Source Filtering

Lesson in the Elasticsearch Roadmap · Stage 5: Controlling Search Results

Last updated 14 September 2026

What is Source Filtering?

Source filtering in Elasticsearch allows you to control which fields are returned in the _source field of your search results. Instead of retrieving the entire document, you can specify which fields you need, reducing network traffic and improving performance. This is achieved by including or excluding specific fields based on patterns or exact names.

Study this in the interactive course See the whole Elasticsearch roadmap

Free resources to learn Source Filtering

Official docs_source field
ArticleAn Overview of Source Filtering, Stored Fields, Fields and Docvalues Fields
ArticleElasticsearch in Action: Source Filtering

Source Filtering: common questions

Can I learn Source Filtering in Hindi?

This lesson is written in English. Once you sign in, open it in the interactive course and ask the AI tutor to explain Source Filtering in Hindi or Hinglish. The tutor answers from this lesson’s own text, so it stays on the syllabus, and it runs on your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key.

Is this Source Filtering tutorial for beginners?

It is lesson 55 of 113 in the free Elasticsearch roadmap, in stage 5, Controlling Search Results. If you are new to Elasticsearch, start from stage 1 and come back here in order; if you already know the earlier stages, this lesson stands on its own.