# Disabling Field Cache
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/disabling-field-cache/5681
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [October 25, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/disabling-field-cache/5681 "2011-10-25T19:32:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@phobos182](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/phobos182)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/disabling-field-cache/5681/1 "2011-10-25T19:32:51Z")
With my current setup of ElasticSearch, I cannot support the memory requirements for the field cache. I was wondering if there has been any thought to turning it off completely.
I have a lot of users perform various facets across quite a bit of data. With our front end UI we restrict the amount of documents they can facet on, and what fields. This lets us keep the memory utilization per facet in check. For example.
Facet #1 - Quick facet
.75 seconds Execution Time
181mb Field Cache size per Node
49,784,204 hits
3.8 bytes per hit in Memory
Facet #2 - Larger Facet
17 seconds Execution Time
4.3gb Field Cache size per Node
502,427,307 hits
Total: 9.5 bytes per hit
Because of this, my cluster is almost guaranteed to go out of memory with cache size for some of the larger facets. I was looking into the documentation, and I can set the max\_size to 1, but the code still puts data in the cache, and then evicts it almost immediately.
So i'm wondering if I can just disable the cache entirely. I know the performance is not nearly as fast, but the cluster is stable and has less OutOfMemory issues. We had the exact same problem with Solr, and disabled the field cache as well.
Thanks!
---
### Author:  [@phobos182](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/phobos182)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/disabling-field-cache/5681/2 "2011-10-25T23:31:03Z")
I found the setting, but have come to terms that I cannot disable the field cache. The query time becomes abysmal.
I'm now looking into ways to limit the amount of data in the field cache to protect my cluster from going out of memory. Any advice about what is a good setting for number of documents in the cache?
---
### Author:  [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/disabling-field-cache/5681/3 "2011-10-26T03:17:20Z")
There is no way to limit the number of documents, as all data is needed when
computing it. I really hope to address this in future versions, and improve
things, but for now, you need to either decide not the facet on that field,
or add more memory / machines.
On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 1:31 AM, phobos182 [phobos182@gmail.com](mailto:phobos182@gmail.com) wrote:
> I found the setting, but have come to terms that I cannot disable the field
> cache. The query time becomes abysmal.
>
> I'm now looking into ways to limit the amount of data in the field cache to
> protect my cluster from going out of memory. Any advice about what is a
> good
> setting for number of documents in the cache?
>
> --
> View this message in context:
> [http://elasticsearch-users.115913.n3.nabble.com/Disabling-Field-Cache-tp3452434p3453102.html](http://elasticsearch-users.115913.n3.nabble.com/Disabling-Field-Cache-tp3452434p3453102.html)
> Sent from the Elasticsearch Users mailing list archive at [Nabble.com](http://Nabble.com).
---
### Author:  [@Logan\_2](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Logan_2)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/disabling-field-cache/5681/4 "2012-11-05T22:31:37Z")
kimchy, I'm confused by your statement about not being able to limit the
number of documents. Does this mean that the following configuration
doesn't actually work as documented?
index.cache.field.max\_size: 1000
Logan
On Tuesday, October 25, 2011 9:17:20 PM UTC-6, kimchy wrote:
> There is no way to limit the number of documents, as all data is needed
> when computing it. I really hope to address this in future versions, and
> improve things, but for now, you need to either decide not the facet on
> that field, or add more memory / machines.
>
> On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 1:31 AM, phobos182 \<[phob...@gmail.com](mailto:phob...@gmail.com)\
>
> > wrote:
>
> > I found the setting, but have come to terms that I cannot disable the
> > field
> > cache. The query time becomes abysmal.
> >
> > I'm now looking into ways to limit the amount of data in the field cache
> > to
> > protect my cluster from going out of memory. Any advice about what is a
> > good
> > setting for number of documents in the cache?
> >
> > --
> > View this message in context:
> > [http://elasticsearch-users.115913.n3.nabble.com/Disabling-Field-Cache-tp3452434p3453102.html](http://elasticsearch-users.115913.n3.nabble.com/Disabling-Field-Cache-tp3452434p3453102.html)
> > Sent from the Elasticsearch Users mailing list archive at [Nabble.com](http://Nabble.com).
--
---
### Author:  [@Logan\_2](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Logan_2)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2012, 10:36pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/disabling-field-cache/5681/5 "2012-11-05T22:36:14Z")
I just realized that I replied to a very old post that may no longer be
applicable to current ES builds. I'll create a post on this topic.
Logan
On Monday, November 5, 2012 3:31:37 PM UTC-7, Logan wrote:
> kimchy, I'm confused by your statement about not being able to limit the
> number of documents. Does this mean that the following configuration
> doesn't actually work as documented?
>
> index.cache.field.max\_size: 1000
>
> Logan
>
> On Tuesday, October 25, 2011 9:17:20 PM UTC-6, kimchy wrote:
>
> > There is no way to limit the number of documents, as all data is needed
> > when computing it. I really hope to address this in future versions, and
> > improve things, but for now, you need to either decide not the facet on
> > that field, or add more memory / machines.
> >
> > On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 1:31 AM, phobos182 [phob...@gmail.com](mailto:phob...@gmail.com) wrote:
> >
> > > I found the setting, but have come to terms that I cannot disable the
> > > field
> > > cache. The query time becomes abysmal.
> > >
> > > I'm now looking into ways to limit the amount of data in the field cache
> > > to
> > > protect my cluster from going out of memory. Any advice about what is a
> > > good
> > > setting for number of documents in the cache?
> > >
> > > --
> > > View this message in context:
> > > [http://elasticsearch-users.115913.n3.nabble.com/Disabling-Field-Cache-tp3452434p3453102.html](http://elasticsearch-users.115913.n3.nabble.com/Disabling-Field-Cache-tp3452434p3453102.html)
> > > Sent from the Elasticsearch Users mailing list archive at [Nabble.com](http://Nabble.com).
--
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/disabling-field-cache/5681/6 "2017-07-06T03:06:08Z")