ERROR: Elasticsearch exited unexpectedly, with exit code 137

I have been using this guide to setup an ELK.

Current version of Ubuntu: 20.04
Elasticsearch version: 8.1
Hiding my IP address but when I start up Logstash after finishing configuring Logstash configuration, Elasticsearch will appear with this error.

When I run the command to check for Elasticsearch status,

systemd[1]: Starting Elasticsearch..
systemd-entrypoint[2847]: ERROR: Elasticsearch exited unexpectedly, with exit code 137
systemd[1]: elasticsearch.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=137/n/a
systemd[1]: elasticsearch.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.

Elastic-demo.log

[INFO ][o.e.x.i.a.TransportPutLifecycleAction] [demo-node] adding index lifecycle policy [synthetics-synthetics.>
[INFO ][o.e.x.i.a.TransportPutLifecycleAction] [demo-node] adding index lifecycle policy [synthetics-synthetics.>
[INFO ][o.e.x.i.a.TransportPutLifecycleAction] [demo-node] adding index lifecycle policy [synthetics-synthetics.>
[INFO ][o.e.x.i.a.TransportPutLifecycleAction] [demo-node] adding index lifecycle policy [synthetics-synthetics.>
[INFO ][o.e.x.i.a.TransportPutLifecycleAction] [demo-node] adding index lifecycle policy [synthetics-synthetics.>
[INFO ][o.e.x.i.a.TransportPutLifecycleAction] [demo-node] adding index lifecycle policy [synthetics-synthetics.>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding component template [synthetics-http@package]
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding component template [synthetics-icmp@package]
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding component template [synthetics-tcp@package]
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding component template [synthetics-browser@package]
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding component template [synthetics-browser.screensh>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding component template [synthetics-browser.network@>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding index template [synthetics-http] for index patt>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding index template [synthetics-icmp] for index patt>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding index template [synthetics-tcp] for index patte>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding index template [synthetics-browser] for index p>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding index template [synthetics-browser.screenshot] >
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataIndexTemplateService] [demo-node] adding index template [synthetics-browser.network] for>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataCreateIndexService] [demo-node] [.ds-ilm-history-7-2024.06.07-000001] creating index, ca>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataCreateDataStreamService] [demo-node] adding data stream [ilm-history-7] with write index>
[INFO ][o.e.c.r.a.AllocationService] [demo-node] current.health="GREEN" message="Cluster health status changed f>
[INFO ][o.e.x.s.s.SecurityIndexManager] [demo-node] security index does not exist, creating [.security-profile-8>
[INFO ][o.e.c.m.MetadataCreateIndexService] [demo-node] [.security-profile-8] creating index, cause [api], templ>
[INFO ][o.e.c.r.a.AllocationService] [demo-node] current.health="GREEN" message="Cluster health status changed f>
[INFO ][o.e.x.s.a.r.TransportPutRoleAction] [demo-node] added role [logstash_writer]
[INFO ][o.e.x.s.a.u.TransportPutUserAction] [demo-node] added user [logstash_internal]

Elasticsearch.yml file

# ======================== 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: elastic-demo
#
# ------------------------------------ Node ------------------------------------
#
# Use a descriptive name for the node:
#
node.name: demo-node
#
# 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: /var/lib/elasticsearch
#
# Path to log files:
#
path.logs: /var/log/elasticsearch
#
# ----------------------------------- Memory -----------------------------------
#
# Lock the memory on startup:
#
#bootstrap.memory_lock: true
#
# 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: 0.0.0.0
#
# 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
#
# 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: ["node-1", "node-2"]
#
# For more information, consult the discovery and cluster formation module documentation.
#
# ---------------------------------- Various -----------------------------------
#
# Allow wildcard deletion of indices:
#
#action.destructive_requires_name: false

#----------------------- BEGIN SECURITY AUTO CONFIGURATION -----------------------
#
# The following settings, TLS certificates, and keys have been automatically      
# generated to configure Elasticsearch security features on
#
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Enable security features
xpack.security.enabled: true

xpack.security.enrollment.enabled: true

# Enable encryption for HTTP API client connections, such as Kibana, Logstash, and Agents
xpack.security.http.ssl:
  enabled: true
  keystore.path: certs/http.p12

