# Enabling authentication for a live cluster

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabling-authentication-for-a-live-cluster/167486>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Tags:** elastic-stack-security\
**Created:** [February 7, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabling-authentication-for-a-live-cluster/167486 "2019-02-07T16:30:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chris\_Blackwell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/chris_blackwell/32/4786_2.png) [@Chris\_Blackwell](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Chris_Blackwell)\
**Post date:** [February 7, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabling-authentication-for-a-live-cluster/167486/1 "2019-02-07T16:30:21Z")

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We have a live cluster with platinum level license, but it's running with no authentication. I'd like to enable xpack security, and take advantage of the user/roles & spaces features of kibana to segment access.

Are there any docs setting out this processes, everything i've seen seems to be concerned with setting up a new cluster.

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**Author:** ![Albert\_Zaharovits](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/albert_zaharovits/32/24390_2.png) [@Albert\_Zaharovits](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Albert_Zaharovits)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 8:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabling-authentication-for-a-live-cluster/167486/2 "2019-02-10T08:41:17Z")

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Hi Chris,

It is not possible to toggle authentication on a live ES cluster. Nodes need to be restarted for the authentication settings to be picked up. Specifically **xpack.security.enabled: true** cannot be configured dynamically because secured nodes cannot communicate with non-secured nodes. If you have **xpack.security.enabled: true** enabled, and you need to configure the authentication realms, then a full cluster restart can be avoided, by changing realm settings on one node at a time and then restarting it.

Let me know if you need more specific details.

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**Author:** ![Chris\_Blackwell](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/chris_blackwell/32/4786_2.png) [@Chris\_Blackwell](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Chris_Blackwell)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabling-authentication-for-a-live-cluster/167486/3 "2019-02-11T12:33:02Z")

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Hi Albert,

I understand that we would need a full cluster restart to apply the setting `xpack.security.enabled: true`. So some downtime for that would be ok.

I guess what i was hoping to get a better understanding of was what pitfalls we might encounter when migrating to an authenticated setup, and whether there was a correct (or best practice) order to approach such a migration.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/enabling-authentication-for-a-live-cluster/167486/4 "2019-03-11T12:33:03Z")

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