# Flexible index mappings **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [February 9, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651 "2012-02-09T00:21:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ivan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/df788c/32.png) [@Ivan](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Ivan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/1 "2012-02-09T00:21:50Z")
In my current setup, I am configuring new index mappings via a file on each node. File-based mappings allow me to change items at the application level and not via code, and are easier to manage in source-control. However, with using index aliases, the only way I can apply to same mapping to each new index is by putting the file in the \_default directory. Currently the system is only using one index, so the solution is acceptable, but other indices will appear in the future. Having a more flexible approach is needed, but I am unsure about any practical suggestions. Having wildcards in the directory name is ugly and not supported by Windows. Perhaps a default.json in the config/mappings directory with a slightly different JSON structure to allow index names (with wildcards)? e.g. { "myindex-\*" : { "mytype" : { "\_source" : {"enabled" : true}, "\_all" : {"enabled" : true}, "properties" : { ... This file would have the lowest precedence in determining the correct mapping. Or perhaps am I missing another solution altogether? Cheers, Ivan ---
**Author:** ![Karussell1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/50afbb/32.png) [@Karussell1](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Karussell1)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 9:56am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/2 "2012-02-09T09:56:01Z")
> Or perhaps am I missing another solution altogether? In Elasticsearch you define per type > **[Elasticsearch Platform — Find real-time answers at scale](https://www.elastic.co)** > > Power insights and outcomes with the Elasticsearch Platform and AI. See into your data and find answers that matter with enterprise solutions designed to help you build, observe, and protect. Try Elasticsearch free today. Or did I misunderstand something? Regards, Peter. ---
**Author:** ![Ivan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/df788c/32.png) [@Ivan](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Ivan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/3 "2012-02-09T16:03:40Z")
There are only two options for placing the mapping file: inside the \_default directory which applies to all indices, or inside a directory with the same name as an index. Types defined inside a mapping inside that \_default will apply to all indices, even if the type is not used. No performance issues, but the index metadata will have this mapping, which can be confusing. On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:56 AM, Karussell [tableyourtime@googlemail.com](mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com) wrote: > > Or perhaps am I missing another solution altogether? > > In Elasticsearch you define per type > > [Elasticsearch Platform — Find real-time answers at scale | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/mapping/object-type.html) > > Or did I misunderstand something? > > Regards, > Peter. ---
**Author:** ![kimchy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kimchy/32/44952_2.png) [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 11:20am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/4 "2012-02-12T11:20:18Z")
How about using index templates? You can't place index templates in the configuration location of node(s), but you can place them when the system starts, and then they will apply to indices matching the relevant index name. On Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 6:03 PM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > There are only two options for placing the mapping file: inside the > \_default directory which applies to all indices, or inside a directory > with the same name as an index. Types defined inside a mapping inside > that \_default will apply to all indices, even if the type is not used. > No performance issues, but the index metadata will have this mapping, > which can be confusing. > > On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:56 AM, Karussell \<[tableyourtime@googlemail.com](mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com) ([mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com](mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com))\> wrote: > > > > Or perhaps am I missing another solution altogether? > > > > In Elasticsearch you define per type > > > > [Elasticsearch Platform — Find real-time answers at scale | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/mapping/object-type.html) > > > > Or did I misunderstand something? > > > > Regards, > > Peter. ---
**Author:** ![Ivan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/df788c/32.png) [@Ivan](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Ivan)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 10:56pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/5 "2012-02-14T22:56:58Z")
I did consider index templates since they allow the use of wildcards in the index name, but did not explore further since they are not file based. Not sure what you mean by "you can place them when the system starts". Do you mean they can be added via the API at startup? Ultimately, the file based approach might not work since they require a reboot. -- Ivan On Sun, Feb 12, 2012 at 3:20 AM, Shay Banon [kimchy@gmail.com](mailto:kimchy@gmail.com) wrote: > How about using index templates? You can't place index templates in the > configuration location of node(s), but you can place them when the system > starts, and then they will apply to indices matching the relevant index > name. > > On Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 6:03 PM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > > There are only two options for placing the mapping file: inside the > \_default directory which applies to all indices, or inside a directory > with the same name as an index. Types defined inside a mapping inside > that \_default will apply to all indices, even if the type is not used. > No performance issues, but the index metadata will have this mapping, > which can be confusing. > > On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:56 AM, Karussell [tableyourtime@googlemail.com](mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com) > wrote: > > Or perhaps am I missing another solution altogether? > > In Elasticsearch you define per type > > [Elasticsearch Platform — Find real-time answers at scale | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/mapping/object-type.html) > > Or did I misunderstand something? > > Regards, > Peter. ---