# Enable encryption and mutual authentication between cluster nodes
xpack.security.transport.ssl:
  enabled: true
  verification_mode: certificate
  keystore.path: certs/transport.p12
  truststore.path: certs/transport.p12
# Create a new cluster with the current node only
# Additional nodes can still join the cluster later
cluster.initial_master_nodes: ["demo-node"]

# Allow HTTP API connections from anywhere
# Connections are encrypted and require user authentication
http.host: 0.0.0.0

# Allow other nodes to join the cluster from anywhere
# Connections are encrypted and mutually authenticated
#transport.host: 0.0.0.0

#----------------------- END SECURITY AUTO CONFIGURATION -------------------------

When I run the command to check for Kibana status

[ERROR][plugins.security.authentication] License is not available, authentication is not possible.
[WARN ][plugins.licensing] License information could not be obtained from Elasticsearch due to ConnectionError: connect ECON>
[WARN ][plugins.licensing] License information could not be obtained from Elasticsearch due to ConnectionError: connect ECON>
[WARN ][plugins.licensing] License information could not be obtained from Elasticsearch due to ConnectionError: connect ECON>
[WARN ][plugins.licensing] License information could not be obtained from Elasticsearch due to ConnectionError: connect ECON>
[WARN ][plugins.licensing] License information could not be obtained from Elasticsearch due to ConnectionError: connect ECON>
[WARN ][plugins.licensing] License information could not be obtained from Elasticsearch due to ConnectionError: connect ECON>
[WARN ][plugins.licensing] License information could not be obtained from Elasticsearch due to ConnectionError: connect ECON>
~

Kibana.yml file

### >>>>>>> BACKUP START: Kibana interactive setup 
### >>>>>>> BACKUP START: Kibana interactive setup

# For more configuration options see the configuration guide for Kibana in
# https://www.elastic.co/guide/index.html

# =================== System: Kibana Server ===================
# Kibana is served by a back end server. This setting specifies the port to use.
server.port: 5601

# Specifies the address to which the Kibana server will bind. IP addresses and host names are both valid values.
# The default is 'localhost', which usually means remote machines will not be able to connect.
# To allow connections from remote users, set this parameter to a non-loopback address.
server.host: 0.0.0.0

# Enables you to specify a path to mount Kibana at if you are running behind a proxy.
# Use the `server.rewriteBasePath` setting to tell Kibana if it should remove the basePath
# from requests it receives, and to prevent a deprecation warning at startup.
# This setting cannot end in a slash.
#server.basePath: ""

# Specifies whether Kibana should rewrite requests that are prefixed with
# `server.basePath` or require that they are rewritten by your reverse proxy.
# Defaults to `false`.
#server.rewriteBasePath: false

# Specifies the public URL at which Kibana is available for end users. If
# `server.basePath` is configured this URL should end with the same basePath.
#server.publicBaseUrl: ""

# The maximum payload size in bytes for incoming server requests.
#server.maxPayload: 1048576

# The Kibana server's name. This is used for display purposes.
server.name: demo-server

# =================== System: Kibana Server (Optional) ===================
# Enables SSL and paths to the PEM-format SSL certificate and SSL key files, respectively.
# These settings enable SSL for outgoing requests from the Kibana server to the browser.
#server.ssl.enabled: false
#server.ssl.certificate: /path/to/your/server.crt
#server.ssl.key: /path/to/your/server.key

# =================== System: Elasticsearch ===================
# The URLs of the Elasticsearch instances to use for all your queries.
#elasticsearch.hosts: ["http://localhost:9200"]

# If your Elasticsearch is protected with basic authentication, these settings provide
# the username and password that the Kibana server uses to perform maintenance on the Kibana
# index at startup. Your Kibana users still need to authenticate with Elasticsearch, which
# is proxied through the Kibana server.
#elasticsearch.username: "kibana_system"
#elasticsearch.password: "pass"

# Kibana can also authenticate to Elasticsearch via "service account tokens".
# Service account tokens are Bearer style tokens that replace the traditional username/password based configuration.
# Use this token instead of a username/password.
# elasticsearch.serviceAccountToken: "my_token"

