Match vs Term Query

In Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, queries behave differently depending on the analyzer.

Match Query

{
  "query": {
    "match": { "title": "Quick Brown Fox" }
  }
}

• Text is analyzed
• Useful for full-text search

Term Query

{
  "query": {
    "term": { "status": "active" }
  }
}

• No analysis
• Exact match only

Rule of Thumb

• Use match for search boxes
• Use term for filters and keywords

Mistake: Developers often use term on analyzed fields and get empty results.