quarkusio/quarkus · error · BuildException

Wasn't able to determine the distribution of the search serv

Error message

Wasn't able to determine the distribution of the search service based on the provided image name [${imageName}]. Please specify the distribution explicitly.

What it means

DevServicesElasticsearchProcessor.resolveDistribution() guesses the search-service distribution (Elasticsearch vs OpenSearch) from the container image name. If quarkus.elasticsearch.devservices.image-name is set but the repository part contains neither 'opensearch' nor 'elasticsearch', it cannot guess and throws a BuildException asking the user to specify the distribution explicitly.

Source

Thrown at extensions/elasticsearch-rest-client-common/deployment/src/main/java/io/quarkus/elasticsearch/restclient/common/deployment/DevServicesElasticsearchProcessor.java:271

    private Distribution resolveDistribution(ElasticsearchDevServicesBuildTimeConfig config,
            DevservicesElasticsearchBuildItemsConfiguration buildItemConfig) throws BuildException {
        // First, let's see if it was explicitly configured:
        if (config.distribution().isPresent()) {
            return config.distribution().get();
        }
        // Now let's see if we can guess it from the image:
        if (config.imageName().isPresent()) {
            String imageNameRepository = DockerImageName.parse(config.imageName().get()).getRepository()
                    .toLowerCase(Locale.ROOT);
            if (imageNameRepository.contains(DEV_SERVICE_OPENSEARCH)) {
                return Distribution.OPENSEARCH;
            }
            if (imageNameRepository.contains(DEV_SERVICE_ELASTICSEARCH)) {
                return Distribution.ELASTIC;
            }
            // no luck guessing so let's ask user to be more explicit:
            throw new BuildException(
                    "Wasn't able to determine the distribution of the search service based on the provided image name ["
                            + config.imageName().get()
                            + "]. Please specify the distribution explicitly.",
                    Collections.emptyList());
        }
        // Otherwise, let's see if the build item has a value available:
        if (buildItemConfig.distribution() != null) {
            return buildItemConfig.distribution();
        }
        // If we didn't get an explicit distribution
        // and no image name was provided
        // then elastic is a default distribution:
        return DEFAULT_DISTRIBUTION;
    }

    private Map<String, String> buildPropertiesMap(DevservicesElasticsearchBuildItemsConfiguration buildItemConfig,
            String httpHosts) {
        Map<String, String> propertiesToSet = new HashMap<>();

View on GitHub (pinned to e1c734241f)

Solutions

1. Set quarkus.elasticsearch.devservices.distribution=elasticsearch (or opensearch) explicitly
2. Rename/re-tag the image so its repository contains 'elasticsearch' or 'opensearch'
3. Use the standard image name (docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch or opensearchproject/opensearch)

Example fix

// before
quarkus.elasticsearch.devservices.image-name=myregistry.local/search:2.11.0
// after
quarkus.elasticsearch.devservices.image-name=myregistry.local/search:2.11.0
quarkus.elasticsearch.devservices.distribution=opensearch

// in application.properties, whenever a custom image-name is used
quarkus.elasticsearch.devservices.distribution=elasticsearch

When it happens

Trigger: Setting quarkus.elasticsearch.devservices.image-name to a custom/renamed image (e.g. a local registry mirror like myregistry.local/search:2.11) whose name contains neither keyword.

Common situations: Air-gapped environments using mirrored images with different names; custom-built images re-tagged without 'elasticsearch'/'opensearch' in the name.

Related errors

• Multiple extensions request different distributions of Elast
• Services named ${servicesToWaitFor} do not exist, but wait c
• You must provide either a valid username/password pair for B
• Multiple extensions request different versions of Elasticsea
• Failed to load application configuration

AI-assisted analysis of quarkusio/quarkus@e1c734241f (2026-09-05). Data as JSON: /api/errors/bef64a84ca7f1727. Report an issue: GitHub.