# How to use the ElasticSearch Java API to build an Aggregation from JSON
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-use-the-elasticsearch-java-api-to-build-an-aggregation-from-json/70773
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [January 6, 2017, 10:40am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-use-the-elasticsearch-java-api-to-build-an-aggregation-from-json/70773 "2017-01-06T10:40:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jonskeet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/jonskeet)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2017, 10:40am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-use-the-elasticsearch-java-api-to-build-an-aggregation-from-json/70773/1 "2017-01-06T10:40:21Z")
Hi everyone,
My code has an ElasticSearch query and aggregations in JSON format, and wants to call the ElasticSearch Java API.
For the Query portion, I can use WrapperQuery to build the query from the JSON as so:
```
val query = Json.obj(
"query_string" -> Json.obj("query" -> "*"))
val aggs = Json.obj(
"gender" -> Json.obj("terms" -> Json.obj("field": "gender")),
"age" -> Json.obj("terms" -> Json.obj("field": "age")))
val aggsRequestBuilder = new SearchRequestBuilder(client)
.setIndices(index())
.setQuery(QueryBuilders.wrapperQuery(query.toString())
.addAggregation(AggregationBuilders.???(aggs.toString())
```
But then, I also have the JSON for the aggregations and I don't see an AggregationsBuilder.wrapperAggregation() function that I can use to build aggregations object from JSON.
Am I missing something?
Best regards,
The Notorious Jon Skeet
---
### Author:  [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2017, 11:00am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-use-the-elasticsearch-java-api-to-build-an-aggregation-from-json/70773/2 "2017-01-06T11:00:24Z")
Why not using the Aggregation API?
[https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/client/java-api/current/\_bucket\_aggregations.html#java-aggs-bucket-terms](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/client/java-api/current/_bucket_aggregations.html#java-aggs-bucket-terms)
```
val aggsRequestBuilder = new SearchRequestBuilder(client)
.setIndices(index())
.setQuery(QueryBuilders.wrapperQuery(query.toString())
.addAggregation(AggregationBuilders.terms("gender").field("gender"))
.addAggregation(AggregationBuilders.terms("age").field("age"))
```
---
### Author:  [@jonskeet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/jonskeet)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2017, 11:32am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-use-the-elasticsearch-java-api-to-build-an-aggregation-from-json/70773/3 "2017-01-06T11:32:34Z")
Because the aggregations in our system are dynamic and I don't want to parse them.
---
### Author:  [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-use-the-elasticsearch-java-api-to-build-an-aggregation-from-json/70773/4 "2017-01-06T12:11:04Z")
I don't think you can.
You can probably pass the full query DSL as a string but not only the agg part.
I did not check the code though.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-use-the-elasticsearch-java-api-to-build-an-aggregation-from-json/70773/5 "2017-02-03T12:11:25Z")
This topic was automatically closed 28 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
---
### Author:  [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)
#### Post date: [April 7, 2018, 3:01am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-use-the-elasticsearch-java-api-to-build-an-aggregation-from-json/70773/6 "2018-04-07T03:01:38Z")
Updating this old thread as @monde shared with me a solution he found on [SOF](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/34889026/how-to-use-the-elasticsearch-java-api-to-build-an-aggregation-from-json):
```
val aggsRequestBuilder = new SearchRequestBuilder(client)
.setIndices(index())
.setQuery(QueryBuilders.wrapperQuery(query.toString())
.setAggregations(agg.toString().getBytes())
```