Can not run elasticsearch as root for elasticsearch 7.6.0 in linux

Hello,
Could someone please help me how to fix this issue . Here I have installed Elasticsearch as a user and not as root in my Linux OS. I can execute the command line call without any issue.
But I wanted to run it as a service, hence created a Linux service to call the ./bin/elasticsearch file. And when I do that getting this error - "can not run elasticsearch as root". whenever I start my Linux service. In order for the user to start the service, had to add the user to the sudoers file to have privilege to start/stop/enable/status the service.

Read through multiple article that this is the elasticsearch setting of not allowing root to run this. Here for installation - I downloaded the file from - Install Elasticsearch from archive on Linux or MacOS. Moved the files to the server and unzipped the files in there . Also I dont have root access here in the server where I'm installing elasticsearch. All the files in the folder are under the user and when I had to create a service, added this user into the sudoers file by the server admins.

Error:

[2020-02-25T12:59:50,486][ERROR][o.e.b.ElasticsearchUncaughtExceptionHandler] [node-1] uncaught exception in thread [main] org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.StartupException: java.lang.RuntimeException: can not run elasticsearch as root

Log messages:

[2020-02-25T13:34:37,532][ERROR][o.e.b.Bootstrap ] [node-1] Exception
java.lang.RuntimeException: can not run elasticsearch as root
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.initializeNatives(Bootstrap.java:105) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.setup(Bootstrap.java:172) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.init(Bootstrap.java:349) [elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.init(Elasticsearch.java:170) [elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.execute(Elasticsearch.java:161) [elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.cli.EnvironmentAwareCommand.execute(EnvironmentAwareCommand.java:86) [elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.cli.Command.mainWithoutErrorHandling(Command.java:125) [elasticsearch-cli-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.cli.Command.main(Command.java:90) [elasticsearch-cli-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.main(Elasticsearch.java:126) [elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.main(Elasticsearch.java:92) [elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
[2020-02-25T13:34:37,549][ERROR][o.e.b.ElasticsearchUncaughtExceptionHandler] [node-1] uncaught exception in thread [main]
org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.StartupException: java.lang.RuntimeException: can not run elasticsearch as root
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.init(Elasticsearch.java:174) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.execute(Elasticsearch.java:161) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.cli.EnvironmentAwareCommand.execute(EnvironmentAwareCommand.java:86) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.cli.Command.mainWithoutErrorHandling(Command.java:125) ~[elasticsearch-cli-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.cli.Command.main(Command.java:90) ~[elasticsearch-cli-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.main(Elasticsearch.java:126) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.main(Elasticsearch.java:92) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: can not run elasticsearch as root
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.initializeNatives(Bootstrap.java:105) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.setup(Bootstrap.java:172) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.init(Bootstrap.java:349) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.init(Elasticsearch.java:170) ~[elasticsearch-7.6.0.jar:7.6.0]
... 6 more

Thanks,
Rohith

1 Like

I am also having same issue

Why not use the DEB or RPM, it includes all the service files and users it needs.

Thank you for the update. Since that I had already installed Elasticsearch, would i need to remove everything before I proceed with the DEB or RPM?

Ideally, yeah.

This topic was automatically closed 28 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.