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License Expired

Severity: Critical
Elasticsearch Version: 8.5.0

Problem

Elasticsearch features stop functioning after cluster license expiration

Root Cause

License has expired, causing feature restrictions and operational failures

How to Detect

Symptoms

  • Features such as security, machine learning, or index lifecycle management are disabled
  • Cluster health shows license expiration warnings
  • API responses indicate license expiration or license status is invalid

Commands

GET /_license
GET /_cluster/health
GET /_xpack/license

Remediation Steps

  1. Obtain a valid license key from Elastic or your license provider
  2. Update the cluster license using: POST /_license with the new license payload
  3. Verify license status with GET /_license
  4. Restart affected nodes if necessary to apply the new license

Prevention

  • Implement license renewal alerts before expiration
  • Automate license renewal process where possible
  • Regularly monitor license status via API checks

Production Example

curl -XPUT -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"license": "<license_key>"}' "http://localhost:9200/_license"
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