List all indexes on ElasticSearch server?

Learn list all indexes on elasticsearch server? with practical examples, diagrams, and best practices. Covers curl, elasticsearch development techniques with visual explanations.
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How to List All Indexes on an Elasticsearch Server

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Discover various methods to retrieve a comprehensive list of all indexes present on your Elasticsearch cluster, using both command-line tools and the Kibana interface.

Elasticsearch is a powerful search and analytics engine that stores data in structures called indexes. As your data grows and your applications evolve, you'll often need to inspect or manage these indexes. Knowing how to quickly list all available indexes is a fundamental skill for any Elasticsearch administrator or developer. This article will guide you through several common methods to achieve this, from simple curl commands to using the Kibana Dev Tools console.

Understanding Elasticsearch Indexes

Before diving into the commands, it's helpful to understand what an Elasticsearch index represents. An index is a collection of documents that have similar characteristics. For example, you might have an index for 'customer data', another for 'product catalog', and yet another for 'application logs'. Each index is logically independent and can be configured with its own settings, mappings, and analysis. When you query Elasticsearch, you typically specify which index or indexes you want to search.

flowchart TD
    A[Elasticsearch Cluster] --> B(Index 1: 'logs-2023-01')
    A --> C(Index 2: 'users')
    A --> D(Index 3: 'products')
    B --> B1[Documents]
    C --> C1[Documents]
    D --> D1[Documents]
    subgraph Index Structure
        B1 --> B2[Mappings]
        B1 --> B3[Settings]
    end
    subgraph Index Structure
        C1 --> C2[Mappings]
        C1 --> C3[Settings]
    end
    subgraph Index Structure
        D1 --> D2[Mappings]
        D1 --> D3[Settings]
    end

Conceptual diagram of an Elasticsearch cluster with multiple indexes.

Method 1: Using the _cat/indices API with curl

The _cat API provides a human-readable output for various cluster statistics, including indexes. It's one of the most common and straightforward ways to list indexes directly from your terminal. You can use curl to interact with this API. The _cat/indices endpoint gives you a summary of each index, including its health, status, document count, and size.

curl -X GET "localhost:9200/_cat/indices?v&pretty"

Basic curl command to list all indexes with verbose output.

Let's break down the command:

  • curl -X GET: Specifies an HTTP GET request.
  • "localhost:9200": The address and port of your Elasticsearch instance. Replace localhost:9200 with your actual host and port if different.
  • /_cat/indices: The _cat API endpoint for indexes.
  • ?v: Adds verbose output, including column headers.
  • &pretty: Formats the JSON output for better readability (though _cat APIs are already human-readable, this can be useful for other _cat endpoints that return JSON by default).

Method 2: Using Kibana Dev Tools Console

If you have Kibana set up, its Dev Tools console offers a convenient and interactive way to send requests to Elasticsearch. This is often preferred for its user-friendly interface and syntax highlighting.

1. Open Kibana Dev Tools

Navigate to your Kibana instance (usually localhost:5601). In the left-hand navigation menu, find and click on 'Dev Tools'.

2. Execute the _cat/indices command

In the console editor, type the following command and then click the green play button to execute it:

GET _cat/indices?v

Listing indexes in Kibana Dev Tools.

The output will appear in the right-hand panel, showing a table of your indexes similar to the curl output. Kibana Dev Tools automatically handles the pretty formatting and provides a clean interface for interacting with your cluster.

Method 3: Using the _cluster/state API (Advanced)

For a more detailed, programmatic view of your cluster's state, including all indexes and their metadata, you can use the _cluster/state API. This API returns a large JSON object containing extensive information about the cluster, including index settings, mappings, and aliases. While powerful, it's generally overkill if you just need a list of index names.

curl -X GET "localhost:9200/_cluster/state?pretty&filter_path=metadata.indices.*.settings.index.uuid,metadata.indices.*.aliases,metadata.indices.*.mappings"

Using _cluster/state with filter_path to get specific index metadata.

The filter_path parameter is crucial here to reduce the verbosity of the output. Without it, you'd receive a massive JSON response. This method is more suited for programmatic access where you need specific details about each index beyond just its name and basic stats.