--- title: "Search Redact" description: "Search Redact is an open source plugin that redacts PII and PHI from OpenSearch and Elasticsearch search results before they reach end users." url: "https://philterd.ai/search-redact/" --- Redact PII from search results # Search Redact Search Redact is an open source plugin for OpenSearch and Elasticsearch that redacts PII and PHI from search results at query time, before they reach the user. It runs inside your cluster and applies a Phileas policy, the same policy format Philter uses, passed with each search request. [OpenSearch](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-opensearch-plugin) [Elasticsearch](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-elasticsearch-plugin) OpenSearch [Star: 2](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-opensearch-plugin) Elasticsearch [Star: 1](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-elasticsearch-plugin) Add it to your query. Get redacted results back. ``` curl -s http://localhost:9200/sample_index/_search \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d ' { "ext": { "search-redact": { "field": "description", "policy": "{\"identifiers\":{\"emailAddress\":{\"emailAddressFilterStrategies\":[{\"strategy\":\"REDACT\"}]}}}" } }, "query": { "match_all": {} } }' ``` Pass a Phileas policy and the fields to redact in the request's `ext.search-redact` block, and the matching documents come back with those fields redacted, per query. Experimental Search Redact is an early-stage project in [Philterd Labs](https://philterd.ai/labs/). The plugins are open source and working, but the request format and configuration can still change, and they are not covered by the support terms that apply to the established toolkit. [Talk to us](https://philterd.ai/search-redact/#) before building on it in production. [OpenSearch on GitHub →](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-opensearch-plugin) [Elasticsearch on GitHub →](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-elasticsearch-plugin) ## PII redacted from results at query time A user runs an ordinary search. Search Redact applies your Phileas policy to the matching documents inside the cluster, so the hits come back with sensitive fields redacted before they reach the user. The stored documents are untouched. policy renewal questions from last week Search Redact · query-time ### Ticket #4821: Coverage renewal Policyholder NAME (EMAIL) asked about renewing the plan on the account ending ACCOUNT. ### Ticket #1902: Billing update Caller NAME at PHONE requested a card change; SSN SSN on file. Redaction happens in the response path, per query, using the policy you pass. Nothing in the index is rewritten. ## Why Search Redact ### Redaction at query time Sensitive fields are redacted as results are returned, so PII and PHI do not have to leave the cluster in the clear. The stored documents are untouched; redaction is applied to the response. ### Built on Phileas Detection is the open source [Phileas](https://philterd.ai/phileas/) engine: pattern matching for structured identifiers and dictionaries for names and places. Policies use the same Phileas format as Philter. PhEye AI models are not yet supported in the plugin. ### Open source and self-hosted Apache-2.0 licensed and runs entirely inside your own cluster. No data leaves your environment for redaction, which keeps your compliance boundary intact. ## Available for OpenSearch and Elasticsearch The same plugin, built for each platform. Both are Apache-2.0 licensed and built on Phileas. ### OpenSearch Install the plugin in your OpenSearch cluster to redact sensitive fields from search results. See the [OpenSearch walkthrough](https://philterd.ai/blog/shielding-your-search-redacting-pii-and-phi-in-opensearch-with-search-redact/). [View on GitHub →](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-opensearch-plugin) [Documentation →](https://philterd.github.io/search-redact-opensearch-plugin/) ### Elasticsearch The Elasticsearch build of the same plugin, with the same query-time redaction. See the [Elasticsearch walkthrough](https://philterd.ai/blog/shielding-your-search-redacting-pii-and-phi-in-elasticsearch-with-search-redact/). [View on GitHub →](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-elasticsearch-plugin) [Documentation →](https://philterd.github.io/search-redact-elasticsearch-plugin/) ## Frequently asked questions If something here isn’t covered, [get in touch](https://philterd.ai/search-redact/#) and we’ll answer. What is Search Redact? Search Redact is an open source plugin for OpenSearch and Elasticsearch that redacts PII and PHI from search results at query time. It runs inside your cluster and uses the [Phileas](https://philterd.ai/phileas/) engine for detection, so the fields you choose come back redacted before results reach the user. Does Search Redact change my indexed documents? No. Redaction is applied to the search response, not to the stored documents. Your index is left untouched; the plugin redacts the configured fields on the way out. What can Search Redact detect and redact? Detection comes from [Phileas](https://philterd.ai/phileas/): pattern matching with validators for structured identifiers like Social Security numbers, credit cards, and email addresses, plus dictionaries for names and places. PhEye AI models are not yet supported in the plugin. You control what is detected and how it is replaced with a policy. Detection is probabilistic and designed to reduce exposure rather than catch every instance, so you are responsible for validating the output against your own data. How is Search Redact configured? The policy and the field (or comma-separated list of fields) to redact are part of the search request, in an `ext.search-redact` block. Different applications can apply different policies to the same index without reindexing. Redaction applies only when a request includes the block, so the plugin is not an access control: a client that omits it gets the stored data, and enforcing redaction needs a gateway or role restriction in front of the cluster. How is Search Redact different from Phinder and Philter? [Phinder](https://philterd.ai/phinder/) finds where sensitive data lives at rest, [Philter](https://philterd.ai/philter/) is the self-hosted redaction API and engine, and Search Redact redacts data on its way out of a search cluster. All three use the Phileas policy format. Each bundles its own Phileas, which can be a different version, so check a policy in each place you use it. Is Search Redact open source? Yes. Both the OpenSearch and Elasticsearch plugins are open source under the Apache License, version 2, on GitHub ([OpenSearch](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-opensearch-plugin) and [Elasticsearch](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-elasticsearch-plugin)). Run them inside your own cluster with no per-seat fees and no vendor lock-in. ## Related products - [Phileas: Search & Redact is built on Phileas, embedding the same detection in your search cluster.](https://philterd.ai/phileas/) - [Philter: Philter uses the same Phileas policy format, so a policy you write for Philter can be passed to Search Redact as JSON.](https://philterd.ai/philter/) - [Phinder: Find which indexed fields contain PII with Phinder before redacting them at query time.](https://philterd.ai/phinder/) ## Add Search Redact to your cluster Install the plugin for OpenSearch or Elasticsearch to redact PII and PHI from your search results, or talk to us about your search privacy requirements. [OpenSearch](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-opensearch-plugin) [Elasticsearch](https://github.com/philterd/search-redact-elasticsearch-plugin)