Fix errors: Invalid token or token expired in Elasticsearch

Elastic Stack ECE ECK Elastic Cloud Hosted Self Managed

 Error: token expired 

 Error: invalid token 

These errors occur when Elasticsearch receives a request containing an invalid or expired token during authentication. They're typically caused by missing, incorrect, or outdated tokens. If an invalid or expired token is used, Elasticsearch rejects the request.

Elasticsearch rejects requests with invalid authentication tokens. Common causes include:

• The token is expired or revoked
• The token format is incorrect or malformed
• The Authorization header is missing or doesn’t start with Bearer
• The client or middleware failed to attach the token properly
• Security settings in Elasticsearch are misconfigured

To resolve this error:

• Verify the token and ensure it's correctly formatted and current.

• Check expiration and generate a new token if needed.

• Inspect your client and confirm the token is sent in the Authorization header.

• Review Elasticsearch settings and check that token auth is enabled:

  xpack.security.authc.token.enabled: true
  

• Use logs for details: Elasticsearch logs may provide context about the failure.

This error occurs when Elasticsearch receives a request containing an expired token during authentication.

To resolve this issue:

• Refresh the token, and obtain a new token using your token refresh workflow.

• Implement automatic token refresh and ensure your application is configured to refresh tokens before expiration.

• Avoid using expired tokens and do not reuse tokens after logout or expiration.

• Adjust token lifespan if needed and configure a longer token expiration in elasticsearch.yml, though this should be balanced against security needs:

  xpack.security.authc.token.timeout: 20m