containers/bitnami/opensearch/README.md

Bitnami Secure Image for OpenSearch

OpenSearch is a scalable open-source solution for search, analytics, and observability. Features full-text queries, natural language processing, custom dictionaries, amongst others.

Overview of OpenSearch Trademarks: This software listing is packaged by Bitnami. The respective trademarks mentioned in the offering are owned by the respective companies, and use of them does not imply any affiliation or endorsement.

TL;DR

Use this quick command to run the container.

docker run --name opensearch bitnami/opensearch:latest

You can find the available configuration options in the Environment Variables section.

Why use Bitnami Secure Images?

Those are hardened, minimal CVE images built and maintained by Bitnami. Bitnami Secure Images are based on the cloud-optimized, security-hardened enterprise OS Photon Linux. Why choose BSI images?

• Hardened secure images of popular open source software with Near-Zero Vulnerabilities
• Vulnerability Triage & Prioritization with VEX Statements, KEV and EPSS Scores
• Compliance focus with FIPS, STIG, and air-gap options, including secure bill of materials (SBOM)
• Software supply chain provenance attestation through in-toto
• First class support for the internet’s favorite Helm charts

Each image comes with valuable security metadata. You can view the metadata in our public catalog here. Note: Some data is only available with commercial subscriptions to BSI.

If you are looking for our previous generation of images based on Debian Linux, please see the Bitnami Legacy registry.

How to deploy OpenSearch in Kubernetes

Deploying Bitnami applications as Helm Charts is the easiest way to get started with our applications on Kubernetes. Read more about the installation in the Bitnami OpenSearch Chart GitHub repository.

Why use a non-root container?

Non-root container images add an extra layer of security and are generally recommended for production environments. However, because they run as a non-root user, privileged tasks are typically off-limits. Learn more about non-root containers in our docs.

Supported tags and respective Dockerfile links

Learn more about the Bitnami tagging policy and the difference between rolling tags and immutable tags in our documentation page.

Get this image

The recommended way to get the Bitnami OpenSearch Docker Image is to pull the prebuilt image from the Docker Hub Registry.

docker pull bitnami/opensearch:latest

To use a specific version, you can pull a versioned tag. You can view the list of available versions in the Docker Hub Registry.

docker pull bitnami/opensearch:[TAG]

If you wish, you can also build the image yourself by cloning the repository, changing to the directory containing the Dockerfile and executing the docker build command. Remember to replace the APP, VERSION and OPERATING-SYSTEM path placeholders in the example command below with the correct values.

git clone https://github.com/bitnami/containers.git
cd bitnami/APP/VERSION/OPERATING-SYSTEM
docker build -t bitnami/APP:latest .

Using docker-compose.yaml

Please be aware this file has not undergone internal testing. Consequently, we advise its use exclusively for development or testing purposes. For production-ready deployments, we highly recommend utilizing its associated Bitnami Helm chart.

Persisting your application

If you remove the container all your data will be lost, and the next time you run the image the application will be reinitialized. To avoid this loss of data, you should mount a volume that will persist even after the container is removed.

For persistence you should mount a directory at the /bitnami path. If the mounted directory is empty, it will be initialized on the first run.

Note

As this is a non-root container, the mounted files and directories must have the proper permissions for the UID 1001.

It is also possible to use multiple volumes for data persistence by using the OPENSEARCH_DATA_DIR_LIST environment variable:

Connecting to other containers

Using Docker container networking, an OpenSearch server running inside a container can easily be accessed by your application containers.

Containers attached to the same network can communicate with each other using the container name as the host name.

Configuration

The following sections describe environment variables and related settings.

Environment variables

The following tables list the main variables you can set.

