Briefly, this error occurs when Elasticsearch is unable to execute a pipeline for a bulk request. This could be due to a variety of reasons such as incorrect pipeline configuration, insufficient resources, or a problem with the data being processed. To resolve this issue, you can check the pipeline configuration for errors, ensure that Elasticsearch has enough resources (like memory and CPU), and verify the integrity of the data being processed. If the problem persists, consider breaking down the bulk request into smaller parts to ease the load on the system.
This guide will help you check for common problems that cause the log ” failed to execute pipeline for a bulk request ” to appear. To understand the issues related to this log, read the explanation below about the following Elasticsearch concepts: bulk, request.
Overview
In Elasticsearch, when using the Bulk API it is possible to perform many write operations in a single API call, which increases the indexing speed. Using the Bulk API is more efficient than sending multiple separate requests. This can be done for the following four actions:
- Index
- Update
- Create
- Delete
Examples
The bulk request below will index a document, delete another document, and update an existing document.
POST _bulk
{ "index" : { "_index" : "myindex", "_id" : "1" } }
{ "field1" : "value" }
{ "delete" : { "_index" : "myindex", "_id" : "2" } }
{ "update" : {"_id" : "1", "_index" : "myindex"} }
{ "doc" : {"field2" : "value5"} }Notes
- Bulk API is useful when you need to index data streams that can be queued up and indexed in batches of hundreds or thousands, such as logs.
- There is no correct number of actions or limits to perform on a single bulk call, but you will need to figure out the optimum number by experimentation, given the cluster size, number of nodes, hardware specs etc.
Log Context
Log “failed to execute pipeline for a bulk request” classname is TransportBulkAction.java.
We extracted the following from Elasticsearch source code for those seeking an in-depth context :
original.numberOfActions();
() -> bulkRequestModifier;
bulkRequestModifier::markItemAsFailed;
(originalThread; exception) -> {
if (exception != null) {
logger.error("failed to execute pipeline for a bulk request"; exception);
listener.onFailure(exception);
} else {
long ingestTookInMillis = TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS.toMillis(System.nanoTime() - ingestStartTimeInNanos);
BulkRequest bulkRequest = bulkRequestModifier.getBulkRequest();
ActionListener actionListener = bulkRequestModifier.wrapActionListenerIfNeeded(ingestTookInMillis;
