Elasticsearch 8.1.0 on Windows VM running in Azure not showing or creating Indices

I have just set up Elasticsearch 8.1.0 on a Windows Server 2022 VM running inside Azure, but the indexing is not working. I am unable to create new indices or view the default indices.

A get request to localhost:9200/_cat/indices?v returns a blank response with no indices.

I will like to know if there is something I am missing or not doing right.

Here is my Elasticsearch.yml config.

# ======================== Elasticsearch Configuration =========================
#
# NOTE: Elasticsearch comes with reasonable defaults for most settings.
#       Before you set out to tweak and tune the configuration, make sure you
#       understand what are you trying to accomplish and the consequences.
#
# The primary way of configuring a node is via this file. This template lists
# the most important settings you may want to configure for a production cluster.
#
# Please consult the documentation for further information on configuration options:
# https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/index.html
#
# ---------------------------------- Cluster -----------------------------------
#
# Use a descriptive name for your cluster:
#
cluster.name: myelastic
#
# ------------------------------------ Node ------------------------------------
#
# Use a descriptive name for the node:
#
#node.name: node-1
#
# Add custom attributes to the node:
#
#node.attr.rack: r1

#
# ----------------------------------- Paths ------------------------------------
#
# Path to directory where to store the data (separate multiple locations by comma):
#

path.data: C:\ProgramData\Elastic\Elasticsearch\data

#
# Path to log files:
#

path.logs: C:\ProgramData\Elastic\Elasticsearch\logs

#
# ----------------------------------- Memory -----------------------------------
#
# Lock the memory on startup:
#

bootstrap.memory_lock: false

#
# Make sure that the heap size is set to about half the memory available
# on the system and that the owner of the process is allowed to use this
# limit.
#
# Elasticsearch performs poorly when the system is swapping the memory.
#
# ---------------------------------- Network -----------------------------------
#
# By default Elasticsearch is only accessible on localhost. Set a different
# address here to expose this node on the network:
#
#network.host: localhost
#
# By default Elasticsearch listens for HTTP traffic on the first free port it
# finds starting at 9200. Set a specific HTTP port here:
#

http.port: 9200
transport.port: 9300

#
# For more information, consult the network module documentation.
#
# --------------------------------- Discovery ----------------------------------
#
# Pass an initial list of hosts to perform discovery when this node is started:
# The default list of hosts is ["127.0.0.1", "[::1]"]
#
#discovery.seed_hosts: ["host1", "host2"]
#
# Bootstrap the cluster using an initial set of master-eligible nodes:
#

cluster.initial_master_nodes: ["cs-w22"]

#
# For more information, consult the discovery and cluster formation module documentation.
#
# ---------------------------------- Various -----------------------------------
#
# Allow wildcard deletion of indices:
#
#action.destructive_requires_name: false

action.auto_create_index: .monitoring*,.watches,.triggered_watches,.watcher-history*,.ml*


#----------------------- BEGIN SECURITY AUTO-CONFIGURATION -----------------------
#
# The following settings, TLS certificates, and keys have been automatically      
# generated to configure Elasticsearch security features on 08-03-2022 07:32:28
#
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http.host: [_local_, _site_]

# Enable security features
xpack.license.self_generated.type: basic
xpack.security.enabled: false


You need to check the Elasticsearch logs.

Check the logs and share them here.

Here is the log:

Posting it here is a bit limiting, so I created a gist on github.

Elasticsearch log (github.com)

Hi @ddynamight

If you are getting

curl http://localhost:9200/_cat/indices?v
curl: (52) Empty reply from server

That is probably because 8.1 runs https so you should trying

curl -u elastic:password -k https://localhost:9200/_cat/indices?v

Hi @stephenb,

Even that didn't work. In cases when I do

http://localhost:9200/_cat/command

They all return a value. Only the indices show blank.

@ddynamight can you show the results please?

BTW

http://localhost:9200/_cat/command is not a valid command

If this is 8.1 did you configure the default security? if so http will not work