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head

The head command returns the first N lines from a search result.

The head command is not rewritten to query domain-specific language (DSL). It is only executed on the coordinating node.

Syntax

The head command has the following syntax:

head [<size>] [from <offset>]

Parameters

The head command supports the following parameters.

Parameter Required/Optional Description
<size> Optional The number of results to return. Must be an integer. Default is 10.
<offset> Optional The number of results to skip (used with the from keyword). Must be an integer. Default is 0.

Example 1: Retrieve the first set of results using the default size

The following query returns the default number of search results (10):

source=accounts
| fields firstname, age
| head

The query returns the following results:

firstname age
Amber 32
Hattie 36
Nanette 28
Dale 33

Example 2: Retrieve a specified number of results

The following query returns the first 3 search results:

source=accounts
| fields firstname, age
| head 3

The query returns the following results:

firstname age
Amber 32
Hattie 36
Nanette 28

Example 3: Retrieve the first N results after an offset M

The following query demonstrates how to retrieve the first 3 results starting with the second result from the accounts index:

source=accounts
| fields firstname, age
| head 3 from 1

The query returns the following results:

firstname age
Hattie 36
Nanette 28
Dale 33