Update a document

Finds a single document in a collection using filter and sort clauses, and then updates properties in that document. Optionally, if no document matches the filter, inserts a new document.

This method and the method to find and update a document have the same database effect but differ in their return value. This method returns details about the success of the update. The method to find and update a document returns the document that was found and updated.

Ready to write code? See the examples for this method to get started. If you are new to the Data API, check out the quickstart.

Result

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

Updates a document that matches the specified parameters and returns a CollectionUpdateResult object that includes details about the operation.

Example response:

CollectionUpdateResult(update_info={'n': 1, 'updatedExisting': True, 'ok': 1.0, 'nModified': 1}, raw_results=...)

Updates a document that matches the specified parameters and returns a promise that resolves to a CollectionUpdateOneResult<Schema> object that includes details about the operation.

Example resolved response:

{ modifiedCount: 1, matchedCount: 1, upsertedCount: 0 }

Updates a document that matches the specified parameters and returns CollectionUpdateResult that includes details about the operation.

Updates a document that matches the specified parameters and returns an object that includes details about the operation.

Example response:

{
  "status": {
    "matchedCount": 1,
    "modifiedCount": 1
  }
}

Parameters

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

Use the update_one method, which belongs to the astrapy.Collection class.

Method signature 
update_one(
  filter: Dict[str, Any],
  update: Dict[str, Any],
  *,
  sort: Dict[str, Any],
  upsert: bool,
  general_method_timeout_ms: int,
  request_timeout_ms: int,
  timeout_ms: int,
) -> CollectionUpdateResult:
Name Type Summary

filter

Dict[str, Any]

Optional. An object that defines filter criteria using the Data API filter syntax. The method only finds documents that match the filter criteria.

You must use & to escape any . or & in field names in the filter clause. You cannot use & to escape any other characters.

For a list of available filter operators and more examples, see Filter operators for collections.

Filters can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you cannot reference non-indexed fields in a filter.

For an example, see Update a document that matches a filter.

update

object

An object that defines the updates using Data API operators.

For a list of available operators and more examples, see Update operators for collections.

sort

Dict[str, Any]

Optional. Sorts documents by one or more fields, or performs a vector search.

You must use & to escape any . or & in field names in the sort clause. You cannot use & to escape any other characters.

For more information, see Sort clauses for collections.

Sort clauses can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you cannot reference non-indexed fields in sort queries.

For vector searches, this parameter can use either $vector or $vectorize.

upsert

bool

Optional. Whether to insert a new document if no document matches the filter criteria.

For an example, see Insert a new document if no matching document exists.

Default: False

general_method_timeout_ms

int

Optional. The maximum time, in milliseconds, that the client should wait for the underlying HTTP request.

Default: The default value for the collection. This default is 30 seconds unless you specified a different default when you initialized the Collection or DataAPIClient object. For more information, see Timeout options.

request_timeout_ms

int

Optional. An alias for general_method_timeout_ms. Since this method issues a single HTTP request, general_method_timeout_ms and request_timeout_ms are equivalent.

timeout_ms

int

Optional. An alias for general_method_timeout_ms.

Use the updateOne method, which belongs to the Collection class.

Method signature 
async updateOne(
  filter: CollectionFilter<Schema>,
  update: CollectionUpdateFilter<Schema>,
  options?: {
    upsert?: boolean,
    sort?: Sort,
    timeout?: number | TimeoutDescriptor,
  },
): CollectionUpdateOneResult<Schema>
Name Type Summary

filter

CollectionFilter<Schema>

An object that defines filter criteria using the Data API filter syntax. The method only finds documents that match the filter criteria.

You must use & to escape any . or & in field names in the filter clause. You cannot use & to escape any other characters.

For a list of available filter operators and more examples, see Filter operators for collections.

Filters can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you cannot reference non-indexed fields in a filter.

For an example, see Update a document that matches a filter.

update

CollectionUpdateFilter<Schema>

An object that defines the updates using Data API operators.

For a list of available operators and more examples, see Update operators for collections.

options

CollectionUpdateOneOptions

Optional. The options for this operation. See Properties of options for more details.
Properties of options
Name Type Summary

upsert

boolean

Optional. Whether to insert a new document if no document matches the filter criteria.