Customizable environment variables

Name	Description	Default Value
OPENSEARCH_CERTS_DIR	Path to certificates folder.	${DB_CONF_DIR}/certs
OPENSEARCH_DATA_DIR_LIST	Comma, semi-colon or space separated list of directories to use for data storage	nil
OPENSEARCH_BIND_ADDRESS	Opensearch bind address	nil
OPENSEARCH_ADVERTISED_HOSTNAME	Opensearch advertised hostname, used for publish	nil
OPENSEARCH_CLUSTER_HOSTS	Opensearch cluster hosts	nil
OPENSEARCH_CLUSTER_MASTER_HOSTS	Opensearch cluster master hosts	nil
OPENSEARCH_CLUSTER_NAME	Opensearch cluster name	nil
OPENSEARCH_HEAP_SIZE	Opensearch heap size	1024m
OPENSEARCH_MAX_ALLOWED_MEMORY_PERCENTAGE	Opensearch maximum allowed memory percentage	100
OPENSEARCH_MAX_ALLOWED_MEMORY	Opensearch maximum allowed memory amount (in megabytes)	nil
OPENSEARCH_MAX_TIMEOUT	Opensearch maximum init timeout	60
OPENSEARCH_LOCK_ALL_MEMORY	Sets bootstrap.memory_lock parameter	no
OPENSEARCH_DISABLE_JVM_HEAP_DUMP	Disable JVM Heap dump	no
OPENSEARCH_DISABLE_GC_LOGS	Disable GC logs	no
OPENSEARCH_IS_DEDICATED_NODE	If false, Opensearch will be configured with all the roles, deploy as dedicated node using DB_NODE_ROLES.	no
OPENSEARCH_MINIMUM_MASTER_NODES	Minimum number of master nodes	nil
OPENSEARCH_NODE_NAME	Opensearch node name	nil
OPENSEARCH_FS_SNAPSHOT_REPO_PATH	Opensearch repo path to restore snapshots from system repository	nil
OPENSEARCH_NODE_ROLES	Comma-separated list of Opensearch roles. If empty, will be deployed as a coordinating-only node.	nil
OPENSEARCH_PLUGINS	List of Opensearch plugins to activate	nil
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_PORT_NUMBER	Opensearch node port number	9300
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_PORT_NUMBER	Opensearch port	9200
OPENSEARCH_ACTION_DESTRUCTIVE_REQUIRES_NAME	Enable action destructive requires name	nil
OPENSEARCH_ENABLE_SECURITY	Enable Opensearch security settings.	false
OPENSEARCH_PASSWORD	Password for "admin" user.	bitnami
OPENSEARCH_TLS_VERIFICATION_MODE	Opensearch TLS verification mode in transport layer.	full
OPENSEARCH_TLS_USE_PEM	Configure Security settings using PEM certificates.	false
OPENSEARCH_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch keystore containing the certificates or password-protected PEM key.	nil
OPENSEARCH_TRUSTSTORE_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch truststore.	nil
OPENSEARCH_KEY_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch node PEM key.	nil
OPENSEARCH_KEYSTORE_LOCATION	Path to Keystore	${DB_CERTS_DIR}/opensearch.keystore.jks
OPENSEARCH_TRUSTSTORE_LOCATION	Path to Truststore.	${DB_CERTS_DIR}/opensearch.truststore.jks
OPENSEARCH_NODE_CERT_LOCATION	Path to PEM node certificate.	${DB_CERTS_DIR}/tls.crt
OPENSEARCH_NODE_KEY_LOCATION	Path to PEM node key.	${DB_CERTS_DIR}/tls.key
OPENSEARCH_CA_CERT_LOCATION	Path to CA certificate.	${DB_CERTS_DIR}/ca.crt
OPENSEARCH_SKIP_TRANSPORT_TLS	Skips transport layer TLS configuration. Useful when deploying single-node clusters.	false
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_TLS_USE_PEM	Configure transport layer TLS settings using PEM certificates.	$DB_TLS_USE_PEM
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_TLS_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch transport layer TLS keystore containing the certificates or password-protected PEM key.	$DB_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_TLS_TRUSTSTORE_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch transport layer TLS truststore.	$DB_TRUSTSTORE_PASSWORD
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_TLS_KEY_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch transport layer TLS node PEM key.	$DB_KEY_PASSWORD
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_TLS_KEYSTORE_LOCATION	Path to Keystore for transport layer TLS.	$DB_KEYSTORE_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_TLS_TRUSTSTORE_LOCATION	Path to Truststore for transport layer TLS.	$DB_TRUSTSTORE_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_TLS_NODE_CERT_LOCATION	Path to PEM node certificate for transport layer TLS.	$DB_NODE_CERT_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_TLS_NODE_KEY_LOCATION	Path to PEM node key for transport layer TLS.	$DB_NODE_KEY_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_TRANSPORT_TLS_CA_CERT_LOCATION	Path to CA certificate for transport layer TLS.	$DB_CA_CERT_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_ENABLE_REST_TLS	Enable TLS encryption for REST API communications.	true
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_TLS_USE_PEM	Configure HTTP TLS settings using PEM certificates.	$DB_TLS_USE_PEM
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_TLS_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch HTTP TLS keystore containing the certificates or password-protected PEM key.	$DB_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_TLS_TRUSTSTORE_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch HTTP TLS truststore.	$DB_TRUSTSTORE_PASSWORD
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_TLS_KEY_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch HTTP TLS node PEM key.	$DB_KEY_PASSWORD
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_TLS_KEYSTORE_LOCATION	Path to Keystore for HTTP TLS.	$DB_KEYSTORE_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_TLS_TRUSTSTORE_LOCATION	Path to Truststore for HTTP TLS.	$DB_TRUSTSTORE_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_TLS_NODE_CERT_LOCATION	Path to PEM node certificate for HTTP TLS.	$DB_NODE_CERT_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_TLS_NODE_KEY_LOCATION	Path to PEM node key for HTTP TLS.	$DB_NODE_KEY_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_HTTP_TLS_CA_CERT_LOCATION	Path to CA certificate for HTTP TLS.	$DB_CA_CERT_LOCATION
OPENSEARCH_SECURITY_DIR	Root directory of the Opensearch Security plugin.	${DB_PLUGINS_DIR}/opensearch-security
OPENSEARCH_SECURITY_CONF_DIR	Configuration directory of the Opensearch Security plugin.	${DB_CONF_DIR}/opensearch-security
OPENSEARCH_DASHBOARDS_PASSWORD	Password for the Opensearch-dashboards user.	bitnami
LOGSTASH_PASSWORD	Password for the Logstash user.	bitnami
OPENSEARCH_SET_CGROUP	Configure Opensearch java opts with cgroup hierarchy override, so cgroup statistics are available in the container.	true
OPENSEARCH_SECURITY_BOOTSTRAP	If set to true, this node will be configured with instructions to bootstrap the Opensearch security config.	false
OPENSEARCH_SECURITY_NODES_DN	Comma-separated list including the Opensearch nodes allowed TLS DNs.	nil
OPENSEARCH_SECURITY_ADMIN_DN	Comma-separated list including the Opensearch Admin user allowed TLS DNs.	nil
OPENSEARCH_SECURITY_ADMIN_CERT_LOCATION	Path to the Opensearch Admin PEM certificate.	${DB_CERTS_DIR}/admin.crt
OPENSEARCH_SECURITY_ADMIN_KEY_LOCATION	Path to the Opensearch Admin PEM key.	${DB_CERTS_DIR}/admin.key

