Step by step Install elasticsearch on wsl2 + ubuntu

install_elasticsearch_ubuntu_wsl2.sh

// elasticsearch version 7 
wget https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/elasticsearch/elasticsearch-oss-7.5.2-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
wget https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/elasticsearch/elasticsearch-oss-7.5.2-linux-x86_64.tar.gz.sha512
shasum -a 512 -c elasticsearch-oss-7.5.2-linux-x86_64.tar.gz.sha512 
tar -xzf elasticsearch-oss-7.5.2-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
cd elasticsearch-oss-7.5.2/
echo 'export ES_HOME="$HOME/elasticsearch-7.5.2/"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'export PATH="$ES_HOME/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
exec $SHELL

// elasticsearch version 6
wget https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/elasticsearch/elasticsearch-6.8.20.tar.gz
wget https://artifacts.elastic.co/downloads/elasticsearch/elasticsearch-6.8.20.tar.gz.sha512
shasum -a 512 -c elasticsearch-6.8.20.tar.gz.sha512
tar -xzf elasticsearch-6.8.20.tar.gz
cd elasticsearch-6.8.20/
echo 'export ES_HOME="$HOME/elasticsearch-6.8.20/"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'export PATH="$ES_HOME/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
exec $SHELL

// Just in case missing JAVA_HOME
// if not installed, do install first
sudo apt install openjdk-11-jdk
echo 'export JAVA_HOME="/usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64"'  >> ~/.bashrc


Run with command:
elasticsearch

On Ubuntu, modify this script and add it as /etc/init.d/elasticsearch .

Then use cmds - sudo /etc/init.d/elasticsearch start, sudo /etc/init.d/elasticsearch stop

#!/bin/sh
#
# /etc/init.d/elasticsearch -- startup script for Elasticsearch
#
# Written by Miquel van Smoorenburg <[email protected]>.
# Modified for Debian GNU/Linux by Ian Murdock <[email protected]>.
# Modified for Tomcat by Stefan Gybas <[email protected]>.
# Modified for Tomcat6 by Thierry Carrez <[email protected]>.
# Additional improvements by Jason Brittain <[email protected]>.
# Modified by Nicolas Huray for Elasticsearch <[email protected]>.
#
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:          elasticsearch
# Required-Start:    $network $remote_fs $named
# Required-Stop:     $network $remote_fs $named
# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
# Short-Description: Starts elasticsearch
# Description:       Starts elasticsearch using start-stop-daemon
### END INIT INFO

PATH=/bin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/usr/sbin
NAME=elasticsearch
DESC="Elasticsearch Server"
DEFAULT=/etc/default/$NAME

if [ `id -u` -ne 0 ]; then
    echo "You need root privileges to run this script"
    exit 1
fi


. /lib/lsb/init-functions
. /lib/lsb/init-functions.d/50-ubuntu-logging

if [ -r /etc/default/rcS ]; then
    . /etc/default/rcS
fi


# The following variables can be overwritten in $DEFAULT

# Run Elasticsearch as this user ID and group ID
ES_USER=root
ES_GROUP=root

# The first existing directory is used for JAVA_HOME (if JAVA_HOME is not defined in $DEFAULT)
JDK_DIRS="/opt/jvm/amazon-corretto-11.0.16.9.1-linux-x64 /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/ /usr/lib/jvm/j2sdk1.8-oracle/ /usr/lib/jvm/jdk-7-oracle-x64 /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-oracle /usr/lib/jvm/j2sdk1.7-oracle/ /usr/lib/jvm/jav
a-7-openjdk /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-amd64/ /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-armhf /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-i386/ /usr/lib/jvm/default-java"

# Look for the right JVM to use
for jdir in $JDK_DIRS; do
    if [ -r "$jdir/bin/java" -a -z "${JAVA_HOME}" ]; then
        JAVA_HOME="$jdir"
    fi
done
export JAVA_HOME

# Directory where the Elasticsearch binary distribution resides
#ES_HOME=/usr/share/$NAME
ES_HOME=/opt/databases/elasticsearch/$NAME

# Heap size defaults to 256m min, 1g max
# Set ES_HEAP_SIZE to 50% of available RAM, but no more than 31g
ES_HEAP_SIZE=2g

# Heap new generation
#ES_HEAP_NEWSIZE=

# max direct memory
#ES_DIRECT_SIZE=

# Additional Java OPTS
#ES_JAVA_OPTS=

# Maximum number of open files
MAX_OPEN_FILES=65535

# Maximum amount of locked memory
#MAX_LOCKED_MEMORY=

# Elasticsearch log directory
LOG_DIR=/opt/databases/elasticsearch/$NAME/logs

# Elasticsearch data directory
DATA_DIR=/opt/databases/elasticsearch/$NAME/data

# Elasticsearch work directory
WORK_DIR=/tmp/$NAME

# Elasticsearch configuration directory
CONF_DIR=/opt/databases/elasticsearch/$NAME/config

# Elasticsearch configuration file (elasticsearch.yml)
CONF_FILE=$CONF_DIR/elasticsearch.yml

# Maximum number of VMA (Virtual Memory Areas) a process can own
MAX_MAP_COUNT=262144

# End of variables that can be overwritten in $DEFAULT

# overwrite settings from default file
if [ -f "$DEFAULT" ]; then
    . "$DEFAULT"
fi

# Define other required variables
PID_FILE=/var/run/$NAME.pid
DAEMON=$ES_HOME/bin/elasticsearch
DAEMON_OPTS="-d -p $PID_FILE --default.config=$CONF_FILE --default.path.home=$ES_HOME --default.path.logs=$LOG_DIR --default.path.data=$DATA_DIR --default.path.work=$WORK_
DIR --default.path.conf=$CONF_DIR"

