---
id: elasticsearch6
version: "6.8.2"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# elasticsearch6 — Python client for Elasticsearch

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 240.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

elasticsearch6 is the official low-level Python client for Elasticsearch 6.x servers. It provides direct access to Elasticsearch REST APIs through a Python interface, handling connection pooling, load balancing across cluster nodes, automatic node discovery, and serialization of Python data types to JSON. The client is opinion-free and extensible, designed as a foundation for higher-level libraries rather than as a user-facing ORM.

The package connects over HTTP with optional SSL/TLS and authentication support, manages persistent connections with configurable retry and timeout behavior, and translates Python method calls into REST requests. It includes thread safety, pluggable node selection strategies, and failed-connection penalization to avoid hammering unavailable nodes.

Use it for:

- Index and search documents in a 6.x server from a Python application.
- Perform bulk operations, aggregations, and complex queries against a cluster.
- Build a search backend for a web application or data pipeline needing full-text search.
- Manage indices, mappings, and cluster settings programmatically.
- Integrate into a data processing or analytics workflow.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Low-level Python client for Elasticsearch that handles HTTP communication, connection pooling, and serialization to the REST API.

Yes, if targeting Elasticsearch 6.x. This is the official client with low install friction, active maintenance status, no known vulnerabilities, and permissive Apache-2.0 licensing. Note that the latest release is 2021-03-09; verify whether a newer major version would be more appropriate for new projects.

## Install

pip install elasticsearch6
uv add elasticsearch6
poetry add elasticsearch6

## Installing elasticsearch6

Before you install: Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (urllib3). The package is actively maintained with recent commits and has been in production use for years.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install 'elasticsearch6>=6.8.2'

from elasticsearch6 import Elasticsearch
es = Elasticsearch()
es.indices.create(index='my-index', ignore=400)
es.index(index='my-index', doc_type='test-type', id=42, body={'data': 'value'})

Requires a matching major version Elasticsearch 6.x server running and accessible.

Verify before relying:

- Whether this package is still receiving security updates given the latest release was 2021-03-09.
- Performance characteristics under high-concurrency workloads.

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 240.0K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

elasticsearch python client, elasticsearch api wrapper, elasticsearch http client, elasticsearch connection pooling, elasticsearch rest client python, search-engine, rest-api, client-library

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/elasticsearch6) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/elasticsearch6/)