Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana (ELK) stack version 8, often referred to as the Elastic Stack, introduced several new features, enhancements, and improvements.

Key Takeaways

1. Enhanced Performance and Efficiency:

   ELK Stack 8 introduces significant improvements in indexing and query performance, which can lead to more efficient CPU and memory usage. These enhancements help reduce indexing latency and improve throughput, optimizing resource utilization.

2. Unified Data Collection with Elastic Agent:

   The introduction of Elastic Agent replaces multiple Beats, simplifying the management of data collection and streamlining updates and configurations. This unified approach reduces administrative overhead and improves resource allocation, making it easier to deploy and manage data collection across infrastructure.

3. Simplified Security and Data Management:

   Security features, including TLS and HTTPS, are enabled by default, enhancing security and reducing configuration overhead. Additionally, new features like data streams improve index lifecycle management and data retention policies, leading to more efficient storage usage and optimized resource management.

Here are some of the significant updates and improvements in ELK Stack version 8, particularly in terms of resource management and efficiency:

Key New Features and Improvements in ELK Stack 8

1. Unified Agent (Elastic Agent):

   • Description: Elastic Agent replaces Beats and offers a single, unified way to collect data from various sources.

   • Benefits: Simplifies the management of data collection, reduces the need for multiple agents, and streamlines updates and configurations.

2. Simplified Security:

   • Description: Security features, including TLS for transport and HTTPS for Kibana, are enabled by default.

   • Benefits: Simplifies the setup process, enhances security by default, and reduces configuration overhead.

3. Data Streams:

   • Description: Introduced data streams to simplify the management of time-series data.

   • Benefits: Improves index lifecycle management and data retention policies, optimizing storage usage.

4. Indexing Performance Improvements:

   • Description: Enhanced indexing speed and efficiency.

   • Benefits: Reduced indexing latency and improved throughput, which can lead to better CPU and memory usage.

5. New Aggregations and Query Enhancements:

   • Description: Enhanced query capabilities and new aggregation types.

   • Benefits: Provides more efficient data retrieval and aggregation, potentially reducing CPU usage during complex queries.

6. Fleet Management:

   • Description: Introduced Fleet, a centralized way to manage Elastic Agents across your infrastructure.

   • Benefits: Simplifies the deployment and management of agents, reducing administrative overhead and improving resource allocation.

7. Kibana Enhancements:

   • Description: New visualizations, dashboards, and user experience improvements.

   • Benefits: Improved performance and usability of the Kibana interface, potentially reducing client-side resource usage.

8. Machine Learning Enhancements:

   • Description: Improvements in built-in machine learning capabilities.

   • Benefits: Better performance and accuracy in anomaly detection and forecasting, with more efficient resource utilization.

Resource Management and Efficiency

• CPU and Memory Usage: ELK Stack 8 has seen improvements in indexing and query performance, which can lead to more efficient CPU and memory usage. However, the overall resource requirements might still be significant, depending on the workload and data volume.

• Storage (HDD):

  • Data Streams: By simplifying the management of time-series data and improving index lifecycle management, the use of data streams can help optimize storage usage and improve retention policies.

  • Indexing Efficiency: Enhanced indexing performance helps reduce the overhead on storage systems, making data ingestion more efficient.

• Fleet and Elastic Agent:

  • Unified Management: By using a single, unified agent (Elastic Agent), resource management becomes more efficient compared to managing multiple Beats. This can lead to better resource utilization and simplified scaling.

Summary of Resource Management Improvements

• Improved Indexing and Query Performance: Enhancements in indexing and query performance can lead to more efficient CPU and memory usage.

• Unified Data Collection: The Elastic Agent reduces the overhead of managing multiple data collectors, leading to streamlined resource usage.

• Simplified Security Configuration: Enabling security features by default can reduce the complexity and resource overhead associated with configuring and maintaining security settings.

• Enhanced Data Management: Features like data streams and improved index lifecycle management contribute to more efficient storage usage.

Conclusion

ELK Stack version 8 introduces several enhancements that can lead to better resource management and efficiency. While it might not necessarily reduce the baseline resource requirements significantly, it does provide more efficient ways to manage and utilize those resources. The improvements in indexing, querying, and data management, along with the unification of data collection through Elastic Agent, contribute to a more streamlined and resource-efficient stack.