
The OpenSearch Software Foundation is a non-profit organization that oversees the development and maintenance of OpenSearch, a search and analytics engine. It was created by Amazon Web Services (AWS) in 2020.
The foundation is governed by a board of directors, which includes representatives from AWS and other member companies. This ensures that the development of OpenSearch remains open and community-driven.
OpenSearch has a growing community of contributors and users, with thousands of developers and companies involved in its development and adoption. This community-driven approach allows for rapid innovation and improvement of the software.
The OpenSearch community is active and engaged, with regular meetups, conferences, and online forums where users can share knowledge, ask questions, and collaborate on projects.
A fresh viewpoint: Software Web Development
What is OpenSearch
OpenSearch is a search engine that originated as a fork of Elasticsearch version 7.10.2.
It's based on Lucene, which is a powerful search engine technology. OpenSearch has Elastic NV trademarks and telemetry removed, which is a deliberate design choice.
Consider reading: List of Search Engine Software
The project is licensed under the Apache License, version 2, and doesn't require a Contributor License Agreement. This makes it easier for developers to contribute to the project.
OpenSearch has made a commitment to remain compatible with Elasticsearch in its initial versions, which is a key selling point for users who are already invested in the Elasticsearch ecosystem.
For more insights, see: Data Transfer Project
Getting Started
Getting Started with OpenSearch is a breeze. You can download and try OpenSearch, or use the demo OpenSearch Dashboards to get a feel for how it works.
OpenSearch offers various client libraries to integrate your application. You can choose from one of many libraries to suit your needs.
To start experimenting with OpenSearch, download and try OpenSearch or use the demo OpenSearch Dashboards. This will give you hands-on experience with the software.
Intriguing read: Website to Download Free Software
Community and Development
OpenSearch is built by the community for the community, and there are many ways to contribute. You can start by reading the step-by-step onboarding guide to get oriented and prepared to contribute.
The project has adopted the OpenSearch Software Foundation Code of Conduct, and contributors have created a set of common machine learning algorithms in the ml-commons repository. This repository provides a set of common machine learning algorithms, such as k-means and linear regression, to help developers build ML related features within OpenSearch.
To get involved, you can also check out a project's contributing guide to learn how to contribute code, or help author documentation. The OpenSearch community is active and welcoming, with many contributors working together to improve the project.
Here are some of the repositories you can explore to get started:
Contributing ✍️
To contribute to this project, start by reading our step-by-step onboarding guide to get oriented and prepared.
This guide is a great resource to help you understand the community's norms and expectations. By following it, you'll be better equipped to contribute effectively.
You can also check out a project's contributing guide to learn how to contribute code. This is a crucial step in making a meaningful contribution.

If you're interested in sharing your expertise, consider writing a blog post. This is a great way to share your knowledge with the community.
If you're more interested in documentation, you can help author documentation. This is a vital part of keeping the project up-to-date and accurate.
Here are some ways to contribute:
- Read our step-by-step onboarding guide
- Check out a project's contributing guide
- Write a blog post
- Help author documentation
Repositories
The OpenSearch community is actively contributing to the project's growth and development through various repositories. Over 11,624 commits have been made to the OpenSearch repository in the past year.
One of the key repositories is ml-commons, which provides a set of common machine learning algorithms to help developers build ML-related features within OpenSearch. These algorithms include k-means and linear regression.
The OpenSearch repository itself is a distributed and RESTful search engine, with over 2,121 issues needing help in the past year. This highlights the community's ongoing efforts to improve and support the project.
The sql repository allows developers to query their data using familiar SQL or intuitive Piped Processing Language (PPL). This flexibility is a testament to the community's commitment to making OpenSearch accessible to a wide range of users.
Here are some key statistics about the OpenSearch repositories:
The flow-framework repository enables builders to innovate AI apps on OpenSearch, with 46 commits made in the past year. This highlights the community's focus on advancing the capabilities of OpenSearch.
The opensearch-js repository is a Node.js client for OpenSearch, with over 217 commits made in the past year. This demonstrates the community's commitment to making OpenSearch accessible to a wide range of developers.
Ensuring Long-Term Sustainability of the Project
OpenSearch is designed to be highly customizable, which means developers can easily extend its functionality to meet their specific needs.
This flexibility is a key factor in its sustainability, as it allows the project to adapt to changing requirements and technologies.
By providing a modular architecture, OpenSearch enables developers to add new features and plugins without affecting the core functionality of the search engine.
This approach also makes it easier to maintain and update the project over time, reducing the risk of technical debt.
As a result, OpenSearch can continue to evolve and improve without sacrificing its core principles.
The project's governance model, which includes a community-driven decision-making process, also helps ensure its long-term sustainability.
This model allows for diverse perspectives and expertise to be brought to the table, ensuring that decisions are made with the project's overall health in mind.
By empowering the community to take ownership of the project, OpenSearch can continue to thrive and meet the needs of its users.
The project's focus on open-source principles and collaboration also helps to foster a culture of sustainability.
By working together and sharing knowledge, the OpenSearch community can identify and address potential issues before they become major problems.
Upgrade and Migration
To upgrade your OpenSearch cluster, you'll first need to check if it's eligible for an upgrade by accessing the Clusters list in the Console. If your cluster is eligible, you'll see the text "Upgrade" in the Software version column.
You can perform an inline upgrade using the oci opensearch cluster upgrade command. This command requires parameters such as the cluster OCID, desired software version, and original cluster display name.
To upgrade the current cluster, run the following command: oci opensearch cluster upgrade --opensearch-cluster-id cluster_ocid --desired-software-version desired_OpenSearch_version --original_cluster_display_name original_cluster_display_name --upgrade-type MINOR --is-clone false [OPTIONS].
For a complete list of flags and variable options for CLI commands, see the Command Line Reference.
You can also use the UpgradeOpenSearchCluster operation to perform an inline software upgrade for a cluster. This operation requires configuring the upgradeType as Minor.
Here's a summary of the steps to upgrade your OpenSearch cluster:
- Check if your cluster is eligible for an upgrade by accessing the Clusters list in the Console.
- Run the oci opensearch cluster upgrade command with the required parameters to perform an inline upgrade.
- Use the UpgradeOpenSearchCluster operation to perform an inline software upgrade for a cluster.
Keep in mind that the original_cluster_display_name parameter is required to validate that the cluster ID has the same display name.
OpenSearch Foundation
The OpenSearch Foundation is a non-profit organization that oversees the development and maintenance of the OpenSearch software. It was established in 2021 to ensure the project's independence and community-driven growth.
The foundation's board of directors includes representatives from major companies like Amazon, Elastic, and Google, which have all contributed significantly to the OpenSearch project.
OpenSearch was originally forked from Elasticsearch, a popular search and analytics engine developed by Elastic. The fork was made in 2020 to create a more open and community-driven alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OpenSearch like Splunk?
OpenSearch and Splunk have different focuses, with OpenSearch prioritizing open-source search-centric analytics and Splunk offering advanced enterprise features. While similar, they cater to distinct needs and use cases.
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