elasticsearch/docs/reference/query-languages/query-dsl-has-parent-query.md

---
navigation_title: "Has parent"
mapped_pages:
  - https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/query-dsl-has-parent-query.html
---

# Has parent query [query-dsl-has-parent-query]


Returns child documents whose [joined](/reference/elasticsearch/mapping-reference/parent-join.md) parent document matches a provided query. You can create parent-child relationships between documents in the same index using a [join](/reference/elasticsearch/mapping-reference/parent-join.md) field mapping.

::::{warning}
Because it performs a join, the `has_parent` query is slow compared to other queries. Its performance degrades as the number of matching parent documents increases. Each `has_parent` query in a search can increase query time significantly.

::::


## Example request [has-parent-query-ex-request]

### Index setup [has-parent-index-setup]

To use the `has_parent` query, your index must include a [join](/reference/elasticsearch/mapping-reference/parent-join.md) field mapping. For example:

```console
PUT /my-index-000001
{
  "mappings": {
    "properties": {
      "my-join-field": {
        "type": "join",
        "relations": {
          "parent": "child"
        }
      },
      "tag": {
        "type": "keyword"
      }
    }
  }
}
```


### Example query [has-parent-query-ex-query]

```console
GET /my-index-000001/_search
{
  "query": {
    "has_parent": {
      "parent_type": "parent",
      "query": {
        "term": {
          "tag": {
            "value": "Elasticsearch"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```



## Top-level parameters for `has_parent` [has-parent-top-level-params]

`parent_type`
:   (Required, string) Name of the parent relationship mapped for the [join](/reference/elasticsearch/mapping-reference/parent-join.md) field.

`query`
:   (Required, query object) Query you wish to run on parent documents of the `parent_type` field. If a parent document matches the search, the query returns its child documents.

`score`
:   (Optional, Boolean) Indicates whether the [relevance score](/reference/query-languages/query-filter-context.md) of a matching parent document is aggregated into its child documents. Defaults to `false`.

If `false`, {{es}} ignores the relevance score of the parent document. {{es}} also assigns each child document a relevance score equal to the `query`'s `boost`, which defaults to `1`.

If `true`, the relevance score of the matching parent document is aggregated into its child documents' relevance scores.


`ignore_unmapped`
:   (Optional, Boolean) Indicates whether to ignore an unmapped `parent_type` and not return any documents instead of an error. Defaults to `false`.

If `false`, {{es}} returns an error if the `parent_type` is unmapped.

You can use this parameter to query multiple indices that may not contain the `parent_type`.



## Notes [has-parent-query-notes]

### Sorting [has-parent-query-performance]

You cannot sort the results of a `has_parent` query using standard [sort options](/reference/elasticsearch/rest-apis/sort-search-results.md).

If you need to sort returned documents by a field in their parent documents, use a `function_score` query and sort by `_score`. For example, the following query sorts returned documents by the `view_count` field of their parent documents.

```console
GET /_search
{
  "query": {
    "has_parent": {
      "parent_type": "parent",
      "score": true,
      "query": {
        "function_score": {
          "script_score": {
            "script": "_score * doc['view_count'].value"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}
```