Configure Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch is a powerful distributed search and analytics engine that enhances Bagisto's search capabilities with fast, scalable product indexing and advanced search features.

What You'll Learn

• How to install and verify Elasticsearch
• Configure Elasticsearch connections in Bagisto
• Index products for improved search performance
• Verify your Elasticsearch setup

This guide covers configuring Elasticsearch for indexing products from your Bagisto database, enabling lightning-fast search functionality for your e-commerce store.

Environment Setup

Before configuring Elasticsearch with Bagisto, ensure you have Elasticsearch installed on your system.

Prerequisites

• Elasticsearch 7.0+ (recommended: 8.x)
• PHP 8.2+ with cURL extension
• Sufficient memory allocation (minimum 2GB for Elasticsearch)

Verify Installation

Elasticsearch runs on port 9200 by default. Test your installation by visiting:

http://localhost:9200

Expected Response:

{
  "name" : "webkul-pc",
  "cluster_name" : "elasticsearch",
  "cluster_uuid" : "suPotT8zQjCOlq9dteWKyQ",
  "version" : {
    "number" : "8.6.2",
    "build_flavor" : "default",
    "build_type" : "deb",
    "build_hash" : "2d58d0f136141f03239816a4e360a8d17b6d8f29",
    "build_date" : "2023-02-13T09:35:20.314882762Z",
    "build_snapshot" : false,
    "lucene_version" : "9.4.2",
    "minimum_wire_compatibility_version" : "7.17.0",
    "minimum_index_compatibility_version" : "7.0.0"
  },
  "tagline" : "You Know, for Search"
}

Alternative CLI Check:

curl -X GET 'http://localhost:9200'

Configuration Setup

Configure Elasticsearch connections in your Bagisto application using the config/elasticsearch.php file.

Bagisto 2.1.0+

<?php
// config/elasticsearch.php

return [
    /**
     * Here you can specify the connection to use when building a client.
     */
    'connection' => 'default',

    /**
     * These are the available connections parameters that you can use to connect
     */
    'connections' => [
        'default' => [
            'hosts' => [
                env('ELASTICSEARCH_HOST', 'http://localhost:9200'),
            ],

            'user' => env('ELASTICSEARCH_USER', null),
            'pass' => env('ELASTICSEARCH_PASS', null),
        ],

        /**
         * You can connect with API key authentication by setting the `api` key
         * instead of the `user` and `pass` keys.
         */
        'api' => [
            'hosts' => [
                env('ELASTICSEARCH_HOST', null),
            ],

            'key' => env('ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY', null),
        ],

        /**
         * You can connect to Elastic Cloud with the Cloud ID using the `cloud` key.
         */
        'cloud' => [
            'id' => env('ELASTICSEARCH_CLOUD_ID', null),

            /**
             * If you are authenticating with API KEY then set user and pass as null
             */
            'api_key' => env('ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY', null),

            /**
             * If you are authenticating with username and password then set api_key as null
             */
            'user' => env('ELASTICSEARCH_USER', null),
            'pass' => env('ELASTICSEARCH_PASS', null),
        ],
    ],

    /**
     * CA Bundle
     *
     * If you have the http_ca.crt certificate copied during the start of Elasticsearch
     * then the path here
     *
     * @see https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/client/php-api/current/connecting.html#auth-http
     */
    'caBundle' => null,

    /**
     * Retries
     *
     * By default, the client will retry n times, where n = number of nodes in
     * your cluster. If you would like to disable retries, or change the number,
     * you can do so here.
     *
     * @see https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/client/php-api/current/set-retries.html
     */
    'retries' => null,
];

.env Configuration

# Basic Elasticsearch Configuration
ELASTICSEARCH_HOST=http://localhost:9200
ELASTICSEARCH_USER=
ELASTICSEARCH_PASS=

# For API Key Authentication
ELASTICSEARCH_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# For Elasticsearch Cloud
ELASTICSEARCH_CLOUD_ID=your_cloud_id

Bagisto 2.0.0

// config/elasticsearch.php
'hosts' => [
    [
        'host' => env('ELASTICSEARCH_HOST', 'localhost'),
        'port' => env('ELASTICSEARCH_PORT', 9200),
    ]
]

.env for 2.0.0

ELASTICSEARCH_PORT=9200
ELASTICSEARCH_HOST=localhost

Configuration Options

Option	Description	Default
hosts	Elasticsearch server endpoints	http://localhost:9200
user/pass	Basic authentication credentials	null
api_key	API key for authentication	null
cloud.id	Elasticsearch Cloud identifier	null
caBundle	SSL certificate bundle path	null
retries	Connection retry attempts	Auto (node count)

Authentication Methods

Choose one authentication method:

• None: For local development
• Basic Auth: Username/password
• API Key: Recommended for production
• Cloud: For Elasticsearch Service

Apply Configuration

After updating your .env file, clear cache configuration:

php artisan optimize:clear

Indexing Products

Once configured, Bagisto automatically indexes new products when they're created. For existing products, manual indexing is required.

Index Existing Products

Run the indexer command to process all existing products:

php artisan indexer:index

Queue Driver Configuration

If your QUEUE_CONNECTION in .env is set to database, redis, or any driver other than sync, you must run the queue worker to process indexing jobs:

php artisan queue:listen

Without the queue worker running, products will not be indexed properly.

What happens during indexing?

• Products are read from the products table
• Data is transformed into Elasticsearch-compatible format
• Documents are bulk-inserted into the search index
• Search capabilities become available immediately

Automatic Indexing

New products are automatically indexed when:

• Products are created via admin panel
• Products are imported via CSV
• Product data is updated through API

Performance Note

Large product catalogs may take several minutes to index. Consider running indexing during off-peak hours for production stores.

Verification

Check Index Status

Verify your products have been indexed successfully:

Browser Method:

http://localhost:9200/_cat/indices?v

CLI Method:

curl -X GET 'http://localhost:9200/_cat/indices?v'

Expected Output:

health status index    uuid                   pri rep docs.count docs.deleted store.size pri.store.size
yellow open   products AbcDef1234567890       1   1      1500           0      2.5mb          2.5mb

Search Test

Configure Elasticsearch in your Bagisto admin panel and test frontend search:

Admin Configuration:

1. Go to Admin Panel → Configuration → Catalog → Products
2. Set the following options to Elasticsearch:
   • Search Engine
   • Admin Search Mode
   • Storefront Search Mode
3. Save the configuration

Frontend Testing:

• Visit your store's frontend
• Use the search functionality to look for products
• Results should appear faster with improved relevance

Alternative CLI Test:

curl -X GET "localhost:9200/products/_search?q=product_name:sample"

Success Indicators

• ✅ Index appears in the indices list
• ✅ docs.count matches your product count
• ✅ Admin panel search settings saved successfully
• ✅ Frontend search returns faster, more relevant results

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem	Solution
Connection refused	Check if Elasticsearch is running on port 9200
Memory errors	Increase Elasticsearch heap size
Slow indexing	Reduce batch size in indexer configuration
Missing products	Re-run php artisan indexer:index

Performance Tips

• Memory: Allocate at least 2GB RAM to Elasticsearch
• Storage: Use SSD storage for better performance
• Network: Keep Elasticsearch on the same server as Bagisto
• Monitoring: Use Elasticsearch monitoring tools in production

Production Considerations

• Enable authentication in production environments
• Configure SSL/TLS for secure connections
• Set up regular backup and monitoring
• Consider using Elasticsearch Service for managed hosting