Full-text queries

This page lists all full-text query types and common options. There are many optional fields that you can use to create subtle search behaviors, so we recommend that you test out some basic query types against representative indexes and verify the output before you perform more advanced or complex searches with multiple options.

OpenSearch uses the Apache Lucene search library, which provides highly efficient data structures and algorithms for ingesting, indexing, searching, and aggregating data.

To learn more about search query classes, see Lucene query JavaDocs.

The full-text query types shown in this section use the standard analyzer, which analyzes text automatically when the query is submitted.

You can also analyze fields when you index them. To learn more about how to convert unstructured text into structured text that is optimized for search, see Optimizing text for searches with text analyzers.

Table of contents

1. Query types
   1. Match
   2. Multi-match
   3. Match Boolean prefix
   4. Match phrase
   5. Match phrase prefix
   6. Query string
   7. Simple query string
   8. Match all
2. Advanced filter options
   1. Wildcard options
   2. Fuzzy query options
   3. Synonyms in a multiple terms search
   4. Other advanced options

Common terms queries and the optional query field cutoff_frequency are now deprecated.

Query types

OpenSearch Query DSL provides multiple query types that you can use in your searches.

Match

Use the match query for full-text search of a specific document field. The match query analyzes the provided search string and returns documents that match any of the string’s terms.

You can use Boolean query operators to combine searches.

The following example shows a basic match search for the title field set to the value wind:

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "match": {
      "title": "wind"
    }
  }
}

For an example that uses curl, try:

curl --insecure -XGET -u 'admin:admin' https://<host>:<port>/<index>/_search \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "query": {
      "match": {
        "title": "wind"
      }
    }
  }'

The query accepts the following options. For descriptions of each, see Advanced filter options.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "match": {
      "title": {
        "query": "wind",
        "fuzziness": "AUTO",
        "fuzzy_transpositions": true,
        "operator":  "or",
        "minimum_should_match": 1,
        "analyzer": "standard",
        "zero_terms_query": "none",
        "lenient": false,
        "prefix_length": 0,
        "max_expansions": 50,
        "boost": 1
      }
    }
  }
}

Multi-match

You can use the multi_match query type to search multiple fields. Multi-match operation functions similarly to the match operation.

The ^ lets you “boost” certain fields. Boosts are multipliers that weigh matches in one field more heavily than matches in other fields. In the following example, a match for “wind” in the title field influences _score four times as much as a match in the plot field. The result is that films like The Wind Rises and Gone with the Wind are near the top of the search results, and films like Twister and Sharknado, which presumably have “wind” in their plot summaries, are near the bottom.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "multi_match": {
      "query": "wind",
      "fields": ["title^4", "plot"]
    }
  }
}

The query accepts the following options. For descriptions of each, see Advanced filter options.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "multi_match": {
      "query": "wind",
      "fields": ["title^4", "description"],
      "type": "most_fields",
      "operator": "and",
      "minimum_should_match": 3,
      "tie_breaker": 0.0,
      "analyzer": "standard",
      "boost": 1,
      "fuzziness": "AUTO",
      "fuzzy_transpositions": true,
      "lenient": false,
      "prefix_length": 0,
      "max_expansions": 50,
      "auto_generate_synonyms_phrase_query": true,
      "zero_terms_query": "none"
    }
  }
}

Match Boolean prefix

The match_bool_prefix query analyzes the provided search string and creates a bool query from the string’s terms. It uses every term except the last term as a whole word for matching. The last term is used as a prefix. The match_bool_prefix query returns documents that contain either the whole-word terms or terms that start with the prefix term, in any order.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "match_bool_prefix": {
      "title": "rises wi"
    }
  }
}

The query accepts the following options. For descriptions of each, see Advanced filter options.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "match_bool_prefix": {
      "title": {
        "query": "rises wi",
        "fuzziness": "AUTO",
        "fuzzy_transpositions": true,
        "max_expansions": 50,
        "prefix_length": 0,
        "operator":  "or",
        "minimum_should_match": 2,
        "analyzer": "standard"
      }
    }
  }
}

For more reference information about prefix queries, see the Lucene documentation.

