What is Kibana and how to use it with Elasticsearch?

Elasticsearch is widely known for its powerful search and analytics capabilities, but its true value is often unlocked through seamless integration with Kibana, the visualization layer of the Elastic Stack. Together, Elasticsearch and Kibana enable organizations to explore data, detect patterns, and present insights clearly and interactively.

While Elasticsearch indexes and processes massive volumes of data quickly, Kibana provides a dynamic interface to interpret that data visually. This synergy is especially valuable in use cases like observability, security monitoring, business intelligence, etc.

What is Kibana?

Kibana is an open-source data visualization and exploration tool designed specifically for use with Elasticsearch. It acts as the front end of the Elastic Stack, enabling users to:

• Build real-time dashboards

• Explore data interactively with filters and queries

• Visualize trends and anomalies with charts, graphs, and maps

• Set up alerts and monitoring workflows

• Manage and configure features like machine learning, security, and index patterns

Kibana supports a wide range of visualizations, including bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, data tables, tag clouds, heat maps, and more. It also provides time-series analysis through Lens and advanced capabilities such as anomaly detection and machine learning (in licensed tiers).

Related article: Elastic Stack: How to integrate Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana?

How Kibana works with Elasticsearch

Kibana does not store data—it queries Elasticsearch in real time. Here’s how the two components work together:

1. Data indexing: Data from various sources (logs, metrics, sensors, databases, etc.) is ingested into Elasticsearch via Beats, Logstash, or direct API calls.

2. Index pattern creation: In Kibana, users define index patterns to match the data stored in Elasticsearch.

3. Search and query: Users can search or filter data using Kibana’s interface, which generates queries in Elasticsearch’s DSL.

4. Visualization: Kibana transforms the raw query results into visual elements, making data easy to analyze and share.

Because Kibana is built on top of Elasticsearch’s API, it takes full advantage of the engine’s speed, flexibility, and scalability.

Key use cases for Elasticsearch and Kibana

When combined, Elasticsearch and Kibana are widely used in:

• IT observability: Monitor infrastructure, servers, containers, and applications with dashboards and alerts.

• Security analytics (SIEM): Detect and investigate threats using pre-built security rules and visualization tools.

• Log and metrics analysis: Centralise and analyze logs from multiple systems to gain operational insights.

• Business intelligence: Track KPIs, user behavior, and transactions in real time.

• Custom reporting: Create tailored visual reports for different stakeholders.

Benefits of using Kibana with Elasticsearch

• Real-time visual analytics: See immediate results from live data sources.

• Intuitive interface: No coding is required for most operations.

• Customizable dashboards: Adapt visuals to the specific needs of different teams.

• Drill-down and filtering: Navigate from overview to detail with a few clicks.

• Machine learning integration: Detect anomalies and forecast trends (in commercial tiers).

Related article: OpenSearch vs Elasticsearch: What are the differences and how to choose?

Why Syone for your Elasticsearch + Kibana projects?

As an Elastic Verified Partner, Syone helps organizations unlock the full potential of the Elastic Stack. We assist clients with:

• Setting up Elasticsearch and Kibana in the cloud or on-prem

• Designing and customizing dashboards

• Integrating additional data sources via Logstash or Beats

• Optimizing performance and security settings

• Training and enablement for internal teams

With extensive experience in sectors like finance, public administration, and telecom, our experts deliver scalable and insightful data solutions tailored to your needs.

Final thoughts

Kibana is the ideal companion to Elasticsearch, offering a user-friendly and powerful way to explore and communicate data insights. Together, they form a comprehensive analytics and visualization platform for better decision-making.

With the support of Syone, organizations can build robust, real-time data experiences that bring Elasticsearch to life through Kibana.

Want to know more? Contact us or explore our offer at https://www.syone.com/elastic.