Port 9200: Elasticsearch
Port 9200 is the default HTTP port for Elasticsearch, where clients send search and indexing requests as JSON over REST. Nodes in a cluster also talk to each other on a separate transport port, 9300, by default.
| Port number | 9200 |
|---|---|
| Service | Elasticsearch HTTP / REST API |
| Protocol | TCP |
| Category | Databases |
| Default encryption | No |
How do I check whether port 9200 is open?
Port 9200 carries TCP, so a connection either completes its handshake or it does not, which makes the check definitive.
| Question | Command | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Is it open on a remote host? | nc -vz example.com 9200 | A TCP handshake either completes or it does not, so netcat gives a definitive answer in one line. |
| Same check on Windows | Test-NetConnection example.com -Port 9200 | Built into PowerShell. TcpTestSucceeded in the output is the answer; telnet is not installed by default on modern Windows. |
| What is listening locally? | ss -tlnp | grep ':9200 ' | Lists the process bound to port 9200 on Linux. On macOS use lsof -nP -iTCP:9200 -sTCP:LISTEN, on Windows netstat -ano | findstr :9200 |
Replace example.com with the host you are testing. A blocked port and a port with nothing listening on it look identical from the outside, so if a service should be running, check locally before blaming the firewall.
Frequently asked questions
What is port 9200 used for?
Port 9200 is the default HTTP port for Elasticsearch, where clients send search and indexing requests as JSON over REST. Nodes in a cluster also talk to each other on a separate transport port, 9300, by default.
Is port 9200 TCP or UDP?
Port 9200 (Elasticsearch) uses TCP.
Is port 9200 secure?
Port 9200 is not encrypted by default. Where possible, use an encrypted alternative or tunnel it over TLS or a VPN.
Should I open port 9200 on my firewall?
Only if you specifically need Elasticsearch. Expose it to the smallest set of trusted sources, and never open database or Windows-service ports to the whole internet.