Managing Kibana Spaces

1. Understanding Spaces

Property	Description	Default Value	Notes
name	Unique identifier for the space	None	Required field
description	Human-readable description of the space	Empty string	Optional field
disabled	Flag to disable the space	false	Boolean value
icon	Icon to represent the space visually	Default Kibana icon	Optional field

Example: Creating a Space

{
  "name": "Production",
  "description": "Space for production environment logs",
  "disabled": false,
  "icon": "cube"
}

Note: Spaces in Kibana are used to isolate data and visualizations. Each space has its own set of indices, dashboards, and visualizations.

Warning: Spaces are not a security feature. They do not restrict access to data or dashboards based on user roles.

2. Creating Spaces

Example: Create a Space via Kibana UI

// Navigate to Kibana > Management > Spaces
// Click "Create space"
// Fill in the form with:
{
  "name": "Production-Environment",
  "id": "production-env",
  "description": "Space for production monitoring"
}

Field	Description	Required
name	Human-readable name for the space	Yes
id	Unique identifier for the space (lowercase, no spaces)	Yes
description	Optional description of the space's purpose	No
icon	Icon to represent the space (e.g., "dashboard")	No

Note: The space ID must be unique and cannot be changed after creation.

Warning: Spaces are isolated; data in one space does not automatically appear in another.

3. Configuring Space Features

Feature	Description	Configuration	Status
Space Features	Enables or disables features within a Kibana space	`space.features`	NEW
Analytics	Enables analytics capabilities in the space	`space.features.analytics`	DEPRECATED
Canvas	Enables Canvas app in the space	`space.features.canvas`	NEW
Discover	Enables Discover app in the space	`space.features.discover`	NEW
Dashboard	Enables Dashboard app in the space	`space.features.dashboard`	NEW
Visualize	Enables Visualize app in the space	`space.features.visualize`	NEW
Timelion	Enables Timelion app in the space	`space.features.timelion`	DEPRECATED
Maps	Enables Maps app in the space	`space.features.maps`	NEW
Graph	Enables Graph app in the space	`space.features.graph`	NEW
Security	Enables Security features in the space	`space.features.security`	NEW

Example: Enabling Space Features

{
  "space": {
    "features": {
      "analytics": true,
      "canvas": false,
      "discover": true,
      "dashboard": true,
      "visualize": true,
      "timelion": false,
      "maps": true,
      "graph": true,
      "security": true
    }
  }
}

Note: The space.features configuration is available in Kibana 8.10+.

Warning: Disabling features like analytics or timelion may cause issues with existing visualizations or dashboards that depend on them.

4. Setting Space Logo

Property	Value	Description
spaceId	`string`	The unique identifier of the Kibana space
logo	`object`	Configuration object for the space logo
logo.src	`string`	URL or path to the logo image
logo.alt	`string`	Alternative text for accessibility

Example: Setting Space Logo

{
  "spaceId": "my-space",
  "logo": {
    "src": "/images/my-logo.png",
    "alt": "My Company Logo"
  }
}

5. Copying Saved Objects

Property	Description	Values
sourceSpace	Source space from which to copy saved objects	`string`
targetSpace	Target space where saved objects will be copied	`string`
objects	List of saved object types and IDs to copy	`Array<{type: string, id: string}>`

Example: Copying Saved Objects Between Spaces

{
  "sourceSpace": "production",
  "targetSpace": "staging",
  "objects": [
    {
      "type": "dashboard",
      "id": "my-dashboard-123"
    },
    {
      "type": "index-pattern",
      "id": "my-index-pattern-456"
    }
  ]
}

Note: Ensure that the target space has appropriate permissions to receive the copied objects.

6. Moving Objects Between Spaces

Workflow to Move Kibana Objects Between Spaces

Log into Kibana with sufficient privileges to manage spaces and objects
Navigate to Stack Management > Spaces
Select the source space from which objects will be moved
Go to Objects tab within the source space
Select the objects to move (e.g., visualizations, dashboards, saved searches)
Click Move to space button
Choose the destination space from the dropdown list
Confirm the move operation

Object Type	Movable?	Notes
Dashboard	`true`	Can be moved between spaces
Visualization	`true`	Can be moved between spaces
Saved Search	`true`	Can be moved between spaces
Index Pattern	`false`	Must be recreated in target space
Lens	`true`	Can be moved between spaces

Note: Moving objects between spaces does not alter the underlying data or index patterns. Index patterns must be recreated in the target space if they do not exist.

