OpenSearch Dashboards Build Configuration

This guide provides comprehensive documentation for OpenSearch Dashboards build configuration using manifest files, focusing on XDR (Extended Detection and Response) platform integration and enterprise security plugin management.

Open Table of Contents

Understanding Build Manifests
- Manifest Schema Overview
Core Build Configuration
Plugin Configuration
XDR Platform Integration
Build Process Automation
- Build Script Example
- CI/CD Integration
  - GitHub Actions Workflow
Security Considerations
- Repository Security
  - Access Control
  - Commit Verification
- Build Security
  - Checksum Validation
  - Secure Build Environment
Testing and Validation
- Manifest Validation
- Plugin Compatibility Testing
Deployment Strategies
- Production Deployment
  - Package Installation
  - Configuration Management
- Docker Deployment
Monitoring and Maintenance
- Health Monitoring
- Update Management
Troubleshooting
- Common Issues
  - Plugin Installation Failures
  - Build Process Debugging
Best Practices
Conclusion

Understanding Build Manifests

Build manifests are essential configuration files that define how OpenSearch Dashboards should be compiled, which plugins to include, and how components should be integrated. They serve as the blueprint for creating customized OpenSearch Dashboards distributions.

Manifest Schema Overview

schema-version: "1.2"
build:
  name: OpenSearch Dashboards
  version: 2.18.0
  platform: linux
  architecture: x64
  distribution: [deb|rpm|tar]
  id: unique-build-identifier
components:
  - name: component-name
    repository: git-repository-url
    ref: version-or-branch
    commit_id: specific-commit-hash
    artifacts:
      plugins:
        - plugins/plugin-name-version.zip
    version: semantic-version

Core Build Configuration

Debian Package Configuration

---
schema-version: "1.2"
build:
  name: OpenSearch Dashboards
  version: 2.18.0
  platform: linux
  architecture: x64
  distribution: deb
  id: 71d717038f66462ca1c5e49883162343
components:
  - name: OpenSearch-Dashboards
    repository: https://github.com/Infopercept/xdr-dashboard-osd.git
    ref: 2.18.0
    commit_id: 1706584d94159e38a77dc50340786d00d582f4d8
    artifacts:
      dist:
        - dist/opensearch-dashboards-min-2.18.0-amd64.deb
    version: 2.18.0.0

RPM Package Configuration

---
schema-version: "1.2"
build:
  name: OpenSearch Dashboards
  version: 2.18.0
  platform: linux
  architecture: x64
  distribution: rpm
  id: 71d717038f66462ca1c5e49883162343
components:
  - name: OpenSearch-Dashboards
    repository: https://github.com/Infopercept/xdr-dashboard-osd.git
    ref: 2.18.0
    commit_id: 1706584d94159e38a77dc50340786d00d582f4d8
    artifacts:
      dist:
        - dist/opensearch-dashboards-min-2.18.0-x64.rpm
    version: 2.18.0.0

TAR Archive Configuration

---
schema-version: "1.2"
build:
  name: OpenSearch Dashboards
  version: 2.18.0
  platform: linux
  architecture: x64
  distribution: tar
  id: 5c1e09cb1e714642ae7ffa9aedb26f40
components:
  - name: OpenSearch-Dashboards
    repository: https://github.com/Infopercept/xdr-dashboard-osd.git
    ref: 2.18.0
    commit_id: a0968a73d9ef7386dcd436f163bf6f5132a2c2f6
    artifacts:
      dist:
        - dist/opensearch-dashboards-min-2.18.0-linux-x64.tar.gz
    version: 2.18.0.0

Plugin Configuration

Security Plugins

Core Security Dashboard

- name: securityDashboards
  repository: https://github.com/Infopercept/xdr-security-dashboard.git
  ref: v4.9.2-abacus
  commit_id: e2426e6158d4a790e37b174ac4b8e4462e86ad2d
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/securityDashboards-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

XDR Core Platform

- name: wazuhCore
  repository: https://github.com/Infopercept/xdr-core.git
  ref: 4.9.2-abacus
  commit_id: 5cf4fd992a0790b5b43a30080bb8bcf538c59667
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/wazuhCore-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

