[[connect-to-elasticsearch]]
== Add data
++++
<titleabbrev>Add data</titleabbrev>
++++

To start working with your data in {kib}, use one of the many ingest options,
available from the home page.
You can collect data from an app or service
or upload a file that contains your data.  If you're not ready to use your own data,
add a sample data set and give {kib} a test drive.

[role="screenshot"]
image::images/add-data-home.png[Built-in options for adding data to Kibana:  Add data, Add Elastic Agent, Upload a file]

[float]
[[add-data-tutorial-kibana]]
===  Add data

Want to ingest logs, metrics, security, or application data?
Install and configure a Beats data shipper or other module to periodically collect the data
and send it to {es}. You can then use the pre-built dashboards to explore and analyze the data.

[role="screenshot"]
image::images/add-data-tutorials.png[Add Data tutorials]

[discrete]
=== Add Elastic Agent

*Elastic Agent* is the next generation of
data integration modules, offering
a centralized way to set up your integrations.
With *Fleet*, you can add
and manage integrations for popular services and platforms, providing
an easy way to collect your data. The integrations
ship with dashboards and visualizations,
so you can quickly get insights into your data.

To get started, refer to
{fleet-guide}/fleet-quick-start.html[Quick start: Get logs and metrics into the Elastic Stack].

[role="screenshot"]
image::images/add-data-fleet.png[Add data using Fleet]

[discrete]
[[upload-data-kibana]]
=== Upload a file

If you have a log file or delimited CSV, TSV, or JSON file, you can upload it,
view its fields and metrics, and optionally import it into {es}.

NOTE: This feature is not intended for use as part of a repeated production
process, but rather for the initial exploration of your data.

You can upload a file up to 100 MB. This value is configurable up to 1 GB in
<<fileupload-maxfilesize,Advanced Settings>>. To upload a file with geospatial
data, refer to <<import-geospatial-data,Import geospatial data>>.

[role="screenshot"]
image::images/add-data-fv.png[Uploading a file in {kib}]

The {stack-security-features} provide roles and privileges that control which
users can upload files. To upload a file in {kib} and import it into an {es}
index, you'll need:

* `all` {kib} privileges for *Discover*
* `manage_pipeline` or `manage_ingest_pipelines` cluster privilege
* `create`, `create_index`, `manage`, and `read` index privileges for the index

You can manage your roles, privileges, and spaces in **{stack-manage-app}** in
{kib}. For more information, refer to
<<xpack-kibana-role-management,{kib} role management>>.

[discrete]
=== Additional options for loading your data

If the {kib} ingest options don't work for you, you can index your
data into Elasticsearch with {ref}/getting-started-index.html[REST APIs]
or https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/client/index.html[client libraries].
After you add your data, you're required to create an <<index-patterns,index pattern>> to tell
{kib} where to find the data.

* To add data for Elastic Observability, refer to {observability-guide}/add-observability-data.html[Send data to Elasticsearch].
* To add data for Elastic Security, refer to https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/security/current/ingest-data.html[Ingest data to Elastic Security].