7. Setting Default Space

Property	Value	Description
kibana.default_space.id	`default`	Identifier for the default space
kibana.default_space.name	`Default`	Name of the default space
kibana.default_space.description	`Default space for Kibana`	Description of the default space

Example: Configure Default Space in kibana.yml

kibana:
  default_space:
    id: "default"
    name: "Default"
    description: "Default space for Kibana"

Note: The default space is used when no space is explicitly specified in the URL or when a user accesses Kibana without a space context.

8. Managing Space Permissions

Permission	Description	Role Required	Notes
space:read	Read access to space content	Space Reader	Allows viewing dashboards, visualizations, and saved objects
space:write	Write access to space content	Space Writer	Allows creating and modifying dashboards, visualizations, and saved objects
space:admin	Full administrative control over space	Space Administrator	Allows managing users, roles, and permissions within the space

Example: Assigning Space Permissions via Kibana UI

POST /api/spaces/spaceId/permissions
{
  "users": [
    {
      "username": "user1",
      "permissions": ["space:read", "space:write"]
    }
  ]
}

Note: Space permissions are managed at the Kibana level and do not affect Elasticsearch permissions directly.

9. Organizing Dashboards

Dashboard Property	Description	Values
title	Name of the dashboard	`string`
spaceId	Identifier for the Kibana space	`string`
timeFrom	Initial time range start	`string`
timeTo	Initial time range end	`string`
refreshInterval	Auto-refresh interval in seconds	`number`

Example: Creating a Dashboard with Space ID

{
  "title": "System Metrics Dashboard",
  "spaceId": "production",
  "timeFrom": "now-1h",
  "timeTo": "now",
  "refreshInterval": 30
}

Note: Dashboards in Kibana can be organized into different spaces to isolate data and views. Each space has its own set of dashboards, visualizations, and saved searches.

Dashboard Organization Best Practices

Create dashboards per team or environment (e.g., dev, staging, production)
Use descriptive titles to quickly identify dashboard purpose
Set appropriate refresh intervals for real-time monitoring needs
Utilize Kibana's space feature to prevent dashboard clutter and maintain data isolation

10. Using Space Selectors

Space selectors in Kibana allow you to filter and view data within specific Kibana spaces. These selectors are essential for managing access and visibility of data across different environments or teams.

Selector Type	Description	Usage
Space Selector Dropdown	Dropdown menu to switch between available Kibana spaces.	Located in the top navigation bar, accessible to users with appropriate permissions.
Space Selector API	API endpoint to programmatically select or switch spaces.	Used in scripts or integrations to automate space switching.

Example: Switching Spaces via API

curl -X POST "http://localhost:5601/api/spaces/space-selector" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"spaceId": "my-space"}'

Note: Ensure that the user has appropriate permissions to access the target space. Unauthorized access attempts will be denied.

11. Importing Objects to Space

Example: Importing Saved Objects

{
  "objects": [
    {
      "id": "dashboard-1",
      "type": "dashboard",
      "space": "marketing"
    },
    {
      "id": "visualization-1",
      "type": "visualization",
      "space": "marketing"
    }
  ],
  "overwrite": true
}

Field	Description	Values
objects	List of objects to import	Array of object definitions
overwrite	Overwrite existing objects	`true` or `false`
space	Target space for import	String identifier

Note: Ensure the target space exists before importing objects.

Warning: Overwriting objects may cause loss of customizations.

12. Deleting Spaces

Property	Description	Value
spaceId	Unique identifier of the Kibana space to delete	`string`
force	Flag to force deletion even if space contains data	`boolean`

Example: Delete a Kibana Space

const deleteSpace = async (spaceId, force = false) => {
  const response = await fetch(\`http://localhost:5601/api/spaces/space/\${spaceId}?force=\${force}\`, {
    method: 'DELETE',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'Authorization': 'Bearer <your-token>'
    }
  });

  if (response.ok) {
    console.log(\`Space \${spaceId} deleted successfully.\`);
  } else {
    console.error(\`Failed to delete space \${spaceId}.\`);
  }
};

Note: Deleting a space is irreversible and will permanently remove all associated data and configurations.

Warning: Use force: true with caution as it will delete all data within the space without confirmation.