XDR Plugin Integration

- name: invinsense
  repository: https://github.com/Infopercept/xdr-plugin.git
  ref: 4.9.2-abacus
  commit_id: 5293d96e57b5b4e0cf35f7f30bdea50cacf07d64
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/invinsense-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

Monitoring and Alerting Plugins

Alerting Dashboard

- name: alertingDashboards
  repository: https://github.com/opensearch-project/alerting-dashboards-plugin.git
  ref: tags/2.18.0.0
  commit_id: a545ffc0b8449d36af277a52893908dee86df155
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/alertingDashboards-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

Observability Dashboard

- name: observabilityDashboards
  repository: https://github.com/opensearch-project/dashboards-observability.git
  ref: tags/2.18.0.0
  commit_id: aa36965b33b682007cb5fe25ad73d3196ca0d69e
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/observabilityDashboards-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

Data Management Plugins

Index Management

- name: indexManagementDashboards
  repository: https://github.com/opensearch-project/index-management-dashboards-plugin.git
  ref: tags/2.18.0.0
  commit_id: b4ece9fadb90067fa426a7a107797e20c55a6de3
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/indexManagementDashboards-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

Reporting Dashboard

- name: reportsDashboards
  repository: https://github.com/opensearch-project/dashboards-reporting.git
  ref: tags/2.18.0.0
  commit_id: aa788230d8b563a4d5d267eb3112cf61bc015cd4
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/reportsDashboards-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

Visualization Plugins

Maps Dashboard

- name: customImportMapDashboards
  repository: https://github.com/opensearch-project/dashboards-maps.git
  ref: tags/2.18.0.0
  commit_id: 511840ae5ca900610d521aad311677445269055f
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/customImportMapDashboards-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

Gantt Chart Visualizations

- name: ganttChartDashboards
  repository: https://github.com/opensearch-project/dashboards-visualizations.git
  ref: tags/2.18.0.0
  commit_id: f106a7920607003522124b905493b305bfc08d3f
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/ganttChartDashboards-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

Communication Plugins

Notifications Dashboard

- name: notificationsDashboards
  repository: https://github.com/opensearch-project/dashboards-notifications.git
  ref: tags/2.18.0.0
  commit_id: 84cef988b8b1c7285882bf4473630230aecf8f3b
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/notificationsDashboards-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

Update Management Plugins

Update Checker

- name: wazuhCheckUpdates
  repository: https://github.com/Infopercept/xdr-check-updates.git
  ref: 4.9.2-abacus
  commit_id: 5728f62260fbb75d717d8cb8e5a48a5b750034a6
  artifacts:
    plugins:
      - plugins/wazuhCheckUpdates-2.18.0.zip
  version: 2.18.0.0

XDR Platform Integration

Architecture Overview

The XDR (Extended Detection and Response) platform integration involves several key components:

XDR Core: Central platform functionality
Security Dashboard: Security-focused visualizations
Invinsense Plugin: XDR-specific capabilities
Update Management: Automated update checking

Component Dependencies

graph TD
    A[OpenSearch Dashboards Core] --> B[Security Dashboards]
    A --> C[XDR Core]
    C --> D[Invinsense Plugin]
    C --> E[Update Checker]
    B --> F[Alerting Dashboard]
    A --> G[Index Management]
    A --> H[Observability]

Configuration Synchronization

Ensure all XDR components use compatible versions:

# Version alignment for XDR components
xdr_components:
  ref_version: "4.9.2-abacus"
  opensearch_version: "2.18.0"
  plugin_compatibility: "2.18.0.0"

Build Process Automation

Build Script Example

#!/bin/bash

# OpenSearch Dashboards Build Script
# Builds custom XDR-enabled OpenSearch Dashboards

set -e

MANIFEST_FILE="$1"
BUILD_OUTPUT="$2"
DISTRIBUTION_TYPE="${3:-deb}"

# Validate inputs
if [[ -z "$MANIFEST_FILE" || -z "$BUILD_OUTPUT" ]]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <manifest_file> <build_output> [distribution_type]"
    exit 1
fi

# Parse manifest
echo "📋 Parsing manifest file: $MANIFEST_FILE"
BUILD_VERSION=$(grep -E "^\s+version:" "$MANIFEST_FILE" | head -1 | awk '{print $2}')
BUILD_PLATFORM=$(grep -E "^\s+platform:" "$MANIFEST_FILE" | awk '{print $2}')
BUILD_ARCH=$(grep -E "^\s+architecture:" "$MANIFEST_FILE" | awk '{print $2}')

echo "🔧 Building OpenSearch Dashboards $BUILD_VERSION for $BUILD_PLATFORM/$BUILD_ARCH"

