# Memory issues **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [February 12, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/memory-issues/6681 "2012-02-12T14:56:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mhenrixon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/mhenrixon/32/3004_2.png) [@mhenrixon](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/mhenrixon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 2:56pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/memory-issues/6681/1 "2012-02-12T14:56:48Z")
Hi, WODstack started using ElasticSearch a month or two ago but we are running into some really strange issues with instances just spinning completely out of control and eating all the memory. It's obviously either not configured right or tire is doing something bad but see the accompanying picture for some insight. I honestly have no idea where to start but feel like killing all java processes is a terribly bad thing to have to do several times a week. What do we do? [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png) [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png) [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png) [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png) [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png) [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png) [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png) [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png) ---
**Author:** ![mhenrixon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/mhenrixon/32/3004_2.png) [@mhenrixon](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/mhenrixon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/memory-issues/6681/2 "2012-02-12T15:10:45Z")
We are using the service wrapper to start ES if that means anything. ---
**Author:** ![kimchy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kimchy/32/44952_2.png) [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/memory-issues/6681/3 "2012-02-12T16:55:29Z")
How much memory are you allocating to elasticsearch? Use the node stats API or big desk plugin ([Elasticsearch Platform — Find real-time answers at scale | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/modules/plugins.html)) to see where memory is being used (check heap used, and field data memory usage). On Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 4:56 PM, Mikael Henriksson wrote: > Hi, > > WODstack started using Elasticsearch a month or two ago but we are running into some really strange issues with instances just spinning completely out of control and eating all the memory. It's obviously either not configured right or tire is doing something bad but see the accompanying picture for some insight. I honestly have no idea where to start but feel like killing all java processes is a terribly bad thing to have to do several times a week. > > What do we do? ([https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png))\> ([https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png))\> ([https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png))\> ([https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png))\> ([https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png))\> ([https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png))\> ([https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr\_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-suWVjWdCoQ8/TzfSr_MIqGI/AAAAAAAAAEk/O2EuC8BepFo/s1600/yikes.png))\> > ---
**Author:** ![mhenrixon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/mhenrixon/32/3004_2.png) [@mhenrixon](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/mhenrixon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/memory-issues/6681/4 "2012-02-12T18:13:23Z")
Maybe I am just reading something wrong because [https://img.skitch.com/20120212-8i9e42d17kh7xxcqbnh97i7sn1.png](https://img.skitch.com/20120212-8i9e42d17kh7xxcqbnh97i7sn1.png) and [https://img.skitch.com/20120212-tbu72jgfqxgstkgueu65i9jf3x.png](https://img.skitch.com/20120212-tbu72jgfqxgstkgueu65i9jf3x.png) doesn't suggest the problem lies with elasticsearch. I've been using htop to find memory hogs but maybe there is a better way of finding those? ---
**Author:** ![kimchy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kimchy/32/44952_2.png) [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/memory-issues/6681/5 "2012-02-12T22:09:34Z")
htop shows the threads associated with the process, and I think it will show the memory allocated to the process on each thread, maybe thats what you are seeing? On Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 8:13 PM, Mikael Henriksson wrote: > Maybe I am just reading something wrong because > > and > > doesn't suggest the problem lies with elasticsearch. I've been using htop to find memory hogs but maybe there is a better way of finding those? ---
**Author:** ![aromasca](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/aromasca/32/2756_2.png) [@aromasca](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/aromasca)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:37am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/memory-issues/6681/6 "2012-02-13T07:37:26Z")
Something worth mentioning, is from the first image note that the file descriptors are configured to 1024, we have had issues with clusters fail due to this being too low as well, doesn't have to do with memory just a heads up on configuration. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 3:39am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/memory-issues/6681/7 "2017-07-06T03:39:38Z")