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ELK

Run the Elastic stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) locally with Docker Compose.deviantony/docker-elk

Stars
18.4k
Forks
6.9k
Licence
MIT
Language
Shell
Last update
4 days ago
Type
Dev tool

What it is

docker-elk packages Elasticsearch, Logstash and Kibana so you can start the whole Elastic stack with Docker and Docker Compose instead of installing each piece by hand. Elasticsearch stores and searches data, Logstash collects and transforms it, and Kibana gives you a web interface to explore and visualize it. The project is described as a template for learning and experimenting, not a production-ready deployment.

  • Run Elasticsearch, Logstash and Kibana together with one Compose command
  • Send Beats or TCP data into Logstash and explore it in Kibana
  • Customize Elasticsearch, Kibana or Logstash settings via the included configuration files
  • Enable the provided extensions for added functionality

Great for

  • Developers who want to try the Elastic stack on a single machine
  • Students learning how Elasticsearch, Logstash and Kibana fit together
  • Teams prototyping log or data analysis pipelines before production planning
  • People who want a starting template they can modify

Not ideal for

  • Production deployments, because the README says it is not a production blueprint and disables Elasticsearch bootstrap checks for development use
  • Machines with very little memory, since the README lists 1.5 GB of RAM as a requirement
  • Users who cannot run Docker or lack permission to use the Docker daemon
Step-by-step guide: how to use ELKInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

How to get it

  1. 1

    Run with Docker

    You'll need: Docker Engine 18.06.0 or newer · Docker Compose 2.0.0 or newer · At least 1.5 GB of RAM · Git (to clone the repository)

    Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/deviantony/docker-elk.git

    Initialize Elasticsearch users and groups

    docker compose up setup

    Start the stack

    docker compose up
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Clone the repository onto your Docker host
    • Run docker compose up setup and wait for it to complete without errors
    • Run docker compose up to start the remaining components
    • Wait about a minute, then open http://localhost:5601 and log in with elastic / changeme
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Reset the default passwords with bin/elasticsearch-reset-password as described in the README
    • Generate Kibana encryption keys with docker compose up kibana-genkeys
    • Use the provided extensions, enabled through the README's extensions section
    • Check the README's sections on configuring Elasticsearch, Kibana and Logstash
    • Try the tls branch if you need TLS encryption enabled

Downloads

Strengths

  • Starts the full stack with a small number of Docker Compose commands
  • Built on the official Elastic Docker images
  • Configuration is minimal and easy to read, as the README describes

Trade-offs

  • The README says it is not production-ready and turns off some Elasticsearch safety checks for development
  • Default credentials are 'changeme' and must be changed after first startup
  • Platinum features are on by default for a 30-day trial, after which the free Open Basic license applies

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
docker-elk (this)18.4kDev toolbeginner4 days agoDevelopers who want to try the Elastic stack on a single machine
colima31.5kDev toolbeginner23 days agoMac developers who want Docker containers without Docker Desktop
laradock12.7kDev toolintermediate6 days agoPHP developers who want a consistent local environment across Linux, macOS and Windows
dockge24.7kAppbeginner14 days agoPeople who run Docker Compose stacks on a home server or small Linux machine
vulhub21.4kDev toolbeginner19 days agoSecurity students practicing reproducing known vulnerabilities
twint16.4kCLIintermediate3.7 years agoResearchers studying public tweet patterns who need more history than the official API allows

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.