index_template.md

Index Template

Index templates are a convenient way to define settings, mappings, and aliases for one or more indices when they are created. In this guide, you'll learn how to create an index template and apply it to an index.

Setup

Assuming you have OpenSearch running locally on port 9200, you can create a client instance with the following code:

const { Client } = require('@opensearch-project/opensearch');

const client = new Client({
  node: 'http://localhost:9200',
});

Index Template API Actions

Create an Index Template

You can create an index template to define default settings and mappings for indices of certain patterns. The following example creates an index template named books with default settings and mappings for indices of the books-* pattern:

client.indices.putIndexTemplate({
  name: 'books',
  body: {
    index_patterns: ['books-*'],
    settings: {
      index: {
        number_of_shards: 3,
        number_of_replicas: 0
      }
    },
    mappings: {
      properties: {
        title: { type: 'text' },
        author: { type: 'text' },
        published_on: { type: 'date' },
        pages: { type: 'integer' }
      }
    }
  }
}).then(resp => {
  console.log(`Index template created: ${resp}`);
});

Now, when you create an index that matches the books-* pattern, OpenSearch will automatically apply the template's settings and mappings to the index. Let's create an index named books-nonfiction and verify that its settings and mappings match those of the template:

client.indices.create({ index: 'books-nonfiction' })
.then(() => {
  return client.indices.get({ index: 'books-nonfiction' });
})
.then(response => {
  console.log(response);
});

Multiple Index Templates

If multiple index templates match the index's name, OpenSearch will apply the template with the highest priority. The following example creates two index templates named books-* and books-fiction-* with different settings:

client.indices.putIndexTemplate({
  name: 'books',
  body: {
    index_patterns: ['books-*'],
    settings: {
      index: {
        number_of_shards: 3,
        number_of_replicas: 0
      }
    }
  }
})
.then(resp => {
  console.log(`Index template created: ${resp}`);
});

client.indices.putIndexTemplate({
  name: 'books-fiction',
  body: {
    index_patterns: ['books-fiction-*'],
    priority: 1, // higher priority than the `books` template
    template: {
      settings: {
        index: {
          number_of_shards: 1,
          number_of_replicas: 1
        }
      }
    }
  }
})
.then(resp => {
  console.log(`Index template created: ${resp}`);
});

When we create an index named books-fiction-romance, OpenSearch will apply the books-fiction-* template's settings to the index:

client.indices.create({ index: 'books-fiction-romance' })
.then(() => {
  return client.indices.get({ index: 'books-fiction-romance' });
})
.then(response => {
  console.log(response);
});

Composable Index Templates

Composable index templates are a new type of index template that allow you to define multiple component templates and compose them into a final template. The following example creates a component template named books_mappings with default mappings for indices of the books-* and books-fiction-* patterns:

client.cluster.putComponentTemplate({
  name: 'books_mappings',
  body: {
    template: {
      mappings: {
        properties: {
          title: { type: 'text' },
          author: { type: 'text' },
          published_on: { type: 'date' },
          pages: { type: 'integer' }
        }
      }
    }
  }
})
.then(resp => {
  console.log(`Component template created: ${resp}`);
});

client.indices.putIndexTemplate({
  name: 'books',
  body: {
    index_patterns: ['books-*'],
    composed_of: ['books_mappings'], // use the `books_mappings` component template
    priority: 0,
    template: {
      settings: {
        index: {
          number_of_shards: 3,
          number_of_replicas: 0
        }
      }
    }
  }
})
.then(resp => {
  console.log(`Index template created: ${resp}`);
});

client.indices.putIndexTemplate({
  name: 'books',
  body: {
    index_patterns: ['books-*'],
    composed_of: ['books_mappings'], // use the `books_mappings` component template
    priority: 1,
    template: {
      settings: {
        index: {
          number_of_shards: 1,
          number_of_replicas: 1
        }
      }
    }
  }
})
.then(resp => {
  console.log(`Index template created: ${resp}`);
});

When we create an index named books-fiction-horror, OpenSearch will apply the books-fiction-* template's settings, and books_mappings template mappings to the index:

client.indices.create({ index: 'books-fiction-horror' })
.then(() => {
  return client.indices.get({ index: 'books-fiction-horror' });
})
.then(response => {
  console.log(response);
});

Get an Index Template

You can get an index template with the getIndexTemplate API action:

client.indices.getIndexTemplate({name: 'books'}).then(response => {
  console.log(response.body);
});

Delete an Index Template

You can delete an index template with the delete_template API action:

client.indices.deleteIndexTemplate({
  name: 'books'
}).then((response) => {
  console.log(`Index template deleted: ${response}`);
});

Cleanup

Let's delete all resources created in this guide:

client.indices.delete({
  index: 'books-*'
}).then(response => {
  console.log(`Index deleted: ${response}`)
});

client.indices.deleteIndexTemplate({
  name: 'books-fiction'
}).then(response => {
  console.log(`Index template deleted: ${response}`)
});

client.cluster.deleteIndexTemplate({
  name: 'books_mappings'
}).then(response => {
  console.log(`Component template deleted: ${response}`)
});