# Time in milliseconds to wait for Elasticsearch to respond to pings. Defaults to the value of
# the elasticsearch.requestTimeout setting.
#elasticsearch.pingTimeout: 1500

# Time in milliseconds to wait for responses from the back end or Elasticsearch. This value
# must be a positive integer.
#elasticsearch.requestTimeout: 30000

# The maximum number of sockets that can be used for communications with elasticsearch.
# Defaults to `Infinity`.
#elasticsearch.maxSockets: 1024

# Specifies whether Kibana should use compression for communications with elasticsearch
# Defaults to `false`.
#elasticsearch.compression: false

# List of Kibana client-side headers to send to Elasticsearch. To send *no* client-side
# headers, set this value to [] (an empty list).
#elasticsearch.requestHeadersWhitelist: [ authorization ]

# Header names and values that are sent to Elasticsearch. Any custom headers cannot be overwritten
# by client-side headers, regardless of the elasticsearch.requestHeadersWhitelist configuration.
#elasticsearch.customHeaders: {}

# Time in milliseconds for Elasticsearch to wait for responses from shards. Set to 0 to disable.
#elasticsearch.shardTimeout: 30000

# =================== System: Elasticsearch (Optional) ===================
# These files are used to verify the identity of Kibana to Elasticsearch and are required when
# xpack.security.http.ssl.client_authentication in Elasticsearch is set to required.
#elasticsearch.ssl.certificate: /path/to/your/client.crt
#elasticsearch.ssl.key: /path/to/your/client.key

# Enables you to specify a path to the PEM file for the certificate
# authority for your Elasticsearch instance.
#elasticsearch.ssl.certificateAuthorities: [ "/path/to/your/CA.pem" ]

# To disregard the validity of SSL certificates, change this setting's value to 'none'.
#elasticsearch.ssl.verificationMode: full

# =================== System: Logging ===================
# Set the value of this setting to off to suppress all logging output, or to debug to log everything. Defaults to 'info'
logging.root.level: info

# Enables you to specify a file where Kibana stores log output.
logging:
  appenders:
    file:
      type: file
      fileName: /var/log/kibana/kibana.log
      layout:
        type: json
  root:
    appenders:
      - default
      - file

#  policy:
#    type: size-limit
#    size: 256mb
#  strategy:
#    type: numeric
#    max: 10
#  layout:
#    type: json

# Logs queries sent to Elasticsearch.
#logging.loggers:
#  - name: elasticsearch.query
#    level: debug

# Logs http responses.
#logging.loggers:
#  - name: http.server.response
#    level: debug

# Logs system usage information.
#logging.loggers:
#  - name: metrics.ops
#    level: debug

# Enables debug logging on the browser (dev console)
#logging.browser.root:
#  level: debug

# =================== System: Other ===================
# The path where Kibana stores persistent data not saved in Elasticsearch. Defaults to data
#path.data: data

# Specifies the path where Kibana creates the process ID file.
pid.file: /run/kibana/kibana.pid

# Set the interval in milliseconds to sample system and process performance
# metrics. Minimum is 100ms. Defaults to 5000ms.
#ops.interval: 5000

# Specifies locale to be used for all localizable strings, dates and number formats.
# Supported languages are the following: English (default) "en", Chinese "zh-CN", Japanese "ja-JP", French "fr-FR".
#i18n.locale: "en"

# =================== Frequently used (Optional)===================

# =================== Saved Objects: Migrations ===================
# Saved object migrations run at startup. If you run into migration-related issues, you might need to adjust these settings.

# The number of documents migrated at a time.
# If Kibana can't start up or upgrade due to an Elasticsearch `circuit_breaking_exception`,
# use a smaller batchSize value to reduce the memory pressure. Defaults to 1000 objects per batch.
#migrations.batchSize: 1000

# The maximum payload size for indexing batches of upgraded saved objects.
# To avoid migrations failing due to a 413 Request Entity Too Large response from Elasticsearch.
# This value should be lower than or equal to your Elasticsearch cluster’s `http.max_content_length`
# configuration option. Default: 100mb
#migrations.maxBatchSizeBytes: 100mb

