Where Does Kibana Store Config and Dashboards?
Kibana reads kibana.yml for host, Elasticsearch, and logging settings, with saved objects like dashboards living in Elasticsearch indices rather than files.
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Kibana separates config files from content decisively. The YAML file holds connection strings, logging, and feature flags for the node itself. Every dashboard, visualization, and saved search lives as documents inside Elasticsearch.
That split surprises file oriented admins twice. Backing up Kibana means the YAML plus an Elasticsearch snapshot, never the install folder. Scaling out adds stateless Kibana nodes against the same backend without moving any content.
Where Kibana stores this, by platform
/etc/kibana/kibana.yml
Node config for hosts, logging, and features. Content lives in Elasticsearch saved objects, migrated via NDJSON export. Back up both halves.
Frequently asked questions
How do I migrate Kibana dashboards?
Use the Stack Management saved objects UI to export NDJSON, or the export API for automation. Spaces separate tenants cleanly for partial moves. Version mismatches between instances break imports.
Where are Kibana dashboards actually stored?
Point the elasticsearch.hosts setting at the cluster in kibana.yml and restart. Saved objects follow the cluster, not the Kibana node. Multiple Kibana nodes share one Elasticsearch backend normally.
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