# Create build environment
BUILD_DIR="/tmp/opensearch-build-$(date +%s)"
mkdir -p "$BUILD_DIR"
cd "$BUILD_DIR"

# Clone repositories and checkout specified commits
echo "📥 Cloning repositories..."
while read -r line; do
    if [[ $line =~ repository:.*github\.com ]]; then
        repo_url=$(echo "$line" | sed 's/.*repository: *//g')
        echo "Cloning: $repo_url"
        # Add actual cloning logic here
    fi
done < "$MANIFEST_FILE"

# Build process
echo "🔨 Starting build process..."
./build.sh --distribution="$DISTRIBUTION_TYPE" --platform="$BUILD_PLATFORM" --arch="$BUILD_ARCH"

# Package artifacts
echo "📦 Packaging artifacts..."
mv dist/* "$BUILD_OUTPUT/"

echo "✅ Build completed successfully"
echo "📍 Artifacts available at: $BUILD_OUTPUT"

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions Workflow

name: Build OpenSearch Dashboards XDR

on:
  push:
    paths:
      - "manifests/*.yml"
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      distribution:
        description: "Distribution type"
        required: true
        default: "deb"
        type: choice
        options:
          - deb
          - rpm
          - tar

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    strategy:
      matrix:
        distribution: [deb, rpm, tar]

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: "18"

      - name: Setup Build Environment
        run: |
          sudo apt-get update
          sudo apt-get install -y build-essential

      - name: Build OpenSearch Dashboards
        run: |
          ./scripts/build.sh manifests/opensearch-dashboards-${{ matrix.distribution }}.yml \
                             ./artifacts \
                             ${{ matrix.distribution }}

      - name: Upload Artifacts
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: opensearch-dashboards-${{ matrix.distribution }}
          path: ./artifacts/*

Security Considerations

Repository Security

Access Control

# Secure repository configuration
repositories:
  private_repos:
    - name: "xdr-security-dashboard"
      access_token: "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"
      verification: "signature_required"
    - name: "xdr-core"
      access_token: "${GITHUB_TOKEN}"
      verification: "signature_required"

  public_repos:
    - name: "opensearch-project/*"
      verification: "checksum_validation"

Commit Verification

# Verify commit signatures
verify_commit() {
    local repo=$1
    local commit=$2

    cd "$repo"
    if git verify-commit "$commit" 2>/dev/null; then
        echo "✅ Commit $commit verified"
        return 0
    else
        echo "❌ Commit $commit verification failed"
        return 1
    fi
}

Build Security

Checksum Validation

# Artifact validation
validation:
  checksums:
    enabled: true
    algorithm: "sha256"
  signatures:
    enabled: true
    gpg_key: "build-signing-key"
  vulnerability_scanning:
    enabled: true
    scanner: "trivy"

Secure Build Environment

# Secure build container
FROM ubuntu:20.04

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    build-essential \
    git \
    nodejs \
    npm \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Create non-root build user
RUN useradd -m -u 1000 builder
USER builder
WORKDIR /home/builder

# Copy build scripts
COPY --chown=builder:builder scripts/ ./scripts/
COPY --chown=builder:builder manifests/ ./manifests/

# Set security flags
ENV NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=4096"
ENV BUILD_SECURITY_MODE="strict"

Testing and Validation

Manifest Validation

#!/bin/bash

# Manifest validation script
validate_manifest() {
    local manifest_file="$1"

    echo "🔍 Validating manifest: $manifest_file"

    # Check schema version
    if ! grep -q "schema-version: '1.2'" "$manifest_file"; then
        echo "❌ Invalid schema version"
        return 1
    fi

    # Validate component structure
    if ! yq eval '.components | length > 0' "$manifest_file" > /dev/null; then
        echo "❌ No components defined"
        return 1
    fi