**Author:** ![kimchy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kimchy/32/44952_2.png) [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2012, 10:36am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/6 "2012-02-15T10:36:34Z")
I added this so you can place templates under config: [Index Templates: Allow to place them under config/templates · Issue #1703 · elastic/elasticsearch · GitHub](https://github.com/elasticsearch/elasticsearch/issues/1703). On Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:56 AM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > I did consider index templates since they allow the use of wildcards > in the index name, but did not explore further since they are not file > based. > > Not sure what you mean by "you can place them when the system starts". > Do you mean they can be added via the API at startup? > > Ultimately, the file based approach might not work since they require a reboot. > > -- > Ivan > > On Sun, Feb 12, 2012 at 3:20 AM, Shay Banon \<[kimchy@gmail.com](mailto:kimchy@gmail.com) ([mailto:kimchy@gmail.com](mailto:kimchy@gmail.com))\> wrote: > > > How about using index templates? You can't place index templates in the > > configuration location of node(s), but you can place them when the system > > starts, and then they will apply to indices matching the relevant index > > name. > > > > On Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 6:03 PM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > > > > There are only two options for placing the mapping file: inside the > > \_default directory which applies to all indices, or inside a directory > > with the same name as an index. Types defined inside a mapping inside > > that \_default will apply to all indices, even if the type is not used. > > No performance issues, but the index metadata will have this mapping, > > which can be confusing. > > > > On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:56 AM, Karussell \<[tableyourtime@googlemail.com](mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com) ([mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com](mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com))\> > > wrote: > > > > Or perhaps am I missing another solution altogether? > > > > In Elasticsearch you define per type > > > > [Elasticsearch Platform — Find real-time answers at scale | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/mapping/object-type.html) > > > > Or did I misunderstand something? > > > > Regards, > > Peter. ---
**Author:** ![Ivan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/df788c/32.png) [@Ivan](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Ivan)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/7 "2012-03-14T21:21:54Z")
Finally had a chance to test out the change with 0.19.0 (maintenance coding is taking up all my time). Works like a charm, but any modifications to a template are not reflected in the index, even after a restart. Is this an issue with dynamic templates (which I have never used) in general? -- Ivan On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 2:36 AM, Shay Banon [kimchy@gmail.com](mailto:kimchy@gmail.com) wrote: > I added this so you can place templates under > config: [Index Templates: Allow to place them under config/templates · Issue #1703 · elastic/elasticsearch · GitHub](https://github.com/elasticsearch/elasticsearch/issues/1703). > > On Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:56 AM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > > I did consider index templates since they allow the use of wildcards > in the index name, but did not explore further since they are not file > based. > > Not sure what you mean by "you can place them when the system starts". > Do you mean they can be added via the API at startup? > > Ultimately, the file based approach might not work since they require a > reboot. > > -- > Ivan > > On Sun, Feb 12, 2012 at 3:20 AM, Shay Banon [kimchy@gmail.com](mailto:kimchy@gmail.com) wrote: > > How about using index templates? You can't place index templates in the > configuration location of node(s), but you can place them when the system > starts, and then they will apply to indices matching the relevant index > name. > > On Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 6:03 PM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > > There are only two options for placing the mapping file: inside the > \_default directory which applies to all indices, or inside a directory > with the same name as an index. Types defined inside a mapping inside > that \_default will apply to all indices, even if the type is not used. > No performance issues, but the index metadata will have this mapping, > which can be confusing. > > On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:56 AM, Karussell [tableyourtime@googlemail.com](mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com) > wrote: > > Or perhaps am I missing another solution altogether? > > In Elasticsearch you define per type > > [Elasticsearch Platform — Find real-time answers at scale | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/mapping/object-type.html) > > Or did I misunderstand something? > > Regards, > Peter. ---
