Briefly, this error occurs when the Elasticsearch license has expired or is not active, disabling the security features. This can happen if the license is not renewed or if there’s an issue with the license server. To resolve this, you can either renew the license or check the connectivity with the license server. If the issue persists, you may need to contact Elasticsearch support for further assistance. Also, ensure that your Elasticsearch version supports the security features as some older versions may not.
This guide will help you check for common problems that cause the log ” Active license is now [{}]; Security is {}”; licenseState.getOperationMode(); newState ? “enabled” : “disabled ” to appear. To understand the issues related to this log, read the explanation below about the following Elasticsearch concepts: plugin, license.
Log Context
Log “Active license is now [{}]; Security is {}”; licenseState.getOperationMode(); newState ? “enabled” : “disabled” classname is SecurityStatusChangeListener.java.
We extracted the following from Elasticsearch source code for those seeking an in-depth context :
@Override
public synchronized void licenseStateChanged() {
final boolean newState = licenseState.isSecurityEnabled();
// old state might be null (undefined) so do Object comparison
if (Objects.equals(newState; securityEnabled) == false) {
logger.info("Active license is now [{}]; Security is {}"; licenseState.getOperationMode(); newState ? "enabled" : "disabled");
if (newState == false) {
logger.warn(
"Elasticsearch built-in security features are not enabled. Without authentication; your cluster could be "
+ "accessible to anyone. See https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/"
+ Version.CURRENT.major
