From Elasticsearch to Elastic Cloud

Not that long ago, the vast majority or programs and platforms were available almost exclusively in the on-premises version. With the development of the digital world, more and more programs are available in the cloud. Nowadays, companies move their digital assets to the cloud – an environment that’s safe, quick and scalable. Elasticsearch is one of many platforms now available in the cloud. What do you need to know about it? And how is Elastic Cloud different from Elasticsearch? Let’s find out!

While many enterprises still appreciate self-managed software, understanding modern needs leads to creating appropriate solutions. This article will focus on one of such instances – Elasticsearch and Elastic Cloud, which may be similar at first glance. What are they? Which one should you choose? What are the differences between them? That’s what we’re going to discuss today.

Elasticsearch

First, let us start with a more traditional, familiar solution. Elasticsearch is an open-source, real-time search engine based on the Lucene platform. Thanks to its capabilities, users can search, store and analyse documents quickly and efficiently. This type of software is usually managed individually by every organisation; businesses take care of implementation, maintenance and updates on their own.

Elastic Cloud

As the name suggests, Elastic Cloud is based on the cloud. It is provided by Elastic.co and is somewhat connected to Elasticsearch since both of these solutions were created by the same team. Elastic Cloud enables users to take advantage of all Elasticsearch functions and, at the same time, gives more space for engineers to focus on developing the business rather than maintaining the software.

Even though Elasticsearch and Elastic Cloud originated from the same source, there are some key differences worth paying attention to.

Elasticsearch vs. Elastic Cloud – main differences

If you are interested in migrating your Elasticsearch to Elastic Cloud, take a look at that comprehensive guide: How to migrate from self-managed Elasticsearch to Elastic Cloud

We already know the general idea of both solutions; although the differences between them may seem subtle, they have a crucial influence on the functioning of your business.

For starters, the cloud-based option guarantees safety. Since all of the technicalities are handled by Elastic.co, the burden of proper data protection is taken away in comparison to self-managed software. Also, the fact that Elastic.co takes care of maintenance and deployment means that the engineering team has more time and space to conduct their daily duties.

As we mentioned previously, Elasticsearch is managed individually by the company. This solution gives a lot of independence but is also more costly and time-consuming. On the other hand, the Elastic cloud is managed by the cloud provider. Additionally, users can choose the provider, significantly lowering the costs and simplifying the configuration process. This solution has gained popularity thanks to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. It provides access to the software from any workstation, any place and any system. Since it’s cloud-based, it is no longer dependent on the company’s IT system.

What does your business need?

Having a choice between a traditional open-source solution and cloud-based software, you probably wonder which one would be the best for your company. The answer is, of course: it depends. Both solutions have some benefits and drawbacks; it is important to analyse what kind of needs your company has. If you value independence, probably Elasticsearch will be a better choice. However, Elastic Cloud offers some crucial advantages, like data protection or managed maintenance. Furthermore, the process of migration is quick and rather unproblematic. Even the company behind both platforms encourages the cloud version of their software.