**Author:** ![Radu\_Gheorghe1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/radu_gheorghe1/32/2688_2.png) [@Radu\_Gheorghe1](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Radu_Gheorghe1)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 7:47am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/8 "2012-03-15T07:47:48Z")
Hi Ivan, I know it's a long shot, but are you sure you actually modified the template, and not entered a new one without deleting the old template? That's what I did yesterday, so I thought I should share 😃 To get all your templates, you can do something like this: # curl -XGET '[http://localhost:9200/\_cluster/state?pretty=true](http://localhost:9200/_cluster/state?pretty=true)' \> /tmp/ cluster\_state\_dump and then look in that file for "templates". Best regards, Radu On Mar 14, 11:21 pm, Ivan Brusic [i...@brusic.com](mailto:i...@brusic.com) wrote: > Finally had a chance to test out the change with 0.19.0 (maintenance > coding is taking up all my time). Works like a charm, but any > modifications to a template are not reflected in the index, even after > a restart. Is this an issue with dynamic templates (which I have never > used) in general? > > -- > Ivan > > On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 2:36 AM, Shay Banon [kim...@gmail.com](mailto:kim...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > I added this so you can place templates under > > config: [Index Templates: Allow to place them under config/templates · Issue #1703 · elastic/elasticsearch · GitHub](https://github.com/elasticsearch/elasticsearch/issues/1703). > > > On Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:56 AM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > > > I did consider index templates since they allow the use of wildcards > > in the index name, but did not explore further since they are not file > > based. > > > Not sure what you mean by "you can place them when the system starts". > > Do you mean they can be added via the API at startup? > > > Ultimately, the file based approach might not work since they require a > > reboot. > > > -- > > Ivan > > > On Sun, Feb 12, 2012 at 3:20 AM, Shay Banon [kim...@gmail.com](mailto:kim...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > How about using index templates? You can't place index templates in the > > configuration location of node(s), but you can place them when the system > > starts, and then they will apply to indices matching the relevant index > > name. > > > On Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 6:03 PM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > > > There are only two options for placing the mapping file: inside the > > \_default directory which applies to all indices, or inside a directory > > with the same name as an index. Types defined inside a mapping inside > > that \_default will apply to all indices, even if the type is not used. > > No performance issues, but the index metadata will have this mapping, > > which can be confusing. > > > On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:56 AM, Karussell [tableyourt...@googlemail.com](mailto:tableyourt...@googlemail.com) > > wrote: > > > Or perhaps am I missing another solution altogether? > > > In Elasticsearch you define per type > > > [Elastic — The Search AI Company | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/mapping/object-type.html) > > > Or did I misunderstand something? > > > Regards, > > Peter. ---
**Author:** ![kimchy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kimchy/32/44952_2.png) [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/9 "2012-03-16T17:14:03Z")
Modifying the template will only apply to new indices created, not to existing indices... On Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 11:21 PM, Ivan Brusic [ivan@brusic.com](mailto:ivan@brusic.com) wrote: > Finally had a chance to test out the change with 0.19.0 (maintenance > coding is taking up all my time). Works like a charm, but any > modifications to a template are not reflected in the index, even after > a restart. Is this an issue with dynamic templates (which I have never > used) in general? > > -- > Ivan > > On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 2:36 AM, Shay Banon [kimchy@gmail.com](mailto:kimchy@gmail.com) wrote: > > > I added this so you can place templates under > > config: [Index Templates: Allow to place them under config/templates · Issue #1703 · elastic/elasticsearch · GitHub](https://github.com/elasticsearch/elasticsearch/issues/1703). > > > > On Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 12:56 AM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > > > > I did consider index templates since they allow the use of wildcards > > in the index name, but did not explore further since they are not file > > based. > > > > Not sure what you mean by "you can place them when the system starts". > > Do you mean they can be added via the API at startup? > > > > Ultimately, the file based approach might not work since they require a > > reboot. > > > > -- > > Ivan > > > > On Sun, Feb 12, 2012 at 3:20 AM, Shay Banon [kimchy@gmail.com](mailto:kimchy@gmail.com) wrote: > > > > How about using index templates? You can't place index templates in the > > configuration location of node(s), but you can place them when the system > > starts, and then they will apply to indices matching the relevant index > > name. > > > > On Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 6:03 PM, Ivan Brusic wrote: > > > > There are only two options for placing the mapping file: inside the > > \_default directory which applies to all indices, or inside a directory > > with the same name as an index. Types defined inside a mapping inside > > that \_default will apply to all indices, even if the type is not used. > > No performance issues, but the index metadata will have this mapping, > > which can be confusing. > > > > On Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 1:56 AM, Karussell [tableyourtime@googlemail.com](mailto:tableyourtime@googlemail.com) > > wrote: > > > > Or perhaps am I missing another solution altogether? > > > > In Elasticsearch you define per type > > > > [Elasticsearch Platform — Find real-time answers at scale | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/mapping/object-type.html) > > > > Or did I misunderstand something? > > > > Regards, > > Peter. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 3:35am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/flexible-index-mappings/6651/10 "2017-07-06T03:35:52Z")