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📘 Elasticsearch + Kibana Setup with Docker Compose (8.x & 9.x)

This guide explains how to run Elasticsearch and Kibana locally using Docker Compose, for both the 8.x and 9.x releases.

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1. Snapshot Naming Convention Example

Example snapshot repository pattern (used in 8.x and 9.x): 
<auto-snap1-{now/m{yyyy.MM.dd-HH.mm|+05:30}}>

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2. Elasticsearch + Kibana (8.x Example: 8.18.4)

version: "3.9"

services:
  elasticsearch:
    image: docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch:8.18.4
    container_name: elasticsearch
    environment:
      - discovery.type=single-node
      - xpack.security.enabled=false
      - ES_JAVA_OPTS=-Xms2g -Xmx2g
    volumes:
      - esdata:/usr/share/elasticsearch/data
    ports:
      - "9200:9200"

  kibana:
    image: docker.elastic.co/kibana/kibana:8.18.4
    container_name: kibana
    environment:
      - ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTS=http://elasticsearch:9200
    depends_on:
      - elasticsearch
    ports:
      - "5601:5601"

volumes:
  esdata:
✅ Notes for 8.x
  • Security (xpack.security.enabled) is disabled for simplicity.
  • Java heap set to 2g.
  • Minimal environment variables (Kibana only needs ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTS).

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3. Elasticsearch + Kibana (9.x Example: 9.1.0)

version: "3.9"

services:
  elasticsearch:
    image: docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch:9.1.0
    container_name: elasticsearch
    ports:
      - "9200:9200"
    mem_limit: 2g
    environment:
      - discovery.type=single-node
      - network.host=0.0.0.0
      - ES_JAVA_OPTS=-Xms1g -Xmx1g
      - xpack.security.enabled=false
    volumes:
      - esdata:/usr/share/elasticsearch/data

  kibana:
    image: docker.elastic.co/kibana/kibana:9.1.0
    container_name: kibana
    ports:
      - "5601:5601"
    depends_on:
      - elasticsearch
    environment:
      - ELASTICSEARCH_HOSTS=http://elasticsearch:9200
      - XPACK_SECURITY_ENABLED=false
      - XPACK_MONITORING_ENABLED=false
      - XPACK_WATCHER_ENABLED=false
      - XPACK_ML_ENABLED=false

volumes:
  esdata:
✅ Notes for 9.x
  • Added network.host=0.0.0.0 for broader connectivity.
  • Memory limit explicitly set (mem_limit: 2g).
  • Java heap adjusted to 1g (default smaller footprint).
  • More explicit Kibana flags disabling X-Pack features like monitoring, watcher, ML.

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4. Run the Stack

docker-compose up -d
Check containers: 
docker ps
Access:

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5. Key Differences (8.x vs 9.x)

Feature8.x (8.18.4)9.x (9.1.0)
Java Heap2g1g
Memory Limit (mem_limit)Not set2g
network.hostNot requiredRequired (0.0.0.0)
X-Pack flags in KibanaMinimalExplicit (security, monitoring, watcher, ML disabled)
CompatibilityStableLatest features, breaking changes possible

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✅ Executive Summary

  • Use 8.x (8.18.4) for stability with fewer config flags.
  • Use 9.x (9.1.0) for latest features, requires more explicit configuration.
  • Both can be run via Docker Compose with minor adjustments in heap size, memory, and network.host.
  • Disable X-Pack security & monitoring for local/dev use.
a snapshot repository + restore example (using that auto-snap1-{now/m{yyyy.MM.dd-HH.mm|+05:30}} pattern)