Elasticsearch Tutorial: Search Basics You Need to Know

Implementing full-text search in applications can take user experience to the next level. Elasticsearch, a potent search and analytics engine, is key for embedding sophisticated search functionalities. This tutorial guides you through the process of implementing full-text search, with Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch as our hosting environment.

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Setting the Stage

Suppose you have an Elasticsearch index set up on Alibaba Cloud, brimming with documents. Each document, a data structure with fields like text, numbers, and dates, is poised for quick retrieval. Now, visualize a Flask application with a search page live at http://localhost:5001—your gateway to explore Elasticsearch's search prowess.

Crafting the User Interface

Your Flask application serves a search page from templates/index.html:

<form action="/search" method="post">
    <input type="text" name="query" />
    <input type="submit" value="Search"/>
</form>

This captures the users' queries and aims them at Flask's handle_search() endpoint.

Integrating Elasticsearch Queries

Using Elasticsearch's Query DSL, a JSON-style domain-specific language, you interface with Elasticsearch from Python. Elasticsearch queries are a breeze with the official client library:

from elasticsearch import Elasticsearch

es = Elasticsearch([{'host': 'localhost', 'port': 9200}])

def search(index, query):
    response = es.search(index=index, body=query)
    return response

Implementing Match Queries

We start with a simple Match query. Here's the raw HTTP example for a query:

GET /your_index/_search
{
    "query": {
        "match": {
            "name": "search text here"
        }
    }
}

And now, let's enhance the Flask app's handle_search():

from flask import Flask, request, render_template
from search import search

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route("/search", methods=['POST'])
def handle_search():
    search_query = request.form['query']
    results = search('your_index', {
        "query": {
            "match": {
                "name": search_query
            }
        }
    })
    return render_template('index.html', results=results['hits']['hits'])

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run(port=5001)

After submitting a query, Elasticsearch quickly scours the name field across documents and retrieves the ones that match.

Displaying Search Results

With results in hand, index.html is now tasked with presenting them:

<!-- Inside templates/index.html -->
<body>
    <form action="/search" method="post">
        <input type="text" name="query" />
        <input type="submit" value="Search"/>
    </form>
    {% if results %}
        <ul>
        {% for result in results %}
            <li>{{ result['_source']['name'] }}: {{ result['_source']['description'] }}</li>
        {% endfor %}
        </ul>
    {% endif %}
</body>

Search submissions now return a list of hits, distinctly showing the name and description from each indexed document.
That wraps up our core walkthrough on Elasticsearch's search fundamentals within the Alibaba Cloud environment. By understanding and implementing full-text search with Elasticsearch, you've crafted a seamless and fast search feature, crucial for any data-oriented application.

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Elasticsearch Tutorial: Search Basics You Need to Know

Setting the Stage

Crafting the User Interface

Integrating Elasticsearch Queries

Implementing Match Queries

Displaying Search Results

Start Your Journey with Elasticsearch on Alibaba Cloud for Free

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