a9s Search is anynines’ data service automation for search and analytics, built on OpenSearch. It enables teams to add powerful search, indexing, and analytics capabilities directly to their applications and platforms.
Unlike a9s LogMe2, which focuses on centralized log management, a9s Search is designed to be used directly by customers for a wide range of use cases, like application search, analytics, and operational insights beyond logs.
While a9s Search comes pre-configured and ready to use, many teams benefit from pairing it with OpenSearch Dashboards to simplify configuration, exploration, and day-to-day interaction with their cluster.
This post walks through how simple it is to deploy OpenSearch Dashboards alongside a9s Search in Cloud Foundry.
Why OpenSearch Dashboards?
OpenSearch Dashboards provides a web-based UI for:
- Exploring indices and documents
- Running and saving queries
- Building visualizations and dashboards
- Managing index settings and mappings
OpenSearch Dashboards are not included as part of the a9s Search data service by default. Instead, they can be deployed easily as a separate application and connected securely to your existing a9s Search service instance.
This separation keeps the data service lean while giving you full flexibility over how and where you run the dashboard.
Deployment Overview
At a high level, you will:
- Create a service key for your a9s Search instance
- Deploy OpenSearch Dashboards as a Docker-based application
- Bind the dashboard app to the service instance
- Access the dashboard using the service key credentials
Step 1: Create a Service Key
First, create a service key for your a9s Search instance. This provides the credentials and connection details required by OpenSearch Dashboards.
cf create-service-key <service-instance> <service-key-name><br>Once created, retrieve the service key and note the following values:
- Username
- Password
- Host
Step 2: Prepare the Application Manifest
Create a manifest.yml file for the OpenSearch Dashboards application and populate it with values from the service key.
---
applications:
- name: os-dashboard
random-route: true
env:
OPENSEARCH_USERNAME: <OS Service Key Username>
OPENSEARCH_PASSWORD: <OS Service Key Password>
OPENSEARCH_HOSTS: '["https://<OS Service Key Host>:9200"]'
lifecycle: docker
docker:
image: opensearchproject/opensearch-dashboards:2
services:
- <OS Service Name>
processes:
- type: web
instances: 1
memory: 2048M
disk_quota: 2048M
log-rate-limit-per-second: -1
health-check-type: port
readiness-health-check-type: processKey points:
- The deployment uses the official OpenSearch Dashboards Docker image
- Connection details are injected via environment variables
- The a9s Search service is explicitly bound to the application
Step 3: Push the Application
Deploy OpenSearch Dashboards using the Cloud Foundry CLI:
cf push -f manifest.ymlCloud Foundry will assign a random route to the application.
Step 4: Access OpenSearch Dashboards
Once the app is running:
- Open the randomly generated URL shown after the push completes
- Log in using:
- Username: OpenSearch service key username
- Password: OpenSearch service key password
You should now be connected directly to your a9s Search cluster.
How This Works (and Why It Matters)
This setup uses the OpenSearch Dashboards container provided by the OpenSearch project and configures it entirely through environment variables. This allows the dashboard to automatically connect to your managed a9s Search instance without additional networking or proxy configuration.
Binding the a9s Search service to the dashboard application is important: it ensures the correct application security group (ASG) rules are created automatically, avoiding firewall or connectivity issues.
Version Compatibility Notes
Make sure the OpenSearch Dashboards image version matches your OpenSearch cluster version:
- Use a 2.x dashboard image for OpenSearch 2.x
- Use a 3.x dashboard image for OpenSearch 3.x
Adjust the Docker image tag in the manifest accordingly.
Summary
With just a few steps, you can add OpenSearch Dashboards to your a9s Search setup and gain a powerful UI for managing and exploring your data:
- a9s Search provides a fully managed OpenSearch cluster
- OpenSearch Dashboards runs as a standard Cloud Foundry application
- Service binding ensures secure, platform-native connectivity
This approach keeps responsibilities clean, avoids unnecessary coupling, and gives teams full control over how they interact with their search and analytics data.