    # Check for required fields
    required_fields=("name" "version" "platform" "architecture")
    for field in "${required_fields[@]}"; do
        if ! yq eval ".build.${field}" "$manifest_file" > /dev/null; then
            echo "❌ Missing required field: build.${field}"
            return 1
        fi
    done

    echo "✅ Manifest validation passed"
    return 0
}

Plugin Compatibility Testing

# Plugin compatibility test
test_plugin_compatibility() {
    local plugin_path="$1"
    local opensearch_version="$2"

    echo "🧪 Testing plugin compatibility: $plugin_path"

    # Extract plugin.json
    unzip -q "$plugin_path" -d /tmp/plugin_test

    # Check opensearch version compatibility
    required_version=$(jq -r '.opensearch.version' /tmp/plugin_test/plugin.json)

    if [[ "$required_version" != "$opensearch_version" ]]; then
        echo "❌ Version mismatch: plugin requires $required_version, build uses $opensearch_version"
        return 1
    fi

    echo "✅ Plugin compatibility verified"
    rm -rf /tmp/plugin_test
    return 0
}

Deployment Strategies

Production Deployment

Package Installation

# Debian/Ubuntu installation
wget https://artifacts.opensearch.org/releases/bundle/opensearch-dashboards/2.18.0/opensearch-dashboards-2.18.0-amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i opensearch-dashboards-2.18.0-amd64.deb

# RHEL/CentOS installation
wget https://artifacts.opensearch.org/releases/bundle/opensearch-dashboards/2.18.0/opensearch-dashboards-2.18.0-x86_64.rpm
sudo rpm -ivh opensearch-dashboards-2.18.0-x86_64.rpm

Configuration Management

# Ansible playbook for deployment
- name: Deploy OpenSearch Dashboards XDR
  hosts: dashboard_servers
  become: yes

  vars:
    opensearch_version: "2.18.0"
    xdr_plugins:
      - securityDashboards
      - wazuhCore
      - invinsense
      - wazuhCheckUpdates

  tasks:
    - name: Install OpenSearch Dashboards
      package:
        name: "opensearch-dashboards={{ opensearch_version }}"
        state: present

    - name: Install XDR plugins
      command: >
        /usr/share/opensearch-dashboards/bin/opensearch-dashboards-plugin install
        file:///opt/plugins/{{ item }}-{{ opensearch_version }}.zip
      loop: "{{ xdr_plugins }}"

    - name: Configure dashboards
      template:
        src: opensearch_dashboards.yml.j2
        dest: /etc/opensearch-dashboards/opensearch_dashboards.yml
        backup: yes
      notify: restart opensearch-dashboards

    - name: Start and enable service
      systemd:
        name: opensearch-dashboards
        state: started
        enabled: yes

Docker Deployment

# Multi-stage build for production
FROM node:18-alpine AS builder

WORKDIR /usr/share/opensearch-dashboards
COPY manifests/opensearch-dashboards-tar.yml ./manifest.yml
COPY scripts/ ./scripts/

RUN ./scripts/build.sh manifest.yml ./dist tar

FROM opensearchproject/opensearch-dashboards:2.18.0

# Copy custom build
COPY --from=builder /usr/share/opensearch-dashboards/dist/* /usr/share/opensearch-dashboards/

# Install additional dependencies
USER root
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    curl \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

USER opensearch-dashboards

# Health check
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=10s --start-period=60s --retries=3 \
    CMD curl -f http://localhost:5601/api/status || exit 1

EXPOSE 5601

Monitoring and Maintenance

Health Monitoring

#!/bin/bash

# OpenSearch Dashboards health check
check_dashboard_health() {
    local host="${1:-localhost}"
    local port="${2:-5601}"

    echo "🔍 Checking OpenSearch Dashboards health at $host:$port"

    # Check service status
    response=$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "http://$host:$port/api/status")

    if [[ "$response" == "200" ]]; then
        echo "✅ OpenSearch Dashboards is healthy"
        return 0
    else
        echo "❌ OpenSearch Dashboards health check failed (HTTP $response)"
        return 1
    fi
}

# Plugin status check
check_plugin_status() {
    local host="${1:-localhost}"
    local port="${2:-5601}"

    echo "🔌 Checking plugin status"