For an example, see Insert a new document if no matching document exists.

Default: False

sort

Sort

Optional. Sorts documents by one or more fields, or performs a vector search.

You must use & to escape any . or & in field names in the sort clause. You cannot use & to escape any other characters.

For more information, see Sort clauses for collections.

Sort clauses can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you cannot reference non-indexed fields in sort queries.

For vector searches, this parameter can use either $vector or $vectorize.

timeout

number | TimeoutDescriptor

Optional.

The timeout(s) to apply to this method. You can specify requestTimeoutMs and generalMethodTimeoutMs. Since this method issues a single HTTP request, these timeouts are equivalent.

Details about the timeout parameter

The TimeoutDescriptor object can contain these properties:

  • requestTimeoutMs (number): The maximum time, in milliseconds, that the client should wait for each underlying HTTP request.

    Default: The default value for the collection. This default is 10 seconds unless you specified a different default when you initialized the Collection or DataAPIClient object.

  • generalMethodTimeoutMs (number): The maximum time, in milliseconds, that the whole operation can take. Since this method issues a single HTTP request, generalMethodTimeoutMs and requestTimeoutMs are equivalent. If you specify both, the minimum of the two will be used.

    Default: The default value for the collection. This default is 30 seconds unless you specified a different default when you initialized the Collection or DataAPIClient object.

If you specify a number instead of a TimeoutDescriptor object, that number will be applied to both requestTimeoutMs and generalMethodTimeoutMs.

Use the updateOne method, which belongs to the com.datastax.astra.client.Collection class.

Method signature 
CollectionUpdateResult updateOne(
  Filter filter,
  Update update
)
CollectionUpdateResult updateOne(
  Filter filter,
  Update update,
  CollectionUpdateOneOptions options
)
Name Type Summary

filter

Filter

An object that defines filter criteria using the Data API filter syntax. The method only finds documents that match the filter criteria.

You must use & to escape any . or & in field names in the filter clause. You cannot use & to escape any other characters.

For a list of available filter operators and more examples, see Filter operators for collections.

Filters can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you cannot reference non-indexed fields in a filter.

For an example, see Update a document that matches a filter.

update

Update

An object that defines the updates using Data API operators.

For a list of available operators and more examples, see Update operators for collections.

options

CollectionUpdateOneOptions

Optional. The options for this operation. See Methods of the CollectionUpdateOneOptions class for more details.
Methods of the CollectionUpdateOneOptions class
Method Parameters Summary

sort()

float[] | String | Sort | Map<String, Object>

Optional. Sorts documents by one or more fields, or performs a vector search.

You must use & to escape any . or & in field names in the sort clause. You cannot use & to escape any other characters.

For more information, see Sort clauses for collections.

Sort clauses can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you cannot reference non-indexed fields in sort queries.

For vector searches, this parameter can use either $vector or $vectorize.

upsert()

boolean

Optional. Whether to insert a new document if no document matches the filter criteria.

For an example, see Insert a new document if no matching document exists.

Default: False

Use the updateOne command.

Command signature 
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
--header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "filter": FILTER,
    "update": UPDATE,
    "sort": SORT,
    "options": {
      "upsert": BOOLEAN
    }
  }
}'
Name Type Summary

filter

object

Optional. An object that defines filter criteria using the Data API filter syntax. The method only finds documents that match the filter criteria.

You must use & to escape any . or & in field names in the filter clause. You cannot use & to escape any other characters.

For a list of available filter operators and more examples, see Filter operators for collections.

Filters can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you cannot reference non-indexed fields in a filter.

For an example, see Update a document that matches a filter.

sort

object

Optional. Sorts documents by one or more fields, or performs a vector search.

You must use & to escape any . or & in field names in the sort clause. You cannot use & to escape any other characters.

For more information, see Sort clauses for collections.

Sort clauses can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you cannot reference non-indexed fields in sort queries.

For vector searches, this parameter can use either $vector or $vectorize.

update

object

An object that defines the updates using Data API operators.

For a list of available operators and more examples, see Update operators for collections.

options

object

Optional. The options for this operation. See Properties of options for more details.
Properties of options
Name Type Summary

upsert

boolean

Optional. Whether to insert a new document if no document matches the filter criteria.

