---
title: Setup
description: To use transforms, you must have: at least one transform node,management features visible in the Kibana space, and, security privileges that:. Assigning...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/explore-analyze/transforms/transform-setup
products:
  - Elasticsearch
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless: Generally available
  - Elastic Stack: Generally available
---

# Setup
## Requirements overview

To use transforms, you must have:
- at least one [transform node](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/deploy-manage/distributed-architecture/clusters-nodes-shards/node-roles#transform-node-role),
- management features visible in the Kibana space, and
- security privileges that:
  - grant use of transforms, and
- grant access to source and destination indices


## Security privileges

Assigning security privileges affects how users access transforms. Consider the two main categories:
- **[Elasticsearch API user](#transform-es-security-privileges)**: uses an Elasticsearch client, cURL, or Kibana **Dev Tools** to access transforms through Elasticsearch APIs. This scenario requires Elasticsearch security privileges.
- **[Kibana user](#transform-kib-security-privileges)**: uses transforms in Kibana. This scenario requires Kibana feature privileges *and* Elasticsearch security privileges.


### Elasticsearch API user

To *manage* transforms, you must meet all of the following requirements:
- `transform_admin` built-in role or `manage_transform` cluster privileges,
- `read` and `view_index_metadata` index privileges on source indices, and
- `create_index`, `index`, `manage`, and `read` index privileges on destination indices. If a `retention_policy` is configured, `delete` index privilege is also required on the destination index.

To view only the configuration and status of transforms, you must have:
- `transform_user` built-in role or `monitor_transform` cluster privileges

For more information about Elasticsearch roles and privileges, refer to [Built-in roles](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/reference/elasticsearch/roles) and [Security privileges](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/reference/elasticsearch/security-privileges).

### Kibana user

Within a Kibana space, for full access to transforms, you must meet all of the following requirements:
- Management features visible in the Kibana space, including `Data View Management` and `Stack Monitoring`,
- `monitoring_user` built-in role,
- `transform_admin` built-in role or `manage_transform` cluster privileges,
- `kibana_admin` built-in role or a custom role with `read` or `all` Kibana privileges for the `Data View Management` feature (dependent on whether data views already exist for your destination indices),
- data views for your source indices,
- `read` and `view_index_metadata` index privileges on source indices, and
- `create_index`, `index`, `manage`, and `read` index privileges on destination indices. Additionally, when using a `retention_policy`, `delete` index privilege is required on destination indices.
- `read_pipeline` cluster privileges, if the transform uses an ingest pipeline

Within a Kibana space, for read-only access to transforms, you must meet all of the following requirements:
- Management features visible in the Kibana space, including `Stack Monitoring`,
- `monitoring_user` built-in role,
- `transform_user` built-in role or `monitor_transform` cluster privileges,
- `kibana_admin` built-in role or a custom role with `read` Kibana privileges for at least one feature in the space,
- data views for your source and destination indices, and
- `read`, and `view_index_metadata` index privileges on source indices and destination indices

For more information and Kibana security features, see [Kibana role management](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/defining-roles) and [Kibana privileges](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/deploy-manage/users-roles/cluster-or-deployment-auth/kibana-privileges).

## Kibana spaces

[Spaces](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3028/deploy-manage/manage-spaces) enable you to organize your source and destination indices and other saved objects in Kibana and to see only the objects that belong to your space. However, a transform is a long running task which is managed on cluster level and therefore not limited in scope to certain spaces. Space awareness can be implemented for a data view under **Stack Management > Kibana** which allows privileges to the transform destination index.
To successfully create transforms in Kibana, you must be logged into a space where the source indices are visible and the `Data View Management` and `Stack Monitoring` features are visible.