This topic describes how to configure the parameters on the buy page when you purchase an Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch cluster.

Basic parameters

Parameter Description
Billing Method
Elasticsearch provides two billing methods: Subscription and Pay-As-You-Go.
  • Pay-As-You-Go: We recommend that you purchase pay-as-you-go clusters for program development or functional tests.

    You can log on to the Elasticsearch console, move the pointer over the More icon in the Actions column of a pay-as-you-go cluster, and then select Release to manually release the cluster.

  • Subscription: Discounts are offered for subscription clusters based on subscription duration. Refunds are not provided after the date of purchase.

    Manual renewal and auto-renewal are supported. For more information, see Renew a cluster. You cannot release subscription clusters in the Elasticsearch console.

Region For more information, see Regions and zones.
Zone For more information, see Regions and zones.
Number of Zones
  • 1-AZ: This is the default deployment method. It is used to handle non-critical workloads.
  • 2-AZ: This deployment method implements cross-zone disaster recovery. It is used to handle production workloads.
  • 3-AZ: This deployment method provides high availability. It is used to handle production workloads that require high service availability.
Note
  • You can deploy a cluster across three zones only in the China (Hangzhou), China (Beijing), China (Shanghai), or China (Shenzhen) region.
  • When you deploy a cluster across zones, you do not need to specify each zone. The system automatically selects the zones.
  • For more information about the precautions for deploying and using multi-zone Elasticsearch clusters, see Deploy and use a multi-zone Elasticsearch cluster.
Network Type The value of this parameter can be only VPC.
VPC Select a virtual private cloud (VPC) in the current region.
Note If you want to use an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance to access your Elasticsearch cluster over a VPC, make sure that the ECS instance and Elasticsearch cluster reside in the same VPC.
VSwitch After you specify a VPC, all the available vSwitches in the current zone are displayed.
Note If no vSwitch is displayed, you must check whether you select a correct zone or whether vSwitches are created in the selected zone.
Resource Group Select the resource group to which the cluster belongs. For more information, see Use RAM to create and authorize resource groups.
Instance Type The value of this parameter can be only X-Pack Version.
Version Valid values: 7.10, 7.7, 6.8, 6.7, 6.3, 5.6, and 5.5.
Note
  • After May 2021, V7.4 is no longer provided. Existing V7.4 clusters are not affected. We recommend that you purchase V7.10 clusters.
  • We recommend that you select a later version. You may encounter differences in performance optimization and bug fixes among different versions. For more information about these differences, see the release notes for open source Elasticsearch of each version.
Parameters for different types of nodes For more information, see Data node, Kibana node, Warm node, Dedicated master node, and Client node.
Username The username of the account that is used to access the cluster and log on to the Kibana console of the cluster. The default value of this parameter is elastic.
Important If you use the elastic account to access your Elasticsearch cluster and reset the password of the account, it may require some time for the new password to take effect. During this period, you cannot use the elastic account to access the cluster. Therefore, we recommend that you do not use the elastic account to access an Elasticsearch cluster. You can log on to the Kibana console of your Elasticsearch cluster and create a user with the required role to access the cluster. For more information, see Use the RBAC mechanism provided by Elasticsearch X-Pack to implement access control
Password The password of the elastic account. This parameter is required.