For an example, see Insert a new document if no matching document exists.

Default: False

Examples

The following examples demonstrate how to update a document in a collection.

Update a document by ID

All documents have a unique _id property. You can use a filter to find a document with a specific _id, and then update that document.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

The following example uses untyped documents or rows, but you can define a client-side type for your collection to help statically catch errors. For examples, see Typing support.

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Update a document
result = collection.update_one({"_id": "101"}, {"$set": {"color": "blue"}})

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Update a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    { _id: "101" },
    { $set: { color: "blue" } },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.Update;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.results.CollectionUpdateResult;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.definition.documents.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filters;

public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Get an existing collection
    Collection<Document> collection =
        new DataAPIClient("APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

    // Update a document
    Filter filter = Filters.eq("_id", "101");
    Update update = Update.create().set("color", "blue");
    CollectionUpdateResult result = collection.updateOne(filter, update);
    System.out.println(result.getMatchedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getModifiedCount());
  }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "filter": {
      "_id": "101"
    },
    "update": { "$set": { "color": "blue" } }
  }
}'

Update a document that matches a filter

You can use a filter to find a document that matches specific criteria. For example, you can find a document with an is_checked_out value of false and a number_of_pages value less than 300.

For a list of available filter operators and more examples, see Filter operators for collections.

Filters can use only indexed fields. If you apply selective indexing when you create a collection, you cannot reference non-indexed fields in a filter.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

The following example uses untyped documents or rows, but you can define a client-side type for your collection to help statically catch errors. For examples, see Typing support.

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Update a document
result = collection.update_one(
    {
        "$and": [
            {"is_checked_out": False},
            {"number_of_pages": {"$lt": 300}},
        ]
    },
    {"$set": {"color": "blue"}},
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Update a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    {
      $and: [{ is_checked_out: false }, { number_of_pages: { $lt: 300 } }],
    },
    { $set: { color: "blue" } },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.Update;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.results.CollectionUpdateResult;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.definition.documents.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filters;

public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Get an existing collection
    Collection<Document> collection =
        new DataAPIClient("APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

    // Update a document
    Filter filter =
        Filters.and(Filters.eq("is_checked_out", false), Filters.lt("number_of_pages", 300));
    Update update = Update.create().set("color", "blue");
    CollectionUpdateResult result = collection.updateOne(filter, update);
    System.out.println(result.getMatchedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getModifiedCount());
  }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "filter": {"$and": [
      {"is_checked_out": false},
      {"number_of_pages": {"$lt": 300}}
    ]},
    "update": { "$set": { "color": "blue" } }
  }
}'

Update a document that is most similar to a search vector

To find the document whose $vector value is most similar to a given vector, use a sort with the vector embeddings that you want to match. For more information, see Find data with vector search.

Vector search is only available for vector-enabled collections. For more information, see Create a collection that can store vector embeddings and $vector in collections.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

The following example uses untyped documents or rows, but you can define a client-side type for your collection to help statically catch errors. For examples, see Typing support.

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Update a document
result = collection.update_one(
    {},
    {"$set": {"color": "blue"}},
    sort={"$vector": [0.1, 0.2, 0.3]},
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Update a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    {},
    { $set: { color: "blue" } },
    { sort: { $vector: [0.1, 0.2, 0.3] } },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.Update;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.options.CollectionUpdateOneOptions;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.results.CollectionUpdateResult;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.definition.documents.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Sort;

public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Get an existing collection
    Collection<Document> collection =
        new DataAPIClient("APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

    // Update a document
    CollectionUpdateOneOptions options =
        new CollectionUpdateOneOptions().sort(Sort.vector(new float[] {0.12f, 0.52f, 0.32f}));

    Update update = Update.create().set("color", "blue");

    CollectionUpdateResult result = collection.updateOne(null, update, options);

    System.out.println(result.getMatchedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getModifiedCount());
  }
}

You can provide the search vector as an array of floats, or you can use $binary to provide the search vector as a Base64-encoded string. $binary can be more performant.

Vector binary encodings specification

A d-dimensional vector is a list of d floating-point numbers that can be binary encoded.