Match phrase

Use the match_phrase query to match documents that contain an exact phrase in a specified order. You can add flexibility to phrase matching by providing the slop parameter.

Creates a phrase query that matches a sequence of terms.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "match_phrase": {
      "title": "the wind rises"
    }
  }
}

The query accepts the following options. For descriptions of each, see Advanced filter options.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "match_phrase": {
      "title": {
        "query": "wind rises the",
        "slop": 3,
        "analyzer": "standard",
        "zero_terms_query": "none"
      }
    }
  }
}

Match phrase prefix

Use the match_phrase_prefix query to specify a phrase to match in order. The documents that contain the phrase you specify will be returned. The last partial term in the phrase is interpreted as a prefix, so any documents that contain phrases that begin with the phrase and prefix of the last term will be returned.

Similar to match phrase, but creates a prefix query out of the last term in the query string.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "match_phrase_prefix": {
      "title": "the wind ri"
    }
  }
}

The query accepts the following options. For descriptions of each, see Advanced filter options.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "match_phrase_prefix": {
      "title": {
        "query": "the wind ri",
        "analyzer": "standard",
        "max_expansions": 50,
        "slop": 3
      }
    }
  }
}

Query string

The query string query splits text based on operators and analyzes each individually.

If you search using the HTTP request parameters (i.e. _search?q=wind), OpenSearch creates a query string query.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "query_string": {
      "query": "the wind AND (rises OR rising)"
    }
  }
}

The query accepts the following options. For descriptions of each, see Advanced filter options.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "query_string": {
      "query": "the wind AND (rises OR rising)",
      "default_field": "title",
      "type": "best_fields",
      "fuzziness": "AUTO",
      "fuzzy_transpositions": true,
      "fuzzy_max_expansions": 50,
      "fuzzy_prefix_length": 0,
      "minimum_should_match": 1,
      "default_operator": "or",
      "analyzer": "standard",
      "lenient": false,
      "boost": 1,
      "allow_leading_wildcard": true,
      "enable_position_increments": true,
      "phrase_slop": 3,
      "max_determinized_states": 10000,
      "time_zone": "-08:00",
      "quote_field_suffix": "",
      "quote_analyzer": "standard",
      "analyze_wildcard": false,
      "auto_generate_synonyms_phrase_query": true
    }
  }
}

Simple query string

Use the simple_query_string type to specify directly in the query string multiple arguments delineated by regular expressions. Searches with this type will discard any invalid portions of the string.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "simple_query_string": {
      "query": "\"rises wind the\"~4 | *ising~2",
      "fields": ["title"]
    }
  }
}

The query accepts the following options. For descriptions of each, see Advanced filter options.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "simple_query_string": {
      "query": "\"rises wind the\"~4 | *ising~2",
      "fields": ["title"],
      "flags": "ALL",
      "fuzzy_transpositions": true,
      "fuzzy_max_expansions": 50,
      "fuzzy_prefix_length": 0,
      "minimum_should_match": 1,
      "default_operator": "or",
      "analyzer": "standard",
      "lenient": false,
      "quote_field_suffix": "",
      "analyze_wildcard": false,
      "auto_generate_synonyms_phrase_query": true
    }
  }
}

Match all

The match_all query type will return all documents. This type can be useful in testing large document sets if you need to return the entire set.

GET _search
{
  "query": {
    "match_all": {}
  }
}

Advanced filter options

You can filter your query results by using some of the optional query fields, such as wildcards, fuzzy query fields, and synonyms. You can also use analyzers as optional query fields. To learn more, see How to use text analyzers.

Wildcard options

Fuzzy query options

Synonyms in a multiple terms search

You can also use synonyms with the terms query type to search for multiple terms. Use the auto_generate_synonyms_phrase_query Boolean field. By default it is set to true. It automatically generates phrase queries for multiple term synonyms. For example, if you have the synonym "ba, batting average" and search for “ba,” OpenSearch searches for ba OR "batting average" when the option is true or ba OR (batting AND average) when the option is false.

To learn more about the multiple terms query type, see Terms. For more reference information about phrase queries, see the Lucene documentation.

Other advanced options

You can also use the following optional query fields to filter your query results.

Related articles

• Query string queries