Read-only environment variables

Name	Description	Value
DB_FLAVOR	Database flavor. Valid values: elasticsearch or opensearch.	opensearch
OPENSEARCH_VOLUME_DIR	Persistence base directory	/bitnami/opensearch
OPENSEARCH_BASE_DIR	Opensearch installation directory	/opt/bitnami/opensearch
OPENSEARCH_CONF_DIR	Opensearch configuration directory	${DB_BASE_DIR}/config
OPENSEARCH_DEFAULT_CONF_DIR	Opensearch default configuration directory	${DB_BASE_DIR}/config.default
OPENSEARCH_LOGS_DIR	Opensearch logs directory	${DB_BASE_DIR}/logs
OPENSEARCH_PLUGINS_DIR	Opensearch plugins directory	${DB_BASE_DIR}/plugins
OPENSEARCH_DEFAULT_PLUGINS_DIR	Opensearch default plugins directory	${DB_BASE_DIR}/plugins.default
OPENSEARCH_DATA_DIR	Opensearch data directory	${DB_VOLUME_DIR}/data
OPENSEARCH_TMP_DIR	Opensearch temporary directory	${DB_BASE_DIR}/tmp
OPENSEARCH_BIN_DIR	Opensearch executables directory	${DB_BASE_DIR}/bin
OPENSEARCH_MOUNTED_PLUGINS_DIR	Directory where plugins are mounted	${DB_VOLUME_DIR}/plugins
OPENSEARCH_CONF_FILE	Path to Opensearch configuration file	${DB_CONF_DIR}/opensearch.yml
OPENSEARCH_LOG_FILE	Path to the Opensearch log file	${DB_LOGS_DIR}/opensearch.log
OPENSEARCH_PID_FILE	Path to the Opensearch pid file	${DB_TMP_DIR}/opensearch.pid
OPENSEARCH_INITSCRIPTS_DIR	Path to the Opensearch container init scripts directory	/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d
OPENSEARCH_DAEMON_USER	Opensearch system user	opensearch
OPENSEARCH_DAEMON_GROUP	Opensearch system group	opensearch
OPENSEARCH_USERNAME	Username of the Opensearch superuser.	admin

When you start the opensearch image, you can adjust the configuration of the instance by passing one or more environment variables either on the docker-compose file or on the docker run command line.