To prepare for encoding, the list must be transformed into a sequence of bytes where each float is represented as four bytes in big-endian format. Then, the byte sequence is Base64-encoded, with = padding, if needed. For example, here are some vectors and their resulting Base64 encoded strings:

[0.1, -0.2, 0.3] = "PczMzb5MzM0+mZma"
[0.1, 0.2] = "PczMzT5MzM0="
[10, 10.5, 100, -91.19] = "QSAAAEEoAABCyAAAwrZhSA=="

Once encoded, you use $binary to pass the Base64 string to the Data API:

{ "$binary": "BASE64_STRING" }

You can use a script to encode your vectors, for example:

python
import base64
import struct

input_vector = [0.1, -0.2, 0.3]
d = len(input_vector)
pack_format = ">" + "f" * d
binary_encode = base64.b64encode(struct.pack(pack_format, *input_vector)).decode()

  • Array of floats

  • $binary

curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "sort": {
      "$vector": [.12, .52, .32]
    },
    "update": { "$set": { "color": "blue" } }
  }
}'
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "sort": {
      "$vector": {"$binary": "PfXCjz8FHrg+o9cK"}
    },
    "update": { "$set": { "color": "blue" } }
  }
}'

Update a document that is most similar to a search string

To find the document whose $vector value is most similar to the $vector value of a given search string, use a sort with the search string that you want to vectorize and match. For more information, see Find data with vector search.

Vector search with vectorize is only available for collections that have vectorize enabled. For more information, see Create a collection that can automatically generate vector embeddings and $vectorize in collections.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

The following example uses untyped documents or rows, but you can define a client-side type for your collection to help statically catch errors. For examples, see Typing support.

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Update a document
result = collection.update_one(
    {}, {"$set": {"color": "blue"}}, sort={"$vectorize": "Text to vectorize"}
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Update a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    {},
    { $set: { color: "blue" } },
    { sort: { $vectorize: "Text to vectorize" } },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.Update;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.options.CollectionUpdateOneOptions;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.results.CollectionUpdateResult;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.definition.documents.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Sort;

public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Get an existing collection
    Collection<Document> collection =
        new DataAPIClient("APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

    // Update a document
    CollectionUpdateOneOptions options =
        new CollectionUpdateOneOptions().sort(Sort.vectorize("Text to vectorize"));

    Update update = Update.create().set("color", "blue");

    CollectionUpdateResult result = collection.updateOne(null, update, options);

    System.out.println(result.getMatchedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getModifiedCount());
  }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "sort": { "$vectorize": "Text to vectorize" },
    "update": { "$set": { "color": "blue" } }
  }
}'

Update a document based on lexicographical matching

Hybrid search, lexical search, and reranking are currently in public preview. Development is ongoing, and the features and functionality are subject to change. Astra DB Serverless, and the use of such, is subject to the DataStax Preview Terms.

There are two ways to use lexicographical matching to find documents with the Data API:

You can use these strategies together or separately.

Lexicographical matching is only available for collections with lexical enabled. For more information, see Create a collection that supports lexicographical matching.

Documents must have the $lexical field populated in order to be included in lexicographical matching.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

The following example uses untyped documents or rows, but you can define a client-side type for your collection to help statically catch errors. For examples, see Typing support.

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Update a document
result = collection.update_one(
    {"$lexical": {"$match": "tree hill"}},
    {"$set": {"color": "blue"}},
    sort={"$lexical": "tree hill grassy"},
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Update a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    { $lexical: { $match: "tree hill" } },
    { $set: { color: "blue" } },
    {
      sort: {
        $lexical: "tree hill grassy",
      },
    },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();

import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient; import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.Collection; import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.Update; import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.options.CollectionUpdateOneOptions; import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.results.CollectionUpdateResult; import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.definition.documents.Document; import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filter; import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filters; import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Sort;

public class Example {

public static void main(String[] args) {
  // Get an existing collection
  Collection<Document> collection =
      new DataAPIClient("**APPLICATION_TOKEN**")
          .getDatabase("**API_ENDPOINT**")
          .getCollection("**COLLECTION_NAME**");
    // Update a document
    Filter filter = Filters.match("tree hill");
    CollectionUpdateOneOptions options =
        new CollectionUpdateOneOptions().sort(Sort.lexical("tree hill grassy"));
    Update update = Update.create().set("color", "blue");
    CollectionUpdateResult result = collection.updateOne(filter, update, options);
    System.out.println(result.getMatchedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getModifiedCount());
  }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "filter": {"$lexical": {"$match": "tree hill"}},
    "sort": { "$lexical": "tree hill grassy" },
    "update": { "$set": { "color": "blue" } }
  }
}'

