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    Elasticsearch:Create an Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch cluster

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    Elasticsearch:Create an Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch cluster

    Last Updated:Jul 10, 2026

    Create an Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch (ES) cluster in the console to power complex query engines and search-and-analysis workloads on massive datasets.

    Billing

    For pricing and billable items, see billing rules.

    Procedure

    Note

    This procedure uses the Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch console. To create a cluster by API, call createInstance.

    1. Log on to the Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch console.

    2. In the left navigation menu, choose Elasticsearch Clusters.

    3. On the Elasticsearch Clusters page, click Create in the upper-left corner.

      Parameter

      Description

      Product Type

      • Subscription: Lower rate than pay-as-you-go. Cost-effective for long-term use.

      • Pay-as-you-go: Billed hourly. Release anytime to stop charges. Suited for development, testing, or evaluation.

      Regions and Zones

      Select a region. The region cannot be changed after creation.

      • Choose a region close to your users to reduce latency.

      • To communicate with other Alibaba Cloud services over an internal network, deploy them in the same region.

      Number of zones

      • 1-AZ: Standard deployment for non-critical workloads.

      • 2-AZ: Cross-zone disaster recovery for production workloads.

      • 3-AZ (default): High-availability deployment for critical production workloads.

        Note

        Zone selection is automatic. Deploy and use a multi-zone cluster.

      Network Type

      Only Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is supported.

      VPC

      Select a VPC in the selected region:

      • To communicate with other Alibaba Cloud services over the internal network, use the same VPC.

      • If no suitable VPC exists, Create a VPC and a vSwitch first.

      Virtual Switch

      Only vSwitches in the same zone and VPC are listed.
      If no suitable vSwitch exists, Create a VPC and a vSwitch first.

      Cluster Type

      • Vector Enhanced Edition: 5x vector query performance and 75% memory savings through data quantization. Built-in AI model service for AI-powered search applications.

      • Kernel-enhanced Edition: Deeply optimized AliES kernel based on the open-source version, with 10+ enhanced features.

      • Standard Edition: 100% compatible with open-source Elasticsearch. Includes all advanced X-Pack features at no extra cost.

      Features by version | Kernel-enhanced Edition feature overview.

      Elasticsearch Version

      • Vector Enhanced Edition: Supports versions 8.17 and 8.15.

      • Kernel-enhanced Edition: Supports version 7.17.3.

      • Standard Edition: Supports versions 9.3.2, 8.13.4, 8.9.1, 8.5.1, 7.7.1, 7.4.0, 6.8.23, 6.3.2, 5.6.16, and 5.5.3.

      Compare editions in Version features comparison and Release Note.

      Note

      Supported regions and zones vary by cluster version. The purchase page shows available options.

      Node configuration

      Click each node section to configure nodes.

      Resource Group

      Organize and manage ES clusters by resource group. Resource groups and authorization.

      Cluster Name

      Optional. Auto-generated if left empty. Editable later on the basic information page.

      Username

      The default username elastic cannot be changed. Use this superuser account to access the ES cluster and Kibana console.

      Important

      Changing the elastic password takes effect immediately and disconnects all existing connections using this account. Hard-coded passwords in applications will cause service interruptions.

      Do not use elastic in production applications. Instead, create scoped roles and users on the Kibana console. Manage user permissions with X-Pack roles.

      Password

      Required. The password for the elastic account.

      Subscription Duration

      Available only for subscription billing.
      Enable Auto-renewal to prevent service interruptions from expiration.

      • For monthly subscriptions, the auto-renewal cycle is one month.

      • For yearly subscriptions, the auto-renewal cycle is one year.

    1. Click Buy Now. On the Confirm Order page, verify the instance configuration and then click Activate.

      Note

      In pay-as-you-go mode, the button text is Create Now.

    2. Return to the Elasticsearch Clusters page. In the top menu bar, select the region where you created the cluster to view it.

      Initialization time varies by cluster specifications, data structure, and data size. Monitor the Status column for progress.

    Next steps

    FAQ