# How to send raw JSON queries with Elasticsearch Java Client 8

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-send-raw-json-queries-with-elasticsearch-java-client-8/377922>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [May 7, 2025, 6:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-send-raw-json-queries-with-elasticsearch-java-client-8/377922 "2025-05-07T18:21:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Daniel\_Abadi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@Daniel\_Abadi](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Daniel_Abadi)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 6:21pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-send-raw-json-queries-with-elasticsearch-java-client-8/377922/1 "2025-05-07T18:21:02Z")

</div>

Hello,

I’m currently migrating from Elasticsearch 7 to 8 in a Java application, and I’m running into issues when trying to perform searches using raw JSON queries.

In Elasticsearch 7, I used the Low Level REST Client like this:

```java
final String endpoint = String.format("/%s/%s", this.alias, "_search");
final Map<String, String> params = new HashMap<>();
// add params if needed

final Request request = new Request(HttpMethod.POST, endpoint);
request.addParameters(params);
request.setJsonEntity(searchJson); // searchJson is a String
final Response response = this.clientSupplier.get().getLowLevelClient().performRequest(request);

```

Now with the Java client for Elasticsearch 8, I can't seem to do the same. The JSON I'm using includes features like `script` inside aggregations, which can't be mapped directly to the new `SearchRequest` class, but the same JSON works when sent through Postman. Here's a simplified example of the kind of query I'm trying to send:

```json
{
  "size": 0,
  "query": {
    "bool": {
      "must": [
        { "bool": { "must": [] } },
        {
          "terms": {
            "_acl": ["any", "000000000000000000000009", "000000000000000000000039", "eba000000005000000000003", "eba000000000000000000200", "eba000000000000000000205"],
            "boost": 1.0
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "aggs": {
    "rootGroup": {
      "date_histogram": {
        "format": "dd/MM/yyyy",
        "time_zone": "America/Sao_Paulo",
        "min_doc_count": 1,
        "script": "Object calculate(def doc) { ... }",
        "calendar_interval": "day"
      },
      "aggs": {}
    },
    "nulo": {
      "missing": {
        "script": "Object calculate(def doc) { ... }"
      }
    }
  }
}

```

I tried using `client.search(b -> b.index(index).withJson(new StringReader(searchJson)), Map.class);`, but it fails with `JsonpMappingException` because the structure doesn't map cleanly to the Java classes.

Is there a recommended way in Elasticsearch 8 Java client to send a raw JSON query string, similar to how it was done with the Low Level REST Client in version 7?

Thanks in advance!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-send-raw-json-queries-with-elasticsearch-java-client-8/377922/3 "2025-05-08T22:27:28Z")

</div>

Hey

I'm wondering if you are looking for this: [Creating API objects from JSON data | Elastic Documentation](https://www.elastic.co/docs/reference/elasticsearch/clients/java/api-conventions/loading-json)

HTH

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Daniel\_Abadi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@Daniel\_Abadi](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Daniel_Abadi)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2025, 10:48am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-send-raw-json-queries-with-elasticsearch-java-client-8/377922/4 "2025-05-09T10:48:42Z")

</div>

Hey.

Yes, it's something along those lines. However, as I mentioned earlier, the JSON I receive can include elements that don’t map to the `SearchRequest` class in Elasticsearch 8 — for example, a `missing` aggregation that contains a `script`, like in the example above. I tried using the approach you suggested, but I ran into JSON deserialization errors.

I ended up handling it like this:

```java
final JsonStructure jsonStructure = Json.createReader(new StringReader(searchJson)).read();

final SimpleEndpoint<Object, Object> searchEndpoint = new SimpleEndpoint<>("es-search",
    method -> "POST",
    requestUrl -> endpoint,
    pathParameters -> this.ignoreUnavailableIndex ? Map.of("ignore_unavailable", "true") : Map.of(),
    queryParameters -> Map.of(),
    headers -> Map.of(),
    body -> jsonBody,
    JsonpDeserializer.of(Object.class));

final BinaryResponse r = client._transport().performRequest(
    PostRequest.of(b -> b),
    simpleEndpoint.withBinaryResponse(),
    this.clientSupplier.get()._transportOptions()
        .toBuilder()
        .setParameter("typed_keys", "false")
        .build()
);

```

This works for now, but it doesn’t feel like the "correct" or intended way to handle this in the Elasticsearch 8 Java client.