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ElasticSearch Security fearues license?

I'm evaluating ES for our project use case. Once of the requirement is security. I have some questions regarding ES license and security features ?

  1. Does basic license include security ?
  2. If security enabled in basic ( free ) version does it include document fields level security ? if not what level free security stops ?

There are some confusing information regarding this hence i thought to post it here to get clear understanding.

Solution

  • Inline answers:

    1. Does basic license include security ?

    Yes, from ES 6.8 its included in basic free license but in basic license it's off by default using x-pack security config `xpack.security.enabled. it can be enabled.

    More info on above setting in this official doc. Also please refer Elastic blog on making security free, which has detailed information.

    2. If security enabled in basic ( free ) version does it include document fields level security? if not what level free security stops ?

    Edit: As I looked into Elastic blog it seems the document level security is still a paid feature as from the same blog:

    Note that our advanced security features — from single sign-on and Active Directory/LDAP authentication to field- and document-level security — remain paid features

    More info on what is available in what subscription can be seen at Elastic subscription matrix