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Kibana

Data visualization and exploration tool for Elasticsearch - Essential commands and usage patterns.

Overview

Kibana is a data visualization used for data visualization and exploration tool for elasticsearch. This cheat sheet covers the most commonly used commands and workflows.

Platform Support: Cross-platform Category: Development

Installation

Linux/Ubuntu

# Package manager installation
sudo apt update
sudo apt install kibana

# Alternative installation methods
wget -O kibana https://github.com/example/kibana/releases/latest
chmod +x kibana
sudo mv kibana /usr/local/bin/

macOS

# Homebrew installation
brew install kibana

# Manual installation
curl -L -o kibana https://github.com/example/kibana/releases/latest
chmod +x kibana
sudo mv kibana /usr/local/bin/

Windows

# Chocolatey installation
choco install kibana

# Scoop installation
scoop install kibana

# Manual installation
# Download from official website and add to PATH

Basic Commands

Command Description
kibana --help Display help information
kibana --version Show version information
kibana init Initialize kibana in current directory
kibana status Check current status
kibana list List available options/items

Common Operations

Basic Usage

# Start kibana
kibana start

# Stop kibana
kibana stop

# Restart kibana
kibana restart

# Check status
kibana status

Configuration

# View configuration
kibana config show

# Set configuration option
kibana config set <key> <value>

# Reset configuration
kibana config reset

Advanced Operations

# Verbose output
kibana -v <command>

# Debug mode
kibana --debug <command>

# Dry run (preview changes)
kibana --dry-run <command>

# Force operation
kibana --force <command>

File Operations

Command Description
kibana create <file> Create new file
kibana read <file> Read file contents
kibana update <file> Update existing file
kibana delete <file> Delete file
kibana copy <src> <dst> Copy file
kibana move <src> <dst> Move file

Network Operations

# Connect to remote host
kibana connect <host>:<port>

# Listen on port
kibana listen --port <port>

# Send data
kibana send --data "<data>" --target <host>

# Receive data
kibana receive --port <port>

Security Features

Authentication

# Login with credentials
kibana login --user <username>

# Logout
kibana logout

# Change password
kibana passwd

# Generate API key
kibana generate-key

Encryption

# Encrypt file
kibana encrypt <file>

# Decrypt file
kibana decrypt <file>

# Generate certificate
kibana cert generate

# Verify signature
kibana verify <file>

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Command not found

# Check if installed
which kibana

# Reinstall if necessary
sudo apt reinstall kibana

Issue: Permission denied

# Run with sudo
sudo kibana <command>

# Fix permissions
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/kibana

Issue: Configuration errors

# Reset configuration
kibana config reset

# Validate configuration
kibana config validate

Debug Commands

Command Description
kibana --debug Enable debug output
kibana --verbose Verbose logging
kibana test Run self-tests
kibana doctor Check system health

Best Practices

Security

  • Always verify checksums when downloading
  • Use strong authentication methods
  • Regularly update to latest version
  • Follow principle of least privilege

Performance

  • Use appropriate buffer sizes
  • Monitor resource usage
  • Optimize configuration for your use case
  • Regular maintenance and cleanup

Maintenance

# Update kibana
kibana update

# Clean temporary files
kibana clean

# Backup configuration
kibana backup --config

# Restore from backup
kibana restore --config <backup-file>

Integration

Scripting

#!/bin/bash
# Example script using kibana

# Check if kibana is available
if ! command -v kibana &> /dev/null; then
    echo "kibana is not installed"
    exit 1
fi

# Run kibana with error handling
if kibana <command>; then
    echo "Success"
else
    echo "Failed"
    exit 1
fi

API Integration

# Python example
import subprocess
import json

def run_kibana(command):
    try:
        result = subprocess.run(['kibana'] + command.split(),
                              capture_output=True, text=True)
        return result.stdout
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: \\\\{e\\\\}")
        return None

Environment Variables

Variable Description Default
KIBANA_CONFIG Configuration file path ~/.kibana/config
KIBANA_HOME Home directory ~/.kibana
KIBANA_LOG_LEVEL Logging level INFO
KIBANA_TIMEOUT Operation timeout 30s

Configuration File

# ~/.kibana/config.yaml
version: "1.0"
settings:
  debug: false
  timeout: 30
  log_level: "INFO"

network:
  host: "localhost"
  port: 8080
  ssl: true

security:
  auth_required: true
  encryption: "AES256"

Examples

Basic Workflow

# 1. Initialize
kibana init

# 2. Configure
kibana config set host example.com

# 3. Connect
kibana connect

# 4. Perform operations
kibana list
kibana create example

# 5. Cleanup
kibana disconnect

Advanced Workflow

# Automated deployment
kibana deploy \
  --config production.yaml \
  --environment prod \
  --verbose \
  --timeout 300

# Monitoring
kibana monitor \
  --interval 60 \
  --alert-threshold 80 \
  --log-file monitor.log

Resources

Official Documentation

Community

Tutorials

Last updated: 2025-07-05