Regions and zones

The following table lists the regions and zones where Elasticsearch Standard Edition is available.
Note The following table is for reference only. The regions and zones that are displayed on the buy page prevail.
Country or district Region Zone
China China (Hangzhou) Zone K, Zone I, Zone J, Zone H, Zone G, Zone F, and Zone E
China (Beijing) Zone K, Zone J, Zone I, Zone H, Zone G, Zone F, Zone E, Zone D, and Zone C
China (Shanghai) Zone L, Zone G, Zone F, Zone E, Zone D, and Zone B
China (Shenzhen) Zone F, Zone E, Zone D, Zone C, Zone B, and Zone A
China (Qingdao) Zone B and Zone C
China (Zhangjiakou) Zone B and Zone A
China (Hong Kong) Zone D, Zone C, and Zone B
Asia Pacific Singapore Zone C, Zone B, and Zone A
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) Zone B and Zone A
Japan (Tokyo) Zone B and Zone A
Australia (Sydney) Zone B and Zone A
Indonesia (Jakarta) Zone B and Zone A
Europe & Americas US (Virginia) Zone B and Zone A
US (Silicon Valley) Zone B and Zone A
Germany (Frankfurt) Zone B and Zone A
Middle East & India India (Mumbai) Zone B and Zone A

Data node

Data nodes store index data. You can use data nodes to add, remove, search for, modify, or aggregate documents in indexes. Data nodes have high CPU, memory, and I/O requirements. When you optimize the performance of an Elasticsearch cluster, you must monitor the statuses of the data nodes in the cluster. If the resources of the cluster are insufficient, we recommend that you add data nodes to the cluster.

Parameter Description
Data Node The value of this parameter can be only Yes.
Data Node Type For more information about the specifications of data nodes and the prices for different specifications, see Pricing.
Important
  • Since May 2021, Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch no longer provides data nodes with 1 vCPU and 2 GiB of memory or data nodes with 2 vCPUs and 2 GiB of memory due to inventory issues and the impact on performance stability. Existing data nodes with these specifications are not affected.
  • Data nodes with 1 vCPU and 2 GiB of memory are designed only for testing purposes. Do not use such data nodes for production purposes. The service level agreement (SLA) does not apply to such data nodes. Therefore, we recommend that you upgrade your data nodes with 1 vCPU and 2 GiB of memory at the earliest opportunity.
Data Nodes The number of data nodes that you want to purchase. The default value of this parameter is 3, and the valid values of this parameter are from 2 to 50.
Important
  • You must purchase a minimum of two data nodes. However, a cluster that contains only two data nodes has a greater risk of split-brain. Therefore, exercise caution when you configure this parameter.
  • The number of data nodes that you purchase must be a multiple of the number of zones.
Data Node Disk Type Standard SSD, ESSD, and Ultra Disk are supported.
  • Standard SSD: This is the default value. This type of disk is suitable for online data analytics and searches that require high IOPS and quick responses.
  • ESSD: This type of disk features low latency, fast response, and high data throughput and is suitable for latency-sensitive applications or I/O intensive business scenarios. For more information about the specifications of ESSDs, see Specifications. For more information about the performance of ESSDs, see ESSDs.
  • Ultra Disk: This type of disk is cost-effective and suitable for logging and analyzing large volumes of data.
Performance Level The performance level of the ESSD. This parameter is displayed only if you set the Data Node Disk Type parameter to ESSD.
Data Node Disk Encryption Disk encryption offers the maximum data security without requiring you to make additional changes to your businesses and applications. However, disk encryption may have a small impact on the performance of your Elasticsearch services. Disk encryption is free of charge. No additional fees are generated when you read data from or write data to encrypted disks. For more information about how to implement disk encryption, see Encryption overview.

After the cluster is created, you can check whether disk encryption is enabled for the cluster in the Node Visualization section of the Basic Information page in the console. For more information, see View the cluster status and node information.

Note
  • Only cloud disks can be encrypted.
  • You cannot enable disk encryption for purchased disks.
  • You cannot disable disk encryption for encrypted disks.
  • When you upgrade the configuration of your Elasticsearch cluster, you cannot enable disk encryption for purchased disks. When you purchase cloud disks, you can enable disk encryption.
Data Node Storage Space The storage space of each data node depends on the disk type.
  • Standard SSD: For a V6.7 or V7.X cluster, the maximum value of this parameter is 6144. For a cluster of a version other than V6.7 or V7.X, the maximum value of this parameter is 2048.
  • ESSD: The maximum value of this parameter is 6144.
  • Ultra Disk: For a V6.7 or V7.X cluster, the maximum value of this parameter is 20480. For a cluster of a version other than V6.7 or V7.X, the maximum value of this parameter is 5120.