Setting up a cluster

A cluster can easily be setup with the Bitnami OpenSearch Docker Image using the following environment variables:

• OPENSEARCH_CLUSTER_NAME: The OpenSearch Cluster Name. Default: opensearch-cluster
• OPENSEARCH_CLUSTER_HOSTS: List of OpenSearch hosts to set the cluster. Available separators are ' ', ',' and ';'. No defaults.
• OPENSEARCH_CLIENT_NODE: OpenSearch node to behave as a 'smart router' for Kibana app. Default: false
• OPENSEARCH_NODE_NAME: OpenSearch node name. No defaults.
• OPENSEARCH_MINIMUM_MASTER_NODES: Minimum OpenSearch master nodes for a quorum. No defaults.

For larger cluster, you can setup 'dedicated nodes' using the following environment variables:

• OPENSEARCH_IS_DEDICATED_NODE: OpenSearch node to behave as a 'dedicated node'. Default: no
• OPENSEARCH_NODE_TYPE: OpenSearch node type when behaving as a 'dedicated node'. Valid values: master, data, coordinating or ingest.
• OPENSEARCH_CLUSTER_MASTER_HOSTS: List of OpenSearch master-eligible hosts. Available separators are ' ', ',' and ';'. If no values are provided, it will have the same value as OPENSEARCH_CLUSTER_HOSTS.

Find more information about 'dedicated nodes' in the official documentation.

Configuration file

In order to use a custom configuration file instead of the default one provided out of the box, you can create a file named opensearch.yml and mount it at /opt/bitnami/opensearch/config/opensearch.yml to overwrite the default configuration:

docker run -d --name opensearch \
    -p 9201:9201 \
    -v /path/to/opensearch.yml:/opt/bitnami/opensearch/config/opensearch.yml \
    -v /path/to/opensearch-data-persistence:/bitnami/opensearch/data \
    bitnami/opensearch:latest

or by changing the docker-compose.yml file present in this repository:

opensearch:
  ...
  volumes:
    - /path/to/opensearch.yml:/opt/bitnami/opensearch/config/opensearch.yml
    - /path/to/opensearch-data-persistence:/bitnami/opensearch/data
  ...

Please, note that the whole configuration file will be replaced by the provided, default one; ensure that the syntax and fields you provide are properly set and exhaustive.

If you would rather extend than replace the default configuration with your settings, mount your custom configuration file at /opt/bitnami/opensearch/config/my_opensearch.yml.

Plugins

You can add extra plugins by setting the OPENSEARCH_PLUGINS environment variable. To specify multiple plugins, separate them by spaces, commas or semicolons. When the container is initialized it will install all of the specified plugins before starting OpenSearch.

docker run -d --name opensearch \
    -e OPENSEARCH_PLUGINS=analysis-icu \
    bitnami/opensearch:latest

The Bitnami OpenSearch Docker image will also install plugin .zip files mounted at the /bitnami/opensearch/plugins directory inside the container, making it possible to install them from disk without requiring Internet access.

Adding plugins at build time (persisting plugins)

The Bitnami OpenSearch image provides a way to create your custom image installing plugins on build time. This is the preferred way to persist plugins when using OpenSearch, as they will not be installed every time the container is started but just once at build time.

To create your own image providing plugins execute the following command. Remember to replace the VERSION and OPERATING-SYSTEM path placeholders in the example command below with the correct values.

git clone https://github.com/bitnami/containers.git
cd bitnami/opensearch/VERSION/OPERATING-SYSTEM
docker build --build-arg OPENSEARCH_PLUGINS=<plugin1,plugin2,...> -t bitnami/opensearch:latest .

The command above will build the image providing this GitHub repository as build context, and will pass the list of plugins to install to the build logic.

Initializing a new instance

When the container is executed for the first time, it will execute the files with extension .sh located at /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d.

In order to have your custom files inside the Docker image, you can mount them as a volume.

FIPS configuration in Bitnami Secure Images

The Bitnami OpenSearch Docker image from the Bitnami Secure Images catalog includes extra features and settings to configure the container with FIPS capabilities. You can configure the next environment variables:

• OPENSSL_FIPS: whether OpenSSL runs in FIPS mode or not. yes (default), no.

Logging

The Bitnami OpenSearch Docker image sends the container logs to the stdout. To view the logs:

docker logs opensearch

or using Docker Compose:

docker-compose logs opensearch

You can configure the containers logging driver using the --log-driver option if you wish to consume the container logs differently. In the default configuration docker uses the json-file driver.

Additionally, in case you'd like to modify OpenSearch logging configuration, it can be done by overwriting the file /opt/bitnami/opensearch/config/log4j2.properties. The syntax of this file can be found in OpenSearch logging documentation.

License

Copyright © 2026 Bitnami

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at

http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.