Update multiple properties

You can combine multiple operators and properties in a single call. For the full list of operators, see Update operators for collections.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

The following example uses untyped documents or rows, but you can define a client-side type for your collection to help statically catch errors. For examples, see Typing support.

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Update a document
result = collection.update_one(
    {"_id": "101"},
    {
        "$set": {"color": "blue", "classes": ["biology", "algebra", "swimming"]},
        "$unset": {"phone": ""},
        "$inc": {"age": 1},
    },
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Update a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    { _id: "101" },
    {
      $set: {
        color: "blue",
        classes: ["biology", "algebra", "swimming"],
      },
      $unset: {
        phone: "",
      },
      $inc: {
        age: 1,
      },
    },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.Update;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.results.CollectionUpdateResult;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.definition.documents.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filters;
import java.util.Arrays;

public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Get an existing collection
    Collection<Document> collection =
        new DataAPIClient("APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

    // Update a document
    Filter filter = Filters.eq("_id", "101");
    Update update =
        Update.create()
            .set("color", "blue")
            .set("classes", Arrays.asList("biology", "algebra", "swimming"))
            .unset("phone")
            .inc("age", 1.0);
    CollectionUpdateResult result = collection.updateOne(filter, update);
    System.out.println(result.getMatchedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getModifiedCount());
  }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "filter": {
      "_id": "101"
    },
    "update": {
        "$set": {
            "color": "blue",
            "classes": ["biology", "algebra", "swimming"]
            },
        "$unset": {
            "phone": ""
        },
        "$inc": {
          "age": 1
        }
    }
  }
}'

Update nested properties

To update a nested property, use dot notation. For example, field.subfield.subsubfield.

To update an item in a list, specify a numeric index. For example, listProperty.3.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

The following example uses untyped documents or rows, but you can define a client-side type for your collection to help statically catch errors. For examples, see Typing support.

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Update a document
result = collection.update_one(
    {"_id": "101"},
    {"$set": {"color": "blue", "address.city": "Austin", "classes.2": "biology"}},
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Update a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    { _id: "101" },
    {
      $set: {
        color: "blue",
        "address.city": "Austin",
        "classes.2": "biology",
      },
    },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.Update;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.results.CollectionUpdateResult;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.definition.documents.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filters;

public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Get an existing collection
    Collection<Document> collection =
        new DataAPIClient("APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

    // Update a document
    Filter filter = Filters.eq("_id", "101");
    Update update =
        Update.create()
            .set("color", "blue")
            .set("address.city", "Austin")
            .set("classes.2", "biology");
    CollectionUpdateResult result = collection.updateOne(filter, update);
    System.out.println(result.getMatchedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getModifiedCount());
  }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "filter": {
      "_id": "101"
    },
    "update": {
      "$set": {
        "color": "blue",
        "address.city": "Austin",
        "classes.2": "biology"
      }
    }
  }
}'

Insert a new document if no matching document exists

You can use upsert to insert a new document if no document matches the filter criteria.

The new document includes any equality conditions from the filter parameter, as well as any fields you explicitly set in the update parameter. If a field is defined both in the filter and in the update, the explicitly set value takes precedence.

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

The following example uses untyped documents or rows, but you can define a client-side type for your collection to help statically catch errors. For examples, see Typing support.

