Retaining Logstash Keystore Password Across Upgrades Without Repeated Commands

[Micheal-Madhan]

Hi, my requirement is as follows:

I installed Logstash on my server, and I successfully ran the commands logstash-keystore create and logstash-keystore add ES_PWD to set the keystore password. After this, I backed up the logstash-keystore.keystore file. Then, I upgraded Logstash and removed the logstash-keystore.keystore file from the config path. I replaced it with the old logstash-keystore.keystore file in the config path and started Logstash. However, now I am facing an error in the Logstash log folder that says, "Unable to connect to Elasticsearch" and "Unable to authenticate."

My question is: How can I retain the keystore password while upgrading Logstash without having to run the logstash-keystore create and logstash-keystore add ES_PWD commands every time? Are there any possible approaches to avoid these steps?

Regards,
Michael Mathan S

[darwinSK]

To retain the keystore password while upgrading Logstash without having to run the logstash-keystore create and logstash-keystore add ES_PWD commands every time, you can try the following approaches:

1. Ensure Proper File Permissions: Make sure that the permissions of the logstash-keystore.keystore file are correct after you replace it in the config path. Logstash must be able to read the file. Incorrect permissions might cause issues with authentication.

   • Set the correct owner: chown logstash:logstash /path/to/logstash-keystore.keystore
   • Set appropriate file permissions: chmod 600 /path/to/logstash-keystore.keystore

2. Backup and Restore the Keystore Correctly: When upgrading Logstash, ensure that the backup and restoration of the keystore file are done without corruption. The process should include:

   • Backing up the keystore using cp /path/to/logstash/config/logstash.keystore /path/to/backup/
   • Restoring the keystore to the config path after the upgrade: cp /path/to/backup/logstash.keystore /path/to/logstash/config/

3. Environment Variable Approach: Instead of using the keystore, you can set the Elasticsearch password (ES_PWD) as an environment variable on the server. This way, you won't have to add it to the keystore every time:

   • Add export ES_PWD=your_password to the server's environment variables.
   • Reference this variable in your Logstash configuration as ${ES_PWD}.

4. Automate Keystore Setup: If you are using a deployment pipeline (e.g., Ansible, Chef, Puppet), you can automate the keystore creation and password addition steps. This will ensure that during upgrades, these steps are automatically executed.

5. Upgrade Logstash Using the Same Keystore Format: Ensure that the new version of Logstash supports the format of your old keystore. Sometimes, changes in keystore handling between versions may require additional migration steps. Check the Logstash upgrade documentation to confirm compatibility.

If none of these approaches solve the issue, reviewing the upgrade logs and the Elasticsearch logs might give further insights into why the authentication is failing after the upgrade.