Search Query Format

16min
Overview
This is a comprehensive guide to Elasticsearch's query format, detailing the diverse query types available for precise search operations. The queries covered include match, term, terms, prefix, regexp, range, exists, geo_distance, geo_bounding_box, and geo_polygon. Each query type includes JSON examples and practical explanations for their specific applications.
This guide provides developers with an in-depth understanding of how to effectively leverage Elasticsearch's diverse querying capabilities for their search requirements.
match
This field allows you to search for records that match a certain condition. It is an array that consists of objects with a "key" and a "value".
JSON
{
 "match": [
   {
     "key": "string",
     "value": "string"
   }
 ]
}
{
 "match": [
   {
     "key": "string",
     "value": "string"
   }
 ]
}
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term
This field is used to search for records that exactly match a given condition. The condition is specified as an array of objects with a "key" and a "value". The query examples below include a string, a number, and a boolean value
Here are some examples of term queries:
Query 1 (String)
Query 2 (number)
Query 3 (boolean)
{
 "term": [
   {
     "key": "color.keyword",
     "value": "blue"
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the color field is "blue".
{
 "term": [
   {
     "key": "color.keyword",
     "value": "blue"
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the color field is "blue".
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terms
This field is used to search for records where the specified key's value is in the list of specified values. It's an array of objects with a "key" and an array of "values". The "values" can be an array of strings, numbers, or booleans.
Here are some examples of terms queries:
Query 1 (string)
Query 2 (number)
Query 3 (boolean)
{
 "terms": [
   {
     "key": "color.keyword",
     "values": ["blue", "red"]
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the color field is either "blue" or "red".
{
 "terms": [
   {
     "key": "color.keyword",
     "values": ["blue", "red"]
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the color field is either "blue" or "red".
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prefix
This query is used to search for records that begin with the provided value for the given key. The value is case-sensitive.
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Query 1
Query 2
{
 "prefix": [
   {
     "key": "riderId.keyword",
     "value": "rider:123"
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the riderId field starts with "rider:123".
{
 "prefix": [
   {
     "key": "riderId.keyword",
     "value": "rider:123"
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the riderId field starts with "rider:123".
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regexp
This query is used to search for records that match a regular expression pattern for the given key.
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Query
{
 "regexp": [
   {
     "key": "vehicleNo.keyword",
     "value": "[A-Z]{3}:.*"
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the vehicleNo field matches the regex pattern "[A-Z]{3}:.*".
{
 "regexp": [
   {
     "key": "vehicleNo.keyword",
     "value": "[A-Z]{3}:.*"
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the vehicleNo field matches the regex pattern "[A-Z]{3}:.*".
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range
This query is used to search for records where the specified key's value falls within the given range.
Here are some examples:
Query 1
Query 2
{
 "range": [
   {
     "key": "count",
     "value": {"gt": 3, "lte": 10}
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the count field is greater than 3 and less than or equal to 10.
{
 "range": [
   {
     "key": "count",
     "value": {"gt": 3, "lte": 10}
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the count field is greater than 3 and less than or equal to 10.
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exists
This query is used to search for records where the specified key is present.
Here are some examples:
Query 1
Query 1
Query 2
{
 "exists": [
   {
     "key": "color"
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the color field is present.
{
 "exists": [
   {
     "key": "color"
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents in which the color field is present.
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geo_distance
This query is used to search for records where the specified key's coordinates fall within a specified radius from a given point.
Here are some examples:
Query 1
Query 1
Query 2
{
 "geo_distance": [
   {
     "key": "loc",
     "distance": "5km",
     "location": {"lat": 31.104795, "lon": 77.179569}
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents where the 'loc' key (mapped as geo_point) coordinates are within a radius of 5km from the coordinate (31.104795, 77.179569).
{
 "geo_distance": [
   {
     "key": "loc",
     "distance": "5km",
     "location": {"lat": 31.104795, "lon": 77.179569}
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents where the 'loc' key (mapped as geo_point) coordinates are within a radius of 5km from the coordinate (31.104795, 77.179569).
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geo_bounding_box
This query is used to search for records where the specified key's coordinates fall within a specified bounding box.
Query
{
 "geo_bounding_box": [
   {
     "key": "loc",
     "top_left": {"lat": 30.714421, "lon":76.782219},
     "bottom_right": {"lat": 30.702909, "lon":76.809513}
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents where the 'loc' key (mapped as geo_point) coordinates fall within the box formed by the coordinates (30.714421, 76.782219 - top left corner) and (30.702909, 76.809513 - bottom right corner).
{
 "geo_bounding_box": [
   {
     "key": "loc",
     "top_left": {"lat": 30.714421, "lon":76.782219},
     "bottom_right": {"lat": 30.702909, "lon":76.809513}
   }
 ]
}
// Returns all the documents where the 'loc' key (mapped as geo_point) coordinates fall within the box formed by the coordinates (30.714421, 76.782219 - top left corner) and (30.702909, 76.809513 - bottom right corner).
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geo_polygon
This query is used to search for records where the specified key's coordinates fall within a specified polygon.
Query
{
 "geo_polygon": [
   {
     "key": "loc",
     "points": [
       {"lat": 30.714421, "lon":76.782219},
       {"lat": 30.702909, "lon":76.809513},
       {"lat": 30.729178, "lon":76.817238}
     ]
   }
 ]
}
// This query returns all the documents where the 'loc' key (mapped as geo_point) coordinates fall within the polygon formed by the points (30.714421, 76.782219), (30.702909, 76.809513), and (30.729178, 76.817238).
{
 "geo_polygon": [
   {
     "key": "loc",
     "points": [
       {"lat": 30.714421, "lon":76.782219},
       {"lat": 30.702909, "lon":76.809513},
       {"lat": 30.729178, "lon":76.817238}
     ]
   }
 ]
}
// This query returns all the documents where the 'loc' key (mapped as geo_point) coordinates fall within the polygon formed by the points (30.714421, 76.782219), (30.702909, 76.809513), and (30.729178, 76.817238).
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Updated 12 Sep 2023
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