[[default-mapping]]
=== `_default_` mapping

The default mapping, which will be used as the base mapping for any new
mapping types, can be customised by adding a mapping type with the name
`_default_` to an index, either when
<<indices-create-index,creating the index>> or later on with the
<<indices-put-mapping,PUT mapping>> API.


[source,js]
--------------------------------------------------
PUT my_index
{
  "settings": {
    "mapping.single_type": false
  },
  "mappings": {
    "_default_": { <1>
      "_source": {
        "enabled": false
      }
    },
    "user": {}, <2>
    "blogpost": { <3>
      "_source": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  }
}
--------------------------------------------------
// CONSOLE
<1> The `_default_` mapping defaults the <<mapping-source-field,`_source`>> field to disabled.
<2> The `user` type inherits the settings from `_default_`.
<3> The `blogpost` type overrides the defaults and enables the <<mapping-source-field,`_source`>> field.

NOTE: When updating the `_default_` mapping with the
<<indices-put-mapping,PUT mapping>> API, the new mapping is not merged with
the existing mapping.  Instead, the new `_default_` mapping replaces the
existing one.

While the `_default_` mapping can be updated after an index has been created,
the new defaults will only affect mapping types that are created afterwards.

The `_default_` mapping can be used in conjunction with
<<indices-templates,Index templates>> to control dynamically created types
within automatically created indices:


[source,js]
--------------------------------------------------
PUT _template/logging
{
  "index_patterns":   ["logs-*"], <1>
  "settings": { "number_of_shards": 1 }, <2>
  "mappings": {
    "_default_": {
      "_field_names": { <3>
        "enabled": false
      },
      "dynamic_templates": [
        {
          "strings": { <4>
            "match_mapping_type": "string",
            "mapping": {
              "type": "text",
              "fields": {
                "raw": {
                  "type":  "keyword",
                  "ignore_above": 256
                }
              }
            }
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

PUT logs-2015.10.01/event/1
{ "message": "error:16" }
--------------------------------------------------
// CONSOLE
<1> The `logging` template will match any indices beginning with `logs-`.
<2> Matching indices will be created with a single primary shard.
<3> The `_field_names` field will be disabled by default for new type mappings.
<4> String fields will be created with a `text` main field, and a `keyword` `.raw` field.