Infrastructure Foundation Assessment
The nodes info check is your infrastructure health assessment, validating hardware specifications, node roles, and configuration requirements to ensure optimal Elasticsearch performance and prevent capacity issues.
Every Elasticsearch cluster is only as strong as its weakest node. The nodes info check provides a comprehensive assessment of your infrastructure, validating hardware specifications, node roles, and configuration consistency. This foundational check ensures your cluster has the right hardware foundation for performance and growth.
What You'll Learn
Hardware Assessment
- • CPU specifications and recommendations
- • Memory allocation and JVM sizing
- • Storage types and capacity planning
- • Network configuration validation
Node Role Management
- • Master, data, and ingest node roles
- • Dedicated node configuration
- • Role-based resource requirements
- • Cluster topology optimization
Nodes Info API Deep Dive
GET /_nodesSimple English Explanation
Think of this API as asking each server in your cluster: "Tell me about yourself - what hardware do you have, what's your role, and how are you configured?"
Unlike performance metrics that change constantly, this information is relatively static - it tells you about the infrastructure foundation rather than current usage.
🔍 Hardware Information
- • CPU: Processor model, cores, and architecture
- • Memory: Total RAM and available memory
- • Storage: Disk types, capacity, and file systems
- • Network: IP addresses and interface details
⚙️ Configuration Details
- • Node roles: Master, data, ingest, ML capabilities
- • JVM settings: Heap size, garbage collector
- • Elasticsearch version: Version consistency
- • Plugins: Installed extensions and tools
Infrastructure Best Practices
✅ Hardware Optimization
- • Use SSD storage for production workloads
- • Size JVM heap to 50% of RAM (max 32GB)
- • Ensure adequate CPU cores (4-8 for production)
- • Use local storage over network storage
- • Enable memory locking in production
💡 Topology Planning
- • Use dedicated master nodes for large clusters
- • Separate data and coordinating node roles
- • Plan for minimum 3 master-eligible nodes
- • Consider rack/zone awareness for availability
- • Use appropriate node attributes for allocation
❌ Infrastructure Pitfalls
- • Using spinning disks for active workloads
- • Setting JVM heap larger than 32GB (loses compressed OOPs)
- • Insufficient CPU cores (less than 2 cores)
- • Enabling swap on production systems
- • Mixed node roles without proper planning
⚠️ Common Issues
- • Inconsistent hardware across nodes
- • Inadequate capacity planning
- • Network latency between nodes
- • Virtualization resource contention
- • Insufficient monitoring of resource usage
Infrastructure Excellence
Foundation Principles
- • Right-sized Hardware: Match resources to workload requirements
- • Appropriate Topology: Design node roles for optimal performance
- • Consistent Configuration: Maintain uniformity across similar nodes
- • Future Planning: Design for growth and scalability
Action Items
- • Audit current node hardware specifications
- • Validate node role assignments
- • Plan capacity for future growth
- • Implement infrastructure monitoring