# FileBeat decode\_json\_fields processor max\_depth option not working
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-decode-json-fields-processor-max-depth-option-not-working/240948
**Category:** Beats
**Tags:** filebeat
**Created:** [July 13, 2020, 10:37am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-decode-json-fields-processor-max-depth-option-not-working/240948 "2020-07-13T10:37:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Vitaliy\_Kravchenko](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Vitaliy_Kravchenko)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2020, 10:37am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-decode-json-fields-processor-max-depth-option-not-working/240948/1 "2020-07-13T10:37:30Z")
`decode_json_fields` -\> `max_depth` option not working or documentation misunderstanding.
To prevent creating tons of document fields in an Elasticsearch log index I want to control nested JSON parsing depth.
Filebeat version 7.8.0 (also tested on 6.8.10 and result is the same)
/tmp/filebeat.conf:
```auto
filebeat.inputs:
- type: log
paths:
- /tmp/filebeat.input
processors:
- decode_json_fields:
fields: ["message"]
max_depth: 1
target: "parsed"
output.console:
pretty: true
```
/tmp/filebeat.input:
```auto
{"top": "top_value", "top_obj": {"level_1": "level_1_value", "level_1_obj": {"level_2": "level_2_value", "level_2_obj": {"level_3": "level_3_value"}}}}
```
Command:
```auto
filebeat -e -c /tmp/filebeat.conf
```
Result:
```auto
"parsed": {
"top_obj": {
"level_1_obj": {
"level_2": "level_2_value",
"level_2_obj": {
"level_3": "level_3_value"
}
},
"level_1": "level_1_value"
},
"top": "top_value"
}
```
Expected result:
```auto
"parsed": {
"top_obj": {
"level_1_obj": "{\"level_2\": \"level_2_value\", \"level_2_obj\": {\"level_3\": \"level_3_value\"}}",
"level_1": "level_1_value"
},
"top": "top_value"
}
```
---
### Author:  [@ChrsMark](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ChrsMark)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2020, 11:53am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-decode-json-fields-processor-max-depth-option-not-working/240948/2 "2020-07-13T11:53:59Z")
Thank you for reporting this! I was able to reproduce this.
Could you please open a Github issue reporting this potential bug?
C.
---
### Author:  [@Vitaliy\_Kravchenko](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Vitaliy_Kravchenko)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2020, 12:14pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-decode-json-fields-processor-max-depth-option-not-working/240948/3 "2020-07-13T12:14:44Z")
Thank you!
Related GitHub Issue: [https://github.com/elastic/beats/issues/19830](https://github.com/elastic/beats/issues/19830)
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-decode-json-fields-processor-max-depth-option-not-working/240948/4 "2020-08-10T14:14:47Z")
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