# Bulk API description for create operation behavior: duplicates based on \_id not index, right?

**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/bulk-api-description-for-create-operation-behavior-duplicates-based-on-id-not-index-right/101741
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [September 25, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/bulk-api-description-for-create-operation-behavior-duplicates-based-on-id-not-index-right/101741 "2017-09-25T18:35:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Peter\_Portante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Peter\_Portante](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Peter_Portante)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/bulk-api-description-for-create-operation-behavior-duplicates-based-on-id-not-index-right/101741/1 "2017-09-25T18:35:11Z")

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Hi Folks,

I have a question about the Bulk API. In the description about the "create" operation, it reads [[1]](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/master/docs-bulk.html#docs-bulk): "create will fail if a document with the same index and type exists already, whereas index will add or replace a document as necessary".

Should the above sentence instead read, "create will fail if a document with the same **\__id_** and type exists already, whereas index will add or replace a document as necessary"?

I originally saw this reading the 2.4 documentation, so filed a straw-man PR there, [PR 241](https://github.com/elastic/docs/pull/241).

Thanks,

-peter

[1] [https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/master/docs-bulk.html#docs-bulk](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/master/docs-bulk.html#docs-bulk)  
[2] [https://github.com/elastic/docs/pull/241](https://github.com/elastic/docs/pull/241)

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### Author: ![warkolm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/warkolm/32/39224_2.png) [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/bulk-api-description-for-create-operation-behavior-duplicates-based-on-id-not-index-right/101741/2 "2017-09-28T22:47:26Z")

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Yeah it should, thanks for filing the PR 🙂

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### Author: ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2017, 10:47pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/bulk-api-description-for-create-operation-behavior-duplicates-based-on-id-not-index-right/101741/3 "2017-10-26T22:47:52Z")

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