How to connect Kibana to Elasticsearch

For Kibana to work, it must communicate with Elasticsearch. Configuring elasticsearch.hosts in kibana.yml defines the cluster endpoint. Authentication and TLS ensure secure access.

Matching versions and enabling X-Pack security features in both Elasticsearch and Kibana streamline integration. Proper configuration ensures stable queries and index discovery.

A reliable connection lays the groundwork for building visualizations, dashboards, and performing advanced analytics.

1. Edit /etc/kibana/kibana.yml.

   $ sudo nano /etc/kibana/kibana.yml
   (no direct output)

   Set elasticsearch.hosts to your Elasticsearch node, e.g. [“http://localhost:9200”].

2. Add credentials if X-Pack Security is enabled by defining elasticsearch.username and elasticsearch.password.

   Use a dedicated Kibana user with limited permissions.

3. Save changes and restart Kibana.

   $ sudo systemctl restart kibana
   (no output)

   Check Kibana logs for authentication or connection errors.

4. Confirm connectivity by accessing Kibana and searching for indices.

   A stable Kibana-Elasticsearch connection unlocks full-stack functionality.