Configure Kibana memory
Kibana has a default memory limit that scales based on total memory available.
The default limit is sufficient for core Kibana functionality. In some scenarios, such as large reporting jobs, detection rules, managing alerting workflows, or working with SLOs, we recommend increasing memory limits to at least 2 GB to meet more specific performance requirements.
For Platinum and Enterprise users, we recommend at least 2 GB of memory for each Kibana instance to avoid service interruptions when using advanced features.
A limit can be defined by setting --max-old-space-size in the node.options config file found inside the kibana/config folder or any other folder configured with the environment variable KBN_PATH_CONF. For example, in the Debian-based system, the folder is /etc/kibana.
The option accepts a limit in MB:
--max-old-space-size=2048
Starting in Kibana version 9.4.0, containers set the default Node.js heap to 75% of available memory, up to a maximum of 4096 MB. Previously, this was set to 50% regardless of the environment.
In orchestrated environments like Elastic Cloud Hosted, Elastic Cloud Enterprise, you should not override Kibana’s default memory limit using --max-old-space-size. Instead, set the desired Kibana memory size at the deployment level. This automatically adjusts the container’s memory allocation and ensures more consistent and predictable performance.
In Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes, the Kibana memory size is not automatically adjusted, but the default memory size logic applies. You can override the default memory settings if they do not meet your requirements. Review ECK - Manage compute resources for more guidance.