index.md

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https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/elasticsearch-intro-what-is-es.html https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/elasticsearch-intro.html https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/index.html https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/starting-with-the-elasticsearch-platform-and-its-solutions/current/index.html

Get started

Overview [what-is-es]

{{es}} is a distributed search and analytics engine, scalable data store, and vector database built on Apache Lucene. It’s optimized for speed and relevance on production-scale workloads. Use {{es}} to search, index, store, and analyze data of all shapes and sizes in near real time. {{kib}} is the graphical user interface for {{es}}. It’s a powerful tool for visualizing and analyzing your data, and for managing and monitoring the Elastic Stack.

{{es}} is the heart of the Elastic Stack. Combined with {{kib}}, it powers these Elastic solutions and use cases:

• Elasticsearch: Build powerful search and RAG applications using Elasticsearch's vector database, AI toolkit, and advanced retrieval capabilities.
• Observability: Resolve problems with open, flexible, and unified observability powered by advanced machine learning and analytics.
• Security: Detect, investigate, and respond to threats with AI-driven security analytics to protect your organization at scale.

:::{tip} Refer to our customer success stories for concrete examples of how Elastic is used in real-world scenarios. :::

Choose your deployment type

:::{include} /deploy-manage/_snippets/deployment-options-overview.md :::

Explore the solutions

Elasticsearch supports diverse use cases. Select a solution and follow its dedicated getting-started guide:

	Elasticsearch Create seamless search experiences for apps, websites, or workplaces. Get started →
	Observability Monitor logs, metrics, and traces to gain insight into your systems. Get started →
	Security Monitor logs, metrics, and traces to gain insight into your systems. Get started →

Next steps

To learn more about our products and solutions, check out:

• {{es}} and {{kib}}, the core components of the {{stack}}.
  • The stack to understand the relationship between core and optional components of an Elastic deployment.
• The out-of-the-box solutions and use cases that Elastic supports.
• Deploying Elastic for your use case.
• Versioning and availability in Elastic deployments.