How to Deploy Elasticsearch on Kubernetes

Kubernetes has become the de facto standard for container orchestration, enabling scalable and resilient deployment of applications. Elasticsearch, a powerful and open-source search and analytics engine, is commonly used to index and search large volumes of data. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of deploying Elasticsearch on Kubernetes, leveraging the benefits of containerization and orchestration.

Setting the Stage:

Before we dive into the deployment process, ensure you have a running Kubernetes cluster. If you don't have one set up, tools like Minikube or cloud-based solutions such as Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) can help you get started quickly.

1. Installing Helm:

   Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes that simplifies the deployment and management of applications. Begin by installing Helm on your local machine or cluster.

   curl -fsSL -o get_helm.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/master/scripts/get-helm-3
   chmod 700 get_helm.sh
   ./get_helm.sh
   

2. Adding the Elasticsearch Helm Repository:

   Elasticsearch provides a Helm chart that streamlines the deployment process. Add the official Elasticsearch Helm repository to your Helm setup.

   helm repo add elastic https://helm.elastic.co
   helm repo update
   

3. Configuring Elasticsearch Values:

   Create a values.yaml file to customize the Elasticsearch deployment according to your requirements. Specify parameters such as cluster size, node resources, and other configurations.

   masterNode.replicas: 3
   dataNode.replicas: 2
   

4. Deploying Elasticsearch:

   Now that Helm is set up and configurations are in place, deploy Elasticsearch to your Kubernetes cluster.

   helm install elasticsearch elastic/elasticsearch -f values.yaml
   

   This command initiates the deployment, and you can monitor the progress using:

   kubectl get pods
   

   Ensure all pods are in a 'Running' state before proceeding.

5. Accessing Elasticsearch:

   To interact with Elasticsearch, expose it via a Kubernetes service.

   kubectl expose service elasticsearch-master --type=LoadBalancer --name=elasticsearch
   

   Retrieve the external IP address assigned to the service:

   kubectl get svc elasticsearch
   

   You can now access Elasticsearch through the provided IP address.

More Examples:

• Scaling the Cluster:

  Easily scale your Elasticsearch cluster based on demand.

  kubectl scale statefulset elasticsearch-master --replicas=5
  

• Upgrading Elasticsearch:

  Helm makes it simple to upgrade Elasticsearch to the latest version.

  helm upgrade elasticsearch elastic/elasticsearch -f values.yaml
  

• Deleting the Deployment:

  When done, delete the Elasticsearch deployment.

  helm delete elasticsearch
  

  Ensure to clean up associated resources:

  kubectl delete pvc -l app=elasticsearch