Failed to parse search source source must be an object but found instead – How to solve this Elasticsearch exception

Opster Team

August-23, Version: 6.8-7.15

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Briefly, this error occurs when Elasticsearch receives a search request with an incorrect format. The search source should be an object, but instead, it received an empty array or a different data type. To resolve this, ensure that the search request is correctly formatted as an object. Also, check the JSON syntax for any errors. If you’re using a programming language to send the request, ensure that the data type of the search source is an object before sending it to Elasticsearch.

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This guide will help you check for common problems that cause the log ” failed to parse search source. source must be an object; but found [{}] instead ” to appear. To understand the issues related to this log, read the explanation below about the following Elasticsearch concepts: plugin, rest, search, source.

Log Context

Log “failed to parse search source. source must be an object; but found [{}] instead” class name is RestGraphAction.java. We extracted the following from Elasticsearch source code for those seeking an in-depth context :

 try (XContentParser parser = request.contentOrSourceParamParser()) {  XContentParser.Token token = parser.nextToken();  if (token != XContentParser.Token.START_OBJECT) {
 throw new ElasticsearchParseException("failed to parse search source. source must be an object; but found [{}] instead";
 token.name());
 }
 parseHop(parser; currentHop; graphRequest);
 }

 

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