Query Lite

Updated Dec 30, 2022 ·

Overview

Query Lite provides a simple way to search Elasticsearch using query parameters. It is useful for quick searches without requiring JSON bodies.

• Easy to use for basic searches
• Reduces the need for complex query structures

info

Query Lite is previously known as URI Search.

Simpler Queries

As an example, we can search for documents with a specific title by appending a query string:

/movies/_search?q=title:star

Similarly, to query for movies released after 2010 with a title containing "Trek":

/movies/_search?q=+year:>2010+title:Trek

Take note that spaces and special characters must be URL encoded before being sent:

/movies/_search?q=+year:>2010+title:trek

The above query will be encoded as:

/movies/_search?q=%2Byear%3A%3E2010+%2Btitle%3Atrek

Using simple queries is convenient for experimenting, but they come with risks:

• Difficult to debug when issues arise
• Potential security risks if exposed to end users
• Prone to errors – a single mistake can cause failure

Examples

1. For the following examples, download the datasets:

   • series.json

2. First, store the Elasticsearch endpoint and credentials in variables:

   ELASTIC_ENDPOINT="https://your-elasticsearch-endpoint"
   ELASTIC_USER="your-username"
   ELASTIC_PW="your-password"

3. Import the dataset into Elasticsearch:

   curl -u $ELASTIC_USER:$ELASTIC_PW \
   -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
   --data-binary @movies.json \
   -XPUT $ELASTIC_ENDPOINT:9200/_bulk?pretty 

Start using the query lite:

1. Run the command below to search for movies with "Star" in the title:

   curl -u $ELASTIC_USER:$ELASTIC_PW \
   -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
   -XGET "$ELASTIC_ENDPOINT:9200/movies/_search?q=title:star&pretty"

   Output:

   {
     "took" : 7,
     "timed_out" : false,
     "_shards" : {
       "total" : 1,
       "successful" : 1,
       "skipped" : 0,
       "failed" : 0
     },
     "hits" : {
       "total" : {
         "value" : 2,
         "relation" : "eq"
       },
       "max_score" : 0.8025915,
       "hits" : [
         {
           "_index" : "movies",
           "_id" : "135569",
           "_score" : 0.8025915,
           "_source" : {
             "id" : "135569",
             "title" : "Star Trek Beyond",
             "year" : 2016,
             "genre" : [
               "Action",
               "Adventure",
               "Sci-Fi"
             ]
           }
         },
         {
           "_index" : "movies",
           "_id" : "122886",
           "_score" : 0.56478655,
           "_source" : {
             "id" : "122886",
             "title" : "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens",
             "year" : 2015,
             "genre" : [
               "Action",
               "Adventure",
               "Fantasy",
               "Sci-Fi",
               "IMAX"
             ]
           }
         }
       ]
     }
   } 

2. Now search for movies released after 2010 with "Trek" in the title

   curl -u $ELASTIC_USER:$ELASTIC_PW \
   -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
   -XGET "$ELASTIC_ENDPOINT:9200/movies/_search?q=+year>2010+title:trek&pretty"

   Output:

   {
     "took" : 7,
     "timed_out" : false,
     "_shards" : {
       "total" : 1,
       "successful" : 1,
       "skipped" : 0,
       "failed" : 0
     },
     "hits" : {
       "total" : {
         "value" : 1,
         "relation" : "eq"
       },
       "max_score" : 1.3940738,
       "hits" : [
         {
           "_index" : "movies",
           "_id" : "135569",
           "_score" : 1.3940738,
           "_source" : {
             "id" : "135569",
             "title" : "Star Trek Beyond",
             "year" : 2016,
             "genre" : [
               "Action",
               "Adventure",
               "Sci-Fi"
             ]
           }
         }
       ]
     }
   }