags.

Examples

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elastic-agent restart

elastic-agent run

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Start the elastic-agent process.

Synopsis

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elastic-agent run [global-flags]

Global flags

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These flags are valid whenever you run elastic-agent on the command line.

-c <string>

The configuration file to use. If not specified, Elastic Agent uses {path.config}/elastic-agent.yml.

--e

Log to stderr and disable syslog/file output.

--environment <environmentVar>

The environment in which the agent will run.

--path.config <string>

The directory where Elastic Agent looks for its configuration file. The default varies by platform.

--path.home <string>

The root directory of Elastic Agent. path.home determines the location of the configuration files and data directory.

If not specified, Elastic Agent uses the current working directory.

--path.logs <string>

Path to the log output for Elastic Agent. The default varies by platform.

--v

Set log level to INFO.

Example

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elastic-agent run -c myagentconfig.yml

elastic-agent uninstall

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Permanently uninstall Elastic Agent from the system.

You must run this command as the root user (or Administrator on Windows) to remove files.

Synopsis

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elastic-agent uninstall [--force] [--help] [global-flags]

Options

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--force: Uninstall Elastic Agent and do not prompt for confirmation. This flag is helpful when using automation software or scripted deployments.
--help: Show help for the uninstall command.

For more flags, see Global flags.

Examples

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elastic-agent uninstall

elastic-agent upgrade

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Upgrade the currently running Elastic Agent to the specified version. This should only be used with agents running in standalone mode. Agents enrolled in Fleet should be upgraded through Fleet.

Synopsis

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elastic-agent upgrade <version> [--source-uri <string>] [--help] [flags]

Options

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version: The version of Elastic Agent to upgrade to.
--source-uri <string>: The source URI to download the new version from. By default, Elastic Agent uses the Elastic Artifacts URL.
--help: Show help for the upgrade command.

For more flags, see Global flags.

Examples

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elastic-agent upgrade 7.10.1

elastic-agent version

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Show the version of Elastic Agent.

Synopsis

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elastic-agent version [--help] [global-flags]

Options

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--help: Show help for the version command.

For more flags, see Global flags.

Example

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elastic-agent version

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