How to install Elasticsearch on CentOS, RHEL, or Fedora

Installing Elasticsearch on CentOS, RHEL, or Fedora provides a local search and analytics engine with an HTTP API for indexing and querying large datasets.

The official RPM packages register an Elasticsearch systemd unit, place configuration under /etc/elasticsearch, and store data and logs under /var/lib/elasticsearch and /var/log/elasticsearch.

Kernel settings such as vm.max_map_count must be raised before running Elasticsearch under load, and recent releases enable TLS and authentication by default for the port 9200 API. Binding the service to a non-local address requires additional configuration and firewall review, so initial validation is typically performed on localhost.

1. Create the Elasticsearch repository file at /etc/yum.repos.d/elasticsearch.repo.

   [elasticsearch]
   name=Elasticsearch repository for 8.x packages
   baseurl=https://artifacts.elastic.co/packages/8.x/yum
   gpgcheck=1
   gpgkey=https://artifacts.elastic.co/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch
   enabled=1

   Use yum instead of dnf on older CentOS releases.

2. Install the Elasticsearch package.

   $ sudo dnf install --assumeyes elasticsearch
   Installing:
     elasticsearch-8.19.9-1.aarch64

3. Persist the vm.max_map_count requirement for Elasticsearch.

   $ echo "vm.max_map_count=262144" | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/99-elasticsearch.conf
   vm.max_map_count=262144

4. Reload sysctl values.

   $ sudo sysctl --system
   * Applying /etc/sysctl.d/99-elasticsearch.conf

5. Enable the Elasticsearch service in systemd.

   $ sudo systemctl enable --now elasticsearch
   Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/elasticsearch.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/elasticsearch.service.

   The --now option starts the service immediately.

   Related: How to manage the Elasticsearch service with systemctl in Linux

6. Verify the service is running.

   $ sudo systemctl status elasticsearch --no-pager
   * elasticsearch.service - Elasticsearch
        Active: active (running)
   ##### snipped #####

   Related: How to manage the Elasticsearch service with systemctl in Linux

7. Reset the elastic user password for API authentication.

   $ sudo /usr/share/elasticsearch/bin/elasticsearch-reset-password -u elastic
   This tool will reset the password of the [elastic] user.
   Please confirm that you would like to continue [y/N] y
   Password for the [elastic] user successfully reset.
   New value: 9wqfXqP0K9r8n2uY5HcF

   Store the generated password securely for authenticated API calls.

8. Test the HTTPS endpoint using the local CA certificate with the elastic password.

   $ ES_PASS='9wqfXqP0K9r8n2uY5HcF'
   $ curl -s --cacert /etc/elasticsearch/certs/http_ca.crt -u "elastic:${ES_PASS}" https://localhost:9200
   {
     "name" : "es-1",
     "cluster_name" : "elasticsearch",
     "cluster_uuid" : "8JwLw3ssQbS5W7w1j1LqPw",
     "version" : {
       "number" : "8.12.2"
     },
     "tagline" : "You Know, for Search"
   }

   

   The CA certificate installed by the RPM is located at /etc/elasticsearch/certs/http_ca.crt.