export ES_HEAP_SIZE
export ES_HEAP_NEWSIZE
export ES_DIRECT_SIZE
export ES_JAVA_OPTS

# Check DAEMON exists
test -x $DAEMON || exit 0

checkJava() {
    if [ -x "$JAVA_HOME/bin/java" ]; then
        JAVA="$JAVA_HOME/bin/java"
    else
        JAVA=`which java`
    fi

    if [ ! -x "$JAVA" ]; then
        echo "Could not find any executable java binary. Please install java in your PATH or set JAVA_HOME"
        exit 1
    fi
}

case "$1" in
  start)
    checkJava

    if [ -n "$MAX_LOCKED_MEMORY" -a -z "$ES_HEAP_SIZE" ]; then
        log_failure_msg "MAX_LOCKED_MEMORY is set - ES_HEAP_SIZE must also be set"
        exit 1
    fi

    log_daemon_msg "Starting $DESC"

    pid=`pidofproc -p $PID_FILE elasticsearch`
    if [ -n "$pid" ] ; then
        log_begin_msg "Already running."
        log_end_msg 0
        exit 0
    fi

    # Prepare environment
    mkdir -p "$LOG_DIR" "$DATA_DIR" "$WORK_DIR" && chown "$ES_USER":"$ES_GROUP" "$LOG_DIR" "$DATA_DIR" "$WORK_DIR"
    touch "$PID_FILE" && chown "$ES_USER":"$ES_GROUP" "$PID_FILE"

    if [ -n "$MAX_OPEN_FILES" ]; then
        ulimit -n $MAX_OPEN_FILES
    fi

    if [ -n "$MAX_LOCKED_MEMORY" ]; then
        ulimit -l $MAX_LOCKED_MEMORY
    fi

    if [ -n "$MAX_MAP_COUNT" -a -f /proc/sys/vm/max_map_count ]; then
        sysctl -q -w vm.max_map_count=$MAX_MAP_COUNT
    fi

    # Start Daemon
    start-stop-daemon --start -b --user "$ES_USER" -c "$ES_USER" --pidfile "$PID_FILE" --exec $DAEMON -- $DAEMON_OPTS
    return=$?
    if [ $return -eq 0 ]
    then
        i=0
        timeout=10
        # Wait for the process to be properly started before exiting
        until { cat "$PID_FILE" | xargs kill -0; } >/dev/null 2>&1
        do
            sleep 1
            i=$(($i + 1))
            [ $i -gt $timeout ] && log_end_msg 1
        done
    else
        log_end_msg $return
    fi
    ;;      
  stop)
    log_daemon_msg "Stopping $DESC"

    if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then 
        start-stop-daemon --stop --pidfile "$PID_FILE" \
            --user "$ES_USER" \
            --retry=TERM/20/KILL/5 >/dev/null
        if [ $? -eq 1 ]; then
            log_progress_msg "$DESC is not running but pid file exists, cleaning up"
        elif [ $? -eq 3 ]; then
            PID="`cat $PID_FILE`"
            log_failure_msg "Failed to stop $DESC (pid $PID)"
            exit 1
        fi
        rm -f "$PID_FILE"
    else
        log_progress_msg "(not running)"
    fi
    log_end_msg 0
    ;;
  status)
    status_of_proc -p $PID_FILE elasticsearch elasticsearch && exit 0 || exit $?
    ;;
  restart|force-reload)
    if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
        $0 stop
        sleep 1
    fi
    $0 start
    ;;
  *)
    log_success_msg "Usage: $0 {start|stop|restart|force-reload|status}"
    exit 1
    ;;
esac

exit 0

Recently we released start-local script to try Elasticsearch also on Windows using WSL2.

Recently we released start-local script to try Elasticsearch also on Windows using WSL2.

I do not use docker. If docker is a requirement as state in the README then that pose a difficulty for people like me.

Do not ask me why I do not use docker, because I am using a laptop that cannot.

We require Docker since start-local install two services Elasticsearch and Kibana and this is the easy way to try the Elastic stack on-prem. That said start-local is not an installer is more a tool. If you cannot use Docker, I suggest to download the Elasticsearch Windows version here. You need also to download Kibana from here.

We require Docker since start-local install two services Elasticsearch and Kibana and this is the easy way to try the Elastic stack on-prem. That said start-local is not an installer is more a tool. If you cannot use Docker, I suggest to download the Elasticsearch Windows version here. You need also to download Kibana from here.

I use windows WSL2. And find non frontend programming comforting there