Amazon Elasticsearch (IAM)
Last modified on April 7, 2025
Overview
A datasource consists of a resource and the credentials used to access it. This guide describes how to add Amazon OpenSearch/Elasticsearch as a datasource in the StrongDM Admin UI using IAM.
Amazon Elasticsearch and Amazon OpenSearch are both supported by StrongDM via this datasource type. We support the following combinations:
- Elasticsearch domain with Elasticsearch cluster
- OpenSearch domain with Elasticsearch cluster
- OpenSearch domain with OpenSearch cluster
To use access keys rather than IAM, see the Amazon ES page.
Prerequisites
To add a datasource, make sure you have met the following prerequisites:
- Properly configure an account for your resource. If you choose to store credentials for the resource with StrongDM, have those credentials ready. When not using StrongDM, set up a Secret Store integration and be able to enter the location of the secrets required to access the resource.
- The hostname or endpoint you enter for your resource must be accessible by at least one gateway or relay. To verify this, log in to the gateway or relay and use the
nc -zv <YOUR_HOSTNAME> <YOUR_PORT>Netcat command. For example, usenc -zv testdb-01.fancy.org 5432. If your gateway server can connect to this hostname, you can proceed.
-z flag to check for listeners without sending data and the -v flag to show verbose output. If you do not have Netcat, you can use a package manager such as APT (Advanced Package Tool) to install it. On Linux-based distributions, run apt-get install netcat.Resource Setup
Some setup is required to prepare an OpenSearch (IAM) resource to receive connections via StrongDM.
The AWS administrator needs to add an IAM policy to the EC2 role as in the example shown. Adjust the actions and the resource values based on your own configuration.
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": "iam:GetRole",
"Resource": "arn:aws:iam::111122223333:role/example-documentdb-iam"
},
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"es:ListDomainNames",
"es:DescribeDomain",
"es:ESHttpGet",
"es:ESHttpPost",
"es:ESHttpPut",
"es:ESHttpDelete"
],
"Resource": "arn:aws:es:eu-central-1:111122223333:domain/example/*"
}
]
}
Then, ensure that in the Amazon OpenSearch Access Policies, the EC2 role is allowed in an access policy, adjusting the example contents to match your own AWS configuration and values:
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Principal": {
"AWS": "*"
},
"Action": "es:*",
"Resource": "arn:aws:es:eu-central-1:111122223333:domain/example/*"
},
]
}
For further help, consult the OpenSearch IAM documentation.
Add a Datasource
To add your Amazon ES (IAM) database as a StrongDM resource, use the following steps.
- Log in to the StrongDM Admin UI.
- Go to Resources > Datasources.
- Click Add datasource.
- Select Amazon ES (IAM) as the Datasource Type and set other configuration properties for your new database resource.
- Complete all required fields.
- Click Create to save the resource.
- Click the resource name to view status, diagnostic information, and setting details.
Resource properties
Configuration properties are visible when you add a datasource or when you click to view its settings. The following table describes the settings available for your Amazon ES (IAM) database.
| Property | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Display Name | Required | Meaningful name to display the resource throughout StrongDM; exclude special characters like quotes (") or angle brackets (< or >) |
| Datasource Type | Required | Select Amazon ES (IAM) |
| Proxy Cluster | Required | Defaults to “Use legacy routing”; if using proxy clusters, select the appropriate cluster to proxy traffic to this resource |
| Endpoint | Required | API server endpoint of the resource in the format <ID>.<REGION>.es.amazonaws.com, such as A95FBC180B680B58A6468EF360D16E96.yl4.us-west-2.es.amazonaws.com; StrongDM node should be able to connect to your ES endpoint |
| Hostname | Required | Hostname for your resource; must be accessible to a gateway or relay |
| Port | Required | Port to use when connecting to your Amazon ES (IAM) database; default port value is 5432 |
| Port Override | Read only | Automatically generated with a value between 1024-59999 as long as that port is not used by another resource; preferred port can be modified later under Settings > Port Overrides |
| Region | Required | AWS region (for example, us-east-1) |
| Secret Store | Optional | Credential store location; defaults to Strong Vault; learn more about Secret Store options |
| TLS Required | Optional | When selected, requires TLS for connections to this resource |
| Assume Role ARN | Optional | Role ARN, such as arn:aws:iam::000000000000:role/RoleName, that allows users accessing this resource to assume a role using AWS AssumeRole functionality |
| Assume Role External ID | Optional | External ID role to assume after login (for example 12345) |
| Resource Tags | Optional | Datasource tags consisting of key-value pairs <KEY>=<VALUE> (for example, env=dev) |
Secret Store options
By default, datasource credentials are stored in StrongDM. However, these credentials can also be saved in a secrets management tool.
Non-StrongDM options appear in the Secret Store dropdown if they are created under Network > Secret Stores. When you select another Secret Store type, its unique properties display. For more details, see Configure Secret Store Integrations.
Resource status
After a resource is created, the Admin UI displays that resource as unhealthy until the healthchecks run successfully. When the resource is ready, the Health icon indicates a positive, green status.
When the resource does not display a positive status, click the resource name to go to the Diagnostics tab and check for errors.