Category: Elasticsearch

Here we collected our Elasticsearch articles that cover a wide variety of topics about Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana (the Elastic Stack). These articles cover fundamentals, best practices, use cases, and optimization.  

Is Elasticsearch a Database?

Published August 2023 Yes, Elasticsearch can be loosely defined as a database.  But more accurately, it’s a distributed search engine.  Elasticsearch can be used for text-based data, numerical data, geospatial data, vector data, and aggregating data. Elasticsearch is a NoSQL database, meaning SQL queries are supported but not full-featured. We have two articles on how … Continue reading Is Elasticsearch a Database?

Is Elasticsearch a NoSQL database?

Published March 2023 Yes, Elasticsearch is a NoSQL database. This means that SQL queries are supported but not full-featured. SQL databases, or relational databases, can be too rigid for some use cases. As an alternative, NoSQL databases provide more scalability and flexibility.  NoSQL stands for “Not only SQL”. Horizontal Scaling with NoSQL NoSQL databases are … Continue reading Is Elasticsearch a NoSQL database?

How to Check Elasticsearch Version

Published November 2022 Here we provide three simple ways to check which version of Elasticsearch is installed and running on your machine.  The first uses the Kibana dev console, and the second two approaches use the command line. Let’s dive in. Check Elasticsearch Version Running Using Kibana Dev Console Perhaps the most convenient way to … Continue reading How to Check Elasticsearch Version

OpenSearch vs. Elasticsearch

Updated January 2023 With OpenSearch originating as a fork from Elasticsearch, the two databases can appear to be near-identical to the unacquainted.  However, they are unique, becoming more so with each new update.   Here we will discuss how the two search engines compare when it comes to security, licensing, core features, documentation, community support, dashboards, … Continue reading OpenSearch vs. Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch Support Services FAQ

Published July 2022 Our team of engineers has been architecting, optimizing, and managing Elasticsearch for over 6 years.  We’ve found that there are common questions that new clients have about Elasticsearch support services. Below is a list of a few of the most common questions inquiring new clients have when they reach out.  Let us … Continue reading Elasticsearch Support Services FAQ

Elasticsearch Basics: What it is, Licensing, Languages, and Getting Help

Updated March 2023 Elasticsearch is a distributed search and analytics engine.  It is built on top of Apache Lucene.   Elasticsearch was first released in 2010 by the company now known as Elastic.  It was originally completely open source, but license changes have limited its usage. More on that below. Elasticsearch is part of a group … Continue reading Elasticsearch Basics: What it is, Licensing, Languages, and Getting Help

Solr vs Elasticsearch

Updated December 2022 Both Apache Solr and Elasticsearch are popular open source* search engines built on top of Lucene.  This article is intended to help readers learn more about the technologies in relation to one another to guide technology decisions. * Check out this article for information about recent Elasticsearch licensing changes.  Elasticsearch is no … Continue reading Solr vs Elasticsearch

How to Index Elasticsearch

Updated January 2023 An Index in Elasticsearch is used to both organize and distribute data within a cluster.  In this post we will define both components of an Index and then outline how to create, add to, delete, and reindex Indicies in Elasticsearch.  We will also touch on querying, but Elasticsearch querying is covered in … Continue reading How to Index Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch Definitions

Updated March 2023 When learning Elasticsearch, it’s important to start with a good foundational understanding of key concepts and terms.  In this post we define and explain important Elasticsearch concepts. Elasticsearch Terms and Definitions Elasticsearch Node.  An Elasticsearch node is a single Elasticsearch process, and the minimum number of nodes for a highly available Elasticsearch … Continue reading Elasticsearch Definitions

Elasticsearch Shards — Definitions, Sizes, Optimizations, and More

Updated September 2022 Optimizing Elasticsearch for shard size is an important component for achieving maximum performance from your cluster. To get started let’s review a few definitions that are an important part of the Elasticsearch jargon. If you are already familiar with Elasticsearch, you can continue straight to the next section. Defining Elasticsearch Jargon:  Cluster, … Continue reading Elasticsearch Shards — Definitions, Sizes, Optimizations, and More

Elasticsearch Optimization for Small, Medium, and Large Clusters

Updated January 2023 The way nodes are organized in an Elasticsearch cluster changes depending on the size of the cluster.  For small, medium, and large Elasticsearch clusters there will be different approaches for optimization. Dattell’s team of engineers are expert at designing, optimizing, and maintaining Elasticsearch implementations and supporting technologies. Click here to learn more … Continue reading Elasticsearch Optimization for Small, Medium, and Large Clusters

Kafka Monitoring With Elasticsearch and Kibana

Monitoring Kafka cluster performance is crucial for diagnosing system issues and preventing future problems. We recommend using Elasticsearch for Kafka monitoring because Elasticsearch is free and highly versatile as a single source of truth throughout any organization.