    # Get plugin list
    plugins=$(curl -s "http://$host:$port/api/status" | jq -r '.status.statuses[] | select(.id | startswith("plugin:")) | .id')

    for plugin in $plugins; do
        status=$(curl -s "http://$host:$port/api/status" | jq -r ".status.statuses[] | select(.id == \"$plugin\") | .state")
        if [[ "$status" == "green" ]]; then
            echo "✅ $plugin: $status"
        else
            echo "⚠️ $plugin: $status"
        fi
    done
}

Update Management

# Update process automation
update_opensearch_dashboards() {
    local new_version="$1"
    local backup_dir="/opt/opensearch-dashboards/backups/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)"

    echo "🔄 Updating OpenSearch Dashboards to version $new_version"

    # Create backup
    sudo mkdir -p "$backup_dir"
    sudo cp -r /etc/opensearch-dashboards "$backup_dir/"
    sudo cp -r /usr/share/opensearch-dashboards/plugins "$backup_dir/"

    # Stop service
    sudo systemctl stop opensearch-dashboards

    # Update package
    if command -v apt &> /dev/null; then
        sudo apt update
        sudo apt install -y "opensearch-dashboards=$new_version"
    elif command -v yum &> /dev/null; then
        sudo yum update -y "opensearch-dashboards-$new_version"
    fi

    # Restore custom configurations
    sudo cp "$backup_dir/opensearch_dashboards.yml" /etc/opensearch-dashboards/

    # Start service
    sudo systemctl start opensearch-dashboards

    # Verify update
    if check_dashboard_health; then
        echo "✅ Update completed successfully"
    else
        echo "❌ Update failed, consider rollback"
        return 1
    fi
}

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Plugin Installation Failures

# Plugin troubleshooting
debug_plugin_installation() {
    local plugin_name="$1"

    echo "🔧 Debugging plugin installation: $plugin_name"

    # Check plugin directory permissions
    ls -la /usr/share/opensearch-dashboards/plugins/

    # Check opensearch-dashboards logs
    sudo journalctl -u opensearch-dashboards -n 50

    # Verify plugin compatibility
    /usr/share/opensearch-dashboards/bin/opensearch-dashboards-plugin list

    # Check for conflicting plugins
    grep -r "$plugin_name" /usr/share/opensearch-dashboards/plugins/
}

Build Process Debugging

# Build debugging
debug_build_process() {
    local manifest_file="$1"

    echo "🐛 Debugging build process"

    # Validate manifest syntax
    if ! yq eval '.' "$manifest_file" > /dev/null; then
        echo "❌ Invalid YAML syntax in manifest"
        return 1
    fi

    # Check repository access
    while read -r repo; do
        if git ls-remote "$repo" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
            echo "✅ Repository accessible: $repo"
        else
            echo "❌ Repository not accessible: $repo"
        fi
    done < <(yq eval '.components[].repository' "$manifest_file")

    # Check disk space
    available_space=$(df /tmp | awk 'NR==2 {print $4}')
    if [[ $available_space -lt 5000000 ]]; then  # 5GB in KB
        echo "❌ Insufficient disk space for build"
        return 1
    fi
}

Best Practices

Version Management

Semantic Versioning: Use semantic versioning for all components
Compatibility Matrix: Maintain compatibility matrix between OpenSearch and plugins
Release Coordination: Coordinate releases across all XDR components

Security Practices

Access Control: Implement strict access controls for private repositories
Signature Verification: Verify all commits and artifacts
Vulnerability Scanning: Regular vulnerability scans of all components
Secrets Management: Use secure secrets management for tokens and keys

Build Optimization

Caching: Implement build caching for faster builds
Parallel Builds: Use parallel processing where possible
Resource Allocation: Optimize resource allocation for build processes
Artifact Management: Implement proper artifact versioning and storage

Conclusion

This comprehensive guide provides the foundation for managing OpenSearch Dashboards build configurations with XDR platform integration. The manifest-driven approach ensures consistent, reproducible builds while maintaining security and operational excellence.

Key benefits of this approach:

Reproducible Builds: Consistent results across environments
Version Control: Complete traceability of components and versions
Security Integration: Built-in security controls and verification
Automation Ready: Designed for CI/CD integration
Scalable: Supports enterprise deployment scenarios

By following these practices and configurations, organizations can successfully deploy and maintain OpenSearch Dashboards with custom XDR capabilities while ensuring security, reliability, and maintainability.

OpenSearch Dashboards Build Configuration: Complete Manifest Guide