﻿---
title: Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop
description: Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop is an umbrella project consisting of two similar, yet independent sub-projects: elasticsearch-hadoop and repository-hdfs...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/2395/reference/elasticsearch-hadoop
---

# Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop
Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop is an umbrella project consisting of two similar, yet independent sub-projects: `elasticsearch-hadoop` and `repository-hdfs`.
This documentation pertains to `elasticsearch-hadoop`. For information about `repository-hdfs` and using HDFS as a back-end repository for doing snapshot or restore from or to Elasticsearch, go to [Hadoop HDFS repository plugin](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/2395/reference/elasticsearch/plugins/repository-hdfs).
Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop is an [open-source](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/2395/reference/elasticsearch-hadoop/license), stand-alone, self-contained, small library that allows Hadoop jobs (whether using Map/Reduce or libraries built upon it such as Hive or new upcoming libraries like Apache Spark ) to *interact* with Elasticsearch. One can think of it as a *connector* that allows data to flow *bi-directionaly* so that applications can leverage transparently the Elasticsearch engine capabilities to significantly enrich their capabilities and increase the performance.
Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop offers first-class support for vanilla Map/Reduce and Hive so that using Elasticsearch is literally like using resources within the Hadoop cluster. As such, Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop is a *passive* component, allowing Hadoop jobs to use it as a library and interact with Elasticsearch through Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop APIs.

While the official name of the project is Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop throughout the documentation the term elasticsearch-hadoop will be used instead to increase readability.
<admonition title="Admonition">
  This document assumes the reader already has a basic familiarity with Elasticsearch and Hadoop concepts. For more information, refer to [Elasticsearch for Apache Hadoop resources](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/2395/reference/elasticsearch-hadoop/resources).
</admonition>