---
title: Apply ECK configuration settings
description: This page explains the various methods for configuring and applying ECK settings. By default, the ECK installation includes a ConfigMap with an eck.yaml...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s/configure-eck
products:
- Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes
applies_to:
- Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes: Generally available
---
# Apply ECK configuration settings
This page explains the various methods for configuring and applying ECK settings.
For a detailed list and description of all available settings in ECK, refer to [ECK configuration flags](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/reference/cloud-on-k8s/eck-configuration-flags).
By default, the ECK installation includes a [ConfigMap](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/configmap/) with an `eck.yaml` key where you can add, remove, or update configuration settings. This ConfigMap is mounted into the operator’s container as a file, and provided to the application through the `--config` flag.
If you use [Operator Lifecycle Manager](https://github.com/operator-framework/operator-lifecycle-manager), refer to [Configure ECK under Operator Lifecycle Manager](#k8s-operator-config-olm)
To configure ECK settings, follow the instructions in the next sections depending on whether you installed ECK through the Helm chart or the YAML manifests.
## Using the operator Helm chart
If you installed ECK through the Helm chart commands listed in [Install ECK using a Helm chart](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s/install-using-helm-chart), add your configuration parameters under the `config` key in your values file, or set them inline using the equivalent `--set config.=` flags when updating or installing the release.
Note that the Helm chart uses its own configuration parameters rather than the actual ECK parameters that are described in [Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes configuration flags](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/reference/cloud-on-k8s/eck-configuration-flags). To view all configurable values in the Helm chart for the ECK operator, run the following command:
```sh
helm show values elastic/eck-operator
```
For example, the parameter `caValidity` in the Helm chart corresponds to the `ca-cert-validity` ECK parameter. To add the `caValidity` setting with a value of `43800h`, you can use either of the following methods:
### Option 1: Use a values file and reference it in the helm upgrade command:
Create a values file with the following content:
```yaml
config:
caValidity: 43800h
```
Then, update the installed release pointing to the values file:
```sh
helm upgrade elastic-operator elastic/eck-operator -f my-values-file.yaml -n elastic-system
```
### Option 2: Use `--set` in the helm upgrade command
```sh
helm upgrade elastic-operator elastic/eck-operator --set config.caValidity=43800h -n elastic-system
```
## Using the operator YAML manifests
If you installed ECK using the manifests and the commands listed in [Deploy ECK](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/deploy-manage/deploy/cloud-on-k8s/install-using-yaml-manifest-quickstart), you can configure it by editing the `eck.yaml` key of the `elastic-operator` ConfigMap. Add, remove or update any configuration setting there and the operator will restart automatically to apply the new changes unless the `--disable-config-watch` flag is set.
You can update the ConfigMap directly using the command `kubectl edit configmap elastic-operator -n elastic-system` or modify the installation manifests and reapply them with `kubectl apply -f `.
The following shows the default `elastic-operator` ConfigMap, for reference purposes. Refer to [ECK configuration flags](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/reference/cloud-on-k8s/eck-configuration-flags) for a complete list of available settings.
```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
name: elastic-operator
namespace: elastic-system
data:
eck.yaml: |-
log-verbosity: 0
metrics-port: 0
container-registry: docker.elastic.co
max-concurrent-reconciles: 3
ca-cert-validity: 8760h
ca-cert-rotate-before: 24h
cert-validity: 8760h
cert-rotate-before: 24h
disable-config-watch: false
exposed-node-labels: [topology.kubernetes.io/.*,failure-domain.beta.kubernetes.io/.*]
set-default-security-context: auto-detect
kube-client-timeout: 60s
elasticsearch-client-timeout: 180s
disable-telemetry: false
distribution-channel: all-in-one
validate-storage-class: true
enable-webhook: true
webhook-name: elastic-webhook.k8s.elastic.co
webhook-port: 9443
operator-namespace: elastic-system
enable-leader-election: true
elasticsearch-observation-interval: 10s
ubi-only: false
password-length: 24
```
Alternatively, you can edit the `elastic-operator` StatefulSet and add flags to the `args` section of the operator container — which will trigger an automatic restart of the operator pod by the StatefulSet controller.
## Configure ECK under Operator Lifecycle Manager
If you use [Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM)](https://github.com/operator-framework/operator-lifecycle-manager) to install and run ECK, follow these steps to configure the operator:
- Create a new ConfigMap in the same namespace as the operator. It should contain a key named `eck.yaml` pointing to the desired configuration values.
```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
name: elastic-operator
namespace: openshift-operators
data:
eck.yaml: |-
log-verbosity: 0
metrics-port: 6060
container-registry: docker.elastic.co
max-concurrent-reconciles: 3
ca-cert-validity: 8760h
ca-cert-rotate-before: 24h
cert-validity: 8760h
cert-rotate-before: 24h
```
- Update your [Subscription](https://github.com/operator-framework/operator-lifecycle-manager/blob/master/doc/design/subscription-config.md) to mount the ConfigMap under `/conf`.
```yaml
apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
kind: Subscription
metadata:
name: elastic-cloud-eck
namespace: openshift-operators
spec:
channel: stable
installPlanApproval: Automatic
name: elastic-cloud-eck
source: elastic-operators
sourceNamespace: openshift-marketplace
startingCSV: elastic-cloud-eck.v3.3.2
config:
volumes:
- name: config
configMap:
name: elastic-operator
volumeMounts:
- name: config
mountPath: /conf
readOnly: true
```
## Advanced configuration methods
ECK can be configured using either command-line flags, environment variables or a file containing the operator configuration, pointed by `--config` flag.
For most use cases, Elastic recommends configuring ECK through the `elastic-operator` ConfigMap, which is included by default in all installation methods.This section provides a low-level overview of alternative configuration methods, primarily intended for developers or advanced users who might need to start the operator binary manually or adjust its configuration without modifying the ConfigMap. The implementation of these methods through Kubernetes manifests is out of the scope of this document.
To pass configuration options as environment variables, convert the flag name to upper case and replace any dashes (`-`) with underscores (`_`). For example, the `log-verbosity` flag can be set by an environment variable named `LOG_VERBOSITY`.
If you use a combination of all or some of these methods, the descending order of precedence in case of a conflict is as follows:
- Flag
- Environment variable
- File
If you have a large number of configuration options to specify, use the `--config` flag to point to a file containing those options. For example, assume you have a file named `eck-config.yaml` with the following content:
```yaml
log-verbosity: 2
metrics-port: 6060
namespaces: [ns1, ns2, ns3]
```
The operator can be started using any of the following methods to achieve the same end result:
```sh
./elastic-operator manager --config=eck-config.yaml
```
```sh
./elastic-operator manager --log-verbosity=2 --metrics-port=6060 --namespaces=ns1,ns2,ns3
```
```sh
LOG_VERBOSITY=2 METRICS_PORT=6060 NAMESPACES="ns1,ns2,ns3" ./elastic-operator manager
```