Encryption in transit and at rest in Elasticsearch - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Encryption in transit and at rest

Data Created

↓

Encrypt Data at Rest

↓

Store Encrypted Data

↓

Request Data

↓

Encrypt Data in Transit

↓

Send Data Securely

↓

Decrypt Data at Receiver

Data is encrypted before storage (at rest) and also encrypted while moving between systems (in transit) to keep it safe.

Execution Sample

Elasticsearch

PUT /my_index
{
  "settings": {
    "index": {
      "xpack.security.enabled": true
    },
    "xpack.security.transport.ssl.enabled": true
  }
}

This config enables encryption for data at rest and in transit in Elasticsearch.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Encryption Type	Result
1	Data is created and prepared for storage	None yet	Data ready to be stored
2	Encrypt data before saving to disk	Encryption at Rest	Data stored encrypted on disk
3	Client requests data from Elasticsearch	None yet	Request sent
4	Encrypt data while sending over network	Encryption in Transit	Data sent securely
5	Receiver decrypts data after receiving	Decryption	Data usable by client
6	End of process	N/A	Data protected both at rest and in transit

💡 All data is protected by encryption when stored and when sent over the network

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 2	After Step 4	Final
Data	Plaintext	Encrypted at Rest	Encrypted in Transit	Decrypted for use

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why do we need encryption both at rest and in transit?

Encryption at rest protects data on disk (see Step 2), while encryption in transit protects data moving over the network (see Step 4). Both are needed for full security.

Is data usable when encrypted?

No, data must be decrypted after receiving (Step 5) to be usable by the client.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, at which step is data encrypted before saving to disk?

A Step 5

B Step 4

C Step 2

D Step 1

💡 Hint

Check the 'Encryption Type' column for 'Encryption at Rest' in the execution_table.

According to the variable tracker, what is the state of data after Step 4?

A Encrypted in Transit

B Plaintext

C Encrypted at Rest

D Decrypted for use

💡 Hint

Look at the 'After Step 4' column for 'Data' in the variable_tracker.

If encryption in transit was disabled, which step would be affected in the execution table?

A Step 2

B Step 4

C Step 5

D Step 1

💡 Hint

Step 4 shows 'Encryption in Transit' in the execution_table.

Concept Snapshot

Encryption in transit and at rest:
- Encrypt data before storing on disk (at rest)
- Encrypt data while sending over network (in transit)
- Use Elasticsearch settings to enable both
- Data must be decrypted to be used
- Both encryptions protect data from different threats

Full Transcript

This visual execution shows how data is protected in Elasticsearch by encrypting it both when stored on disk and when sent over the network. First, data is created in plaintext. Then it is encrypted before saving to disk, protecting it at rest. When a client requests data, the data is encrypted again while traveling over the network, protecting it in transit. Finally, the client decrypts the data to use it. This two-step encryption ensures data safety from unauthorized access both on storage and during communication.