Kibana node

The value of the Kibana Node parameter can be only Yes. Alibaba Cloud offers you a free Kibana node with one vCPU and 2 GiB of memory. You can also purchase a Kibana node with higher specifications.

Warm node

If your business involves both of the following index types, we recommend that you purchase warm nodes to implement the hot-warm architecture. This architecture improves the computing performance and service stability of your Elasticsearch cluster. For more information, see "Hot-Warm" Architecture in Elasticsearch 5.x.
  • Frequently queried or written indexes
  • Infrequently queried or written indexes, typically indexes of records
Parameter Description
Warm Node
The default value of this parameter is No. On the buy page or configuration upgrade page, click Yes on the right side of Warm Node to purchase warm nodes. You can also upgrade purchased warm nodes on the configuration upgrade page. Your cluster is then charged based on the new specifications. For more information about the prices for the specifications, see Pricing.
Note You cannot release the warm nodes that you have purchased.
Warm Nodes The number of warm nodes that you want to purchase. The default value and valid values of this parameter vary based on the value of the Number of Zones parameter.
  • If you set the Number of Zones parameter to 1-AZ, the default value of this parameter is 2, and the valid values of this parameter are from 2 to 25.
  • If you set the Number of Zones parameter to 2-AZ, the default value of this parameter is 4, and the valid values of this parameter are from 4 to 24.
  • If you set the Number of Zones parameter to 3-AZ, the default value of this parameter is 6, and the valid values of this parameter are from 6 to 48.
Note The number of warm nodes that you purchase must be a multiple of the number of zones.
Warm Node Type The specifications of warm nodes on the buy page prevail.
Warm Node Disk Type The value of this parameter can be only Ultra Disk.
Warm Node Disk Encryption Disk encryption offers the maximum data security without requiring you to make additional changes to your businesses and applications. However, disk encryption may have a small impact on the performance of your Elasticsearch services. Disk encryption is free of charge. No additional fees are generated when you read data from or write data to encrypted disks.

After the cluster is created, you can check whether disk encryption is enabled for the cluster in the Node Visualization section of the Basic Information page in the console. For more information, see View the cluster status and node information.

Note
  • Only cloud disks can be encrypted.
  • You cannot enable disk encryption for purchased disks.
  • You cannot disable disk encryption for encrypted disks.
  • When you upgrade the configuration of your Elasticsearch cluster, you cannot enable disk encryption for purchased disks. When you purchase cloud disks, you can enable disk encryption.
Warm Node Storage Space The storage space of each warm node. The minimum value of this parameter is 500. Unit: GiB. You can configure this parameter based on your business requirements.
After you purchase data nodes and warm nodes, the system adds -Enode.attr.box_type to the startup parameters of the nodes.
Node type Startup parameter
Data node -Enode.attr.box_type=hot
Warm node -Enode.attr.box_type=warm

Dedicated master node

You can use dedicated master nodes to perform operations on clusters. You can create or delete indexes, track nodes, and allocate shards. The stability of dedicated master nodes is important to the health of clusters. By default, each node in a cluster may be used as a dedicated master node. Operations, such as data indexing, searches, and queries, require a large number of CPU, memory, and I/O resources. To ensure the stability of a cluster, we recommend that you purchase dedicated master nodes to separate the dedicated master nodes from data nodes.

Parameter Description
Dedicated Master Node For a single-zone Elasticsearch cluster, the default value of this parameter is No, and you can change the value. For a multi-zone Elasticsearch cluster, the default value of this parameter is Yes, and you cannot change the value.

