Help Center/ Cloud Search Service/ User Guide/ Elasticsearch/ Connecting to Clusters/ Cluster Connection Methods
Updated on 2026-04-30 GMT+08:00
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Cluster Connection Methods

To ensure secure and efficient access to deployed Elasticsearch clusters, CSS provides multiple connection options tailored to different roles, programming languages, and network environments. At the application layer, CSS supports open-source RESTful APIs and SDKs for popular languages. It also includes built-in visualization and management tools such as Kibana and Cerebro. By following the instructions in this topic, you can quickly establish connections to your Elasticsearch clusters to access search and analytics capabilities both securely and efficiently.

Selecting the Appropriate Tools and Clients

Select an appropriate connection method based on your role and use scenario.

Table 1 Comparing different cluster connection methods

Purpose

Recommended Tool

When to Use

Advantage

Details

Visualization and management

Kibana

Data exploration, dashboards, cluster monitoring, development and debugging

Official visualization tool, comprehensive features, no coding required

Connecting to a Cluster Through Kibana

Cluster O&M

Cerebro

Cluster monitoring, index management, shard migration

Official visualization tool for cluster monitoring and operations

Connecting to a Cluster Through Cerebro

Application development

Java SDK

Connecting from a Java-based system

High performance; connection pool and high-availability retry supported

Connecting to a Cluster Using the High Level REST Client

Connecting to a Cluster Using the Low Level REST Client

Connecting to a Cluster Through the Transport Client

Connecting to a Cluster Through Spring Boot

Connecting to a Cluster Through the Elasticsearch Java API Client

Python SDK

Connecting from a Python-based system

Connecting to a Cluster Using Python

Go SDK

Connecting from a Go-based system

Connecting to a Cluster Using Go

PHP SDK

Connecting from a PHP-based system

Connecting to a Cluster Using PHP

Data processing

MRS Hive (ES-Hadoop)

Offline big data analytics, exchange of Hive tables and Elasticsearch indexes

Seamless interconnection with the Hadoop ecosystem, suitable for mass data migration

Connecting MRS Hive to a Cluster

Lightweight debugging

cURL

Automated scripts, ad-hoc connectivity testing

Cross-platform access, no client installation

Connecting to a Cluster Using cURL Commands

Obtaining the Cluster Access Address

After a cluster is deployed (for details, see Overview), to connect to it via a client, you must first obtain its access address. Table 2 describes how to obtain the cluster address under different networking modes.

Table 2 Obtaining the cluster access address

Networking Mode

Operation Guide

Configuration Guide

Private network access

Connect to your cluster through the private network address of a directly connected node. This allows for low-cost, high-performance private network access.

To obtain the private network address of one or more nodes in your cluster, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to the CSS management console.
  2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Clusters > Elasticsearch.
  3. In the cluster list, obtain the target cluster's internal network address from the Internal Network Address column. Typical address format: <host>:<port> or <host>:<port>,<host>:<port>. Example: 10.62.179.32:9200,10.62.179.33:9200.

    If the cluster has client nodes, only the IP addresses and ports of all the client nodes are displayed. Otherwise, the IP addresses and ports of all data nodes and cold data nodes are displayed.

Default

Public network access

Enable public network access for a security-mode cluster that uses HTTPS, and configure a whitelist for access control.

To obtain the cluster's public network address, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to the CSS management console.
  2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Clusters > Elasticsearch.
  3. In the cluster list, click the name of the target cluster. The cluster information page is displayed.
  4. Click the Overview tab. In the Network Information area, find and record the IP address used for public network access.

Configuring Public Network Access

Dedicated load balancer

Bind a dedicated load balancer to your cluster for reliable load balancing. This mode supports two-way authentication via a custom certificate.

To obtain the load balancer's private or public IP address, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to the CSS management console.
  2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Clusters > Elasticsearch.
  3. In the cluster list, click the name of the target cluster. The cluster information page is displayed.
  4. Choose Cluster Access > Load Balancing. On the Elasticsearch tab, find and record the private or public IP address of the target load balancer.

Configuring a Dedicated Load Balancer

VPC Endpoint

Configure a VPC endpoint to make your cluster accessible from other VPCs on the private network. There is no need to expose the cluster nodes' IP addresses, hence enhanced security.

To obtain the VPC endpoint IP address or domain name, perform the following steps:

  1. Log in to the CSS management console.
  2. In the navigation pane on the left, choose Clusters > Elasticsearch.
  3. In the cluster list, click the name of the target cluster. The cluster information page is displayed.
  4. Choose Cluster Access > VPC Endpoint. In the VPC endpoint list below, record Service Address or Private Domain Name of the target VPC endpoint.

Configuring VPC Endpoints
Parent topic: Connecting to Clusters