# Where are mappings for indices stored? **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [January 8, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/where-are-mappings-for-indices-stored/3755 "2011-01-08T03:07:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![didier\_deshommes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@didier\_deshommes](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/didier_deshommes)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/where-are-mappings-for-indices-stored/3755/1 "2011-01-08T03:07:24Z")
Hi, I would like to be able to store mappings for my indices in a json/yml file, so that whenever I add a document to the index, I don't have to specify a mapping via the put\_mapping api call. The documentation seems to have multiple places for configuring something like that: - [http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/mapping/dynamic\_mapping/](http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/mapping/dynamic_mapping/) :" The simplest manner is to simply define a file called default-mapping.json and placed it under the config directory" - [http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/mapping/builtin\_mappings/](http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/mapping/builtin_mappings/) : "Mappings can be defined within files called [mapping\_name].json and be placed either under config/mappings/\_default location, or under config/mappings/[index\_name] (for mappings that should be associated only with a specific index)." There seems to be conflicting information about how to store the name of the mapping. Is it config/mapping/[index\_name] or config/mapping/[index\_name].json ? The thing is that none of these options seem to work. Does anyone have a working mapping file that works? I'm using ES 0.14.1. didier ---
**Author:** ![Lukas\_Vlcek1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/lukas_vlcek1/32/819_2.png) [@Lukas\_Vlcek1](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Lukas_Vlcek1)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:07am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/where-are-mappings-for-indices-stored/3755/2 "2011-01-10T10:07:31Z")
Hi, I haven't been using default-mapping.json file so far but see my comments on the other options below: On Sat, Jan 8, 2011 at 4:07 AM, didier deshommes [dfdeshom@gmail.com](mailto:dfdeshom@gmail.com) wrote: > Hi, > I would like to be able to store mappings for my indices in a json/yml > file, so that whenever I add a document to the index, I don't have to > specify a mapping via the put\_mapping api call. The documentation > seems to have multiple places for configuring something like that: > > - [http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/mapping/dynamic\_mapping/](http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/mapping/dynamic_mapping/) > :" The simplest manner is to simply define a file called > default-mapping.json and placed it under the config directory" > - > > [http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/mapping/builtin\_mappings/](http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/mapping/builtin_mappings/) > : "Mappings can be defined within files called [mapping\_name].json and > be placed either under config/mappings/\_default location, or under > config/mappings/[index\_name] (for mappings that should be associated > only with a specific index)." There seems to be conflicting > information about how to store the name of the mapping. Is it > config/mapping/[index\_name] or config/mapping/[index\_name].json ? take the following file foo,json: { "foo" : { "properties" : { "howdy" : { "type" : "string", "index" : "not\_analyzed" } } } } Placing this file into config/mappings/\_default/foo.json means that whenever a new index is created it will be created with mappings for foo type. Placing it to config/mappings/bar/foo.json means that whenever an index called bar is created it will be created with mappings for foo type. > The thing is that none of these options seem to work. Does anyone > have a working mapping file that works? I'm using ES 0.14.1. You can also take a look at index templates: [http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/rest\_api/admin/indices/templates/](http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/rest_api/admin/indices/templates/) With index templates you PUT the mapping into cluster once and it becomes part of the cluster metadata and is available to any newly started node that joins the cluster. > didier Regards, Lukas ---
**Author:** ![didier\_deshommes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@didier\_deshommes](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/didier_deshommes)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/where-are-mappings-for-indices-stored/3755/3 "2011-01-11T18:53:21Z")
On Mon, Jan 10, 2011 at 4:07 AM, Lukáš Vlček [lukas.vlcek@gmail.com](mailto:lukas.vlcek@gmail.com) wrote: > take the following file foo,json: > { > "foo" : { > "properties" : { > "howdy" : { "type" : "string", "index" : "not\_analyzed" } > } > } > } > Placing this file into > config/mappings/\_default/foo.json > means that whenever a new index is created it will be created with mappings > for foo type. > Placing it to > config/mappings/bar/foo.json > means that whenever an index called bar is created it will be created with > mappings for foo type. Hi, Thanks for the clarifications, I didn't realize that config/mappings/\_default/ was actually a directory. Everything worked out beautifully. > > The thing is that none of these options seem to work. Does anyone > > have a working mapping file that works? I'm using ES 0.14.1. > > You can also take a look at index > templates: [http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/rest\_api/admin/indices/templates/](http://www.elasticsearch.com/docs/elasticsearch/rest_api/admin/indices/templates/) > With index templates you PUT the mapping into cluster once and it becomes > part of the cluster metadata and is available to any newly started node that > joins the cluster. Thanks! good to know. didier ---
**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, 4:14am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/where-are-mappings-for-indices-stored/3755/4 "2017-07-06T04:14:03Z")