When you purchase a single-zone cluster, you can set the Dedicated Master Node parameter to Yes and purchase dedicated master nodes. You can also purchase dedicated master nodes or upgrade purchased dedicated master nodes when you upgrade the configuration of your Elasticsearch cluster. Your cluster is then charged based on the new specifications. For more information about the prices for different specifications, see Pricing.

Note
  • To improve the stability of your services, we recommend that you purchase dedicated master nodes.
  • You cannot release the dedicated master nodes that you have purchased.
Dedicated Master Node Type The default value of this parameter is 2C 8GB, which is the minimum specifications for a dedicated master node. You can configure this parameter based on your requirements.
Dedicated Master Nodes The value of this parameter can be only 3.
Dedicated Master Node Disk Type Standard SSD and ESSD are supported. The default value of this parameter is Standard SSD. For more information about disks, see Data node.
Dedicated Master Node Storage Space The value of this parameter can be only 20G.
Important If the dedicated master nodes in your cluster are free of charge, you are charged for these nodes after you upgrade the configuration of the cluster.

Client node

You can purchase client nodes to share the CPU overheads of data nodes. This improves the computing performance and service stability of your Elasticsearch cluster. For CPU-intensive services, we recommend that you purchase client nodes, such as for services that require a large number of aggregate queries. For more information about client nodes, see Elasticsearch Node.

Parameter Description
Client Node The default value of this parameter is No. You can configure this parameter based on your business requirements.

You can set the Client Node parameter to Yes and purchase client nodes when you purchase an Elasticsearch cluster. You can also purchase client nodes or upgrade purchased client nodes when you upgrade the configuration of your Elasticsearch cluster. Your cluster is then charged based on the new specifications. For more information about the prices for different specifications, see Pricing.

Note You cannot release the client nodes that you have purchased.
Client Node Type The default value of this parameter is 2C 8GB. You can configure this parameter based on your business requirements.
Client Nodes The default value and valid values of this parameter vary based on the value of the Number of Zones parameter.
  • If you set the Number of Zones parameter to 1-AZ, the default value of this parameter is 2, and the valid values of this parameter are from 2 to 25.
  • If you set the Number of Zones parameter to 2-AZ, the default value of this parameter is 4, and the valid values of this parameter are from 4 to 24.
  • If you set the Number of Zones parameter to 3-AZ, the default value of this parameter is 6, and the valid values of this parameter are from 6 to 24.
Note The number of client nodes that you purchase must be a multiple of the number of zones.
Client Node Disk Type The value of this parameter can be only Ultra Disk.
Client Node Storage Space The value of this parameter can be only 20G.

Purchase plan

Parameter Description
Duration This parameter is available only for subscription clusters. The default value of this parameter is 1 Month. Valid values: 1 Month, 2 Months, 3 Months, 4 Months, 5 Months, 6 Months, 7 Months, 8 Months, 9 Months, 1 Year, 2 Years, and 3 Years.
Auto-renewal This parameter is available only for subscription clusters. This parameter specifies the auto-renewal feature, which is disabled by default.
  • You can select Auto Renew on the buy page to enable this feature.
  • For purchased subscription Elasticsearch clusters, you can enable this feature in the Billing Management console. For more information, see Enable auto-renewal for a cluster.
    Note
    • Monthly subscription: The auto-renewal period is one month.
    • Yearly subscription: The auto-renewal cycle is one year.

Node types

The following table lists the node types supported by Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch and the disk types supported by each type of node.
Node type Description Supported disk type
Data node If dedicated master nodes are purchased, data nodes are used only as data nodes. If no dedicated master nodes are purchased, data nodes are also used as dedicated master nodes. Standard SSD, ESSD, and ultra disk
Warm node If no dedicated master nodes are purchased, warm nodes are used as both warm nodes and dedicated master nodes. If dedicated master nodes are purchased, warm nodes are used only as warm nodes. Ultra disk
Dedicated master node Dedicated master nodes are used only as dedicated master nodes. Standard SSD and ESSD
Client node Client nodes are used only as client nodes. Ultra disk