# The number of times to retry temporary migration failures. Increase the setting
# if migrations fail frequently with a message such as `Unable to complete the [...] step after
# 15 attempts, terminating`. Defaults to 15
#migrations.retryAttempts: 15

# =================== Search Autocomplete ===================
# Time in milliseconds to wait for autocomplete suggestions from Elasticsearch.
# This value must be a whole number greater than zero. Defaults to 1000ms
#unifiedSearch.autocomplete.valueSuggestions.timeout: 1000

# Maximum number of documents loaded by each shard to generate autocomplete suggestions.
# This value must be a whole number greater than zero. Defaults to 100_000
#unifiedSearch.autocomplete.valueSuggestions.terminateAfter: 100000

# This section was automatically generated during setup.
elasticsearch.hosts: ['https://x.x.x.x:9200']
elasticsearch.serviceAccountToken: xxxxxxx
elasticsearch.ssl.certificateAuthorities: [/var/lib/kibana/xxxxxx.crt]
xpack.fleet.outputs: [{id: fleet-default-output, name: default, is_default: true, is_default_monitoring: true, type: elasticsearch, hosts>
xpack.encryptedSavedObjects.encryptionKey: xxxxxx
xpack.reporting.encryptionKey: xxxxxxx
xpack.security.encryptionKey: xxxxxx

When I run the command to check for Logstash status

[INFO ][logstash.outputs.elasticsearch][main] Failed to perform request {:message=>"Connect to x.x.x.x:9200 [/x.x.x.x] failed: Connection refused", :exception=>Manticore:: SocketException, :cause=>#<Java::OrgApacheHttpConn::HttpHostConnectException: HttpHostConnectException: Connect to x.x.x.x:9200 [/x.x.x.x] failed: Connection refused>}
[WARN ][logstash.outputs.elasticsearch][main] Attempted to resurrect connection to dead ES instance, but got an error {:url=>"https://logstash_internal:xxxxxx@x.x.x.x:9200/", :exception=>LogStash::Outputs::ElasticSearch::HttpClient::Pool::HostUnreachableError, :message=>"Elasticsearch Unreachable: [https://x.x.x.x:9200/][Manticore::SocketException] Connect to x.x.x.x:9200 [/x.x.x.x] failed: Connection refused"}
~

Logstash-plain.log

[INFO ][logstash.outputs.elasticsearch][main] Failed to perform request {:message=>"Connect to x.x.x.x:9200 [/x.x.x.x] failed: Connection refused", :exception=>Manticore::SocketException, :cause=>#<Java::OrgApacheHttpConn::HttpHostConnectException: Connect to x.x.x.x:9200 [/x.x.x.x] failed: Connection refused>}
[WARN ][logstash.outputs.elasticsearch][main] Attempted to resurrect connection to dead ES instance, but got an error {:url=>"https://logstash_internal:xxxxxx@x.x.x.x:9200/", :exception=>LogStash::Outputs::ElasticSearch::HttpClient::Pool::HostUnreachableError, :message=>"Elasticsearch Unreachable: [https://x.x.x.x:9200/][Manticore::SocketException] Connect to x.x.x.x:9200 [/x.x.x.x] failed: Connection refused"}

Logstash.yml file

node.name: demo-node
path.data: /var/lib/logstash
api.enabled: false
path.logs: /var/log/logstash
log.level: info

I have managed to solved it on my own.

So exit code 137 means that Elasticsearch is taking up too much memory in my server.

My solution was to locate jvm.options in /etc/elasticsearch.

I have copied a jvm.options into jvm.options.d and uncommented a line to set this inside.

-Xms1g
-Xmx1g

################################################################
## IMPORTANT: JVM heap size
################################################################
##
## The heap size is automatically configured by Elasticsearch
## based on the available memory in your system and the roles
## each node is configured to fulfill. If specifying heap is
## required, it should be done through a file in jvm.options.d,
## which should be named with .options suffix, and the min and
## max should be set to the same value. For example, to set the
## heap to 4 GB, create a new file in the jvm.options.d
## directory containing these lines:
##
-Xms1g
-Xmx1g
##
## See https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/8.14/heap-size.html
## for more information
##

Hope it helps!

1 Like

Thanks for sharing your solution here. Let us know if we can provide any additional support.

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