apache/flink · error · IllegalConfigurationException

Could not register security manager due to no permission to

Error message

Could not register security manager due to no permission to set a SecurityManager. Either update your existing SecurityManager to allow the permission or do not use security manager features (e.g., '%s: %s', '%s: %s')

What it means

FlinkSecurityManager.setFromConfiguration installs a JVM-wide SecurityManager (used to intercept System.exit and halt-on-fatal-error behavior). If System.setSecurityManager throws — most commonly because the runtime or an already-installed manager forbids it — Flink wraps it in IllegalConfigurationException, suggesting either allowing the permission or disabling the features (config keys printed in the message, cluster.intercept-user-system-exit / cluster.halt-on-fatal-error).

Source

Thrown at flink-core/src/main/java/org/apache/flink/core/security/FlinkSecurityManager.java:113

            return null;
        }
        LOG.info(
                "FlinkSecurityManager is created with {} user system exit mode and {} exit",
                userSystemExitMode,
                haltOnSystemExit ? "forceful" : "graceful");
        // Add more configuration parameters that need user security manager (currently only for
        // system exit).
        return new FlinkSecurityManager(userSystemExitMode, haltOnSystemExit);
    }

    public static void setFromConfiguration(Configuration configuration) {
        final FlinkSecurityManager flinkSecurityManager =
                FlinkSecurityManager.fromConfiguration(configuration);
        if (flinkSecurityManager != null) {
            try {
                System.setSecurityManager(flinkSecurityManager);
            } catch (Exception e) {
                throw new IllegalConfigurationException(
                        String.format(
                                "Could not register security manager due to no permission to "
                                        + "set a SecurityManager. Either update your existing "
                                        + "SecurityManager to allow the permission or do not use "
                                        + "security manager features (e.g., '%s: %s', '%s: %s')",
                                ClusterOptions.INTERCEPT_USER_SYSTEM_EXIT.key(),
                                ClusterOptions.INTERCEPT_USER_SYSTEM_EXIT.defaultValue(),
                                ClusterOptions.HALT_ON_FATAL_ERROR.key(),
                                ClusterOptions.HALT_ON_FATAL_ERROR.defaultValue()),
                        e);
            }
        }
        FlinkSecurityManager.flinkSecurityManager = flinkSecurityManager;
    }

    public static void monitorUserSystemExitForCurrentThread() {
        if (flinkSecurityManager != null) {
            flinkSecurityManager.monitorUserSystemExit();

View on GitHub (pinned to 2f3c205e92)

Solutions

1. On JDK 17+, add -Djava.security.manager=allow to env.java.opts.all (JAVA_OPTS) in flink-conf.yaml.
2. If you do not need system-exit interception, disable the features: set cluster.intercept-user-system-exit: DISABLED so Flink does not install its SecurityManager.
3. If an external SecurityManager is present, grant it the setSecurityManager permission via the JVM policy file instead of working around it.
4. Long term, plan to run without SecurityManager features — they are deprecated for removal in the JDK.

Example fix

# before (flink-conf.yaml, Java 17+)
cluster.intercept-user-system-exit: TASK_EXECUTORS  # IllegalConfigurationException at startup

# after
env.java.opts.all: "-Djava.security.manager=allow"
# or: cluster.intercept-user-system-exit: DISABLED

// before starting Flink on JDK 17+, ensure the JVM will allow it:
// env.java.opts.all: -Djava.security.manager=allow
// or avoid installing the manager entirely:
// cluster.intercept-user-system-exit: DISABLED

try {
    FlinkSecurityManager.setFromConfiguration(conf);
} catch (IllegalConfigurationException e) {
    // do not swallow at startup: fix JVM flags or disable intercept options, then restart
    throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Starting on JDK 17+ where installing a SecurityManager is disallowed by default (System.setSecurityManager throws UnsupportedOperationException unless -Djava.security.manager=allow); or running under an existing SecurityManager whose policy denies setSecurityManager permission.

Common situations: Migrating a Flink deployment from Java 8/11 to Java 17/21 without adding -Djava.security.manager=allow to env.java.opts.all; running Flink inside a restricted container/launcher that installs its own SecurityManager; future JDKs removing SecurityManager support entirely.

Related errors

• Could not parse value for key '%s'.
• Given configuration directory is null, cannot load configura
• The given configuration directory name '{}' ({}) does not de
• The Flink config file '{}' ({}) does not exist.
• Error parsing YAML configuration.

AI-assisted analysis of apache/flink@2f3c205e92 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e299e9fd35127a99. Report an issue: GitHub.