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Update a document
result = collection.update_one(
    {
        "$and": [
            {"is_checked_out": False},
            {"number_of_pages": {"$lt": 300}},
        ]
    },
    {"$set": {"color": "blue"}},
    upsert=True,
)

print(result)

You can also use the setOnInsert operator specify additional fields to set if a new document is created:

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Update a document
result = collection.update_one(
    {
        "$and": [
            {"is_checked_out": False},
            {"number_of_pages": {"$lt": 300}},
        ]
    },
    {"$set": {"color": "blue"}, "$setOnInsert": {"customer.name": "James"}},
    upsert=True,
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Update a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    {
      $and: [{ is_checked_out: false }, { number_of_pages: { $lt: 300 } }],
    },
    { $set: { color: "blue" } },
    { upsert: true },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();

You can also use the setOnInsert operator specify additional fields to set if a new document is created:

import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Update a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    {
      $and: [{ is_checked_out: false }, { number_of_pages: { $lt: 300 } }],
    },
    {
      $set: { color: "blue" },
      $setOnInsert: {
        "customer.name": "James",
      },
    },
    { upsert: true },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.Update;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.options.CollectionUpdateOneOptions;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.results.CollectionUpdateResult;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.definition.documents.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filters;

public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Get an existing collection
    Collection<Document> collection =
        new DataAPIClient("APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

    // Update a document
    Filter filter =
        Filters.and(Filters.eq("is_checked_out", false), Filters.lt("number_of_pages", 300));
    Update update = Update.create().set("color", "blue");
    CollectionUpdateOneOptions options = new CollectionUpdateOneOptions().upsert(true);
    CollectionUpdateResult result = collection.updateOne(filter, update, options);
    System.out.println(result.getMatchedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getModifiedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getUpsertedId());
  }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "filter": {"$and": [
      {"is_checked_out": false},
      {"number_of_pages": {"$lt": 300}}
    ]},
    "update": { "$set": { "color": "blue" } },
    "options": { "upsert": true }
  }
}'

You can also use the setOnInsert operator specify additional fields to set if a new document is created:

curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "filter": {"$and": [
      {"is_checked_out": false},
      {"number_of_pages": {"$lt": 300}}
    ]},
    "update": {
      "$set": { "color": "blue" },
      "$setOnInsert": {
        "customer.name": "James"
      }
    },
    "options": { "upsert": true }
  }
}'

Work with . and & in field names

You must use & to escape any . or & in field names when the field is used in a filter, sort, or projection clause. Dot notation, which is used to reference nested fields, should not be escaped.

For example, in the following document, you would use escaping like this: areas.r&&d, costs.price&.usd, and costs.price&.cad.

{
  "areas": {
    "r&d": true,
    "design": false
  },
  "costs": {
    "price.usd": 100,
    "price.cad": 90
  }
}

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

The following example uses untyped documents or rows, but you can define a client-side type for your collection to help statically catch errors. For examples, see Typing support.

from astrapy import DataAPIClient

# Get an existing collection
client = DataAPIClient()
database = client.get_database("API_ENDPOINT", token="APPLICATION_TOKEN")
collection = database.get_collection("COLLECTION_NAME")

# Find a document
result = collection.update_one(
    {
        "$and": [
            {"areas.r&&d": False},
            {"costs.price&.usd": {"$lt": 300}},
        ]
    },
    {"$set": {"areas.r&&d": True, "costs.price&.usd": 310}},
)

print(result)
import { DataAPIClient } from "@datastax/astra-db-ts";

// Get an existing collection
const client = new DataAPIClient();
const database = client.db("API_ENDPOINT", {
  token: "APPLICATION_TOKEN",
});
const collection = database.collection("COLLECTION_NAME");

// Find a document
(async function () {
  const result = await collection.updateOne(
    {
      $and: [{ "areas.r&&d": false }, { "costs.price&.usd": { $lt: 300 } }],
    },
    {
      $set: {
        "areas.r&&d": true,
        "costs.price&.usd": 310,
      },
    },
  );

  console.log(result);
})();
import com.datastax.astra.client.DataAPIClient;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.Collection;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.Update;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.commands.results.CollectionUpdateResult;
import com.datastax.astra.client.collections.definition.documents.Document;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filter;
import com.datastax.astra.client.core.query.Filters;

public class Example {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Get an existing collection
    Collection<Document> collection =
        new DataAPIClient("APPLICATION_TOKEN")
            .getDatabase("API_ENDPOINT")
            .getCollection("COLLECTION_NAME");

    // Find a document
    Filter filter =
        Filters.and(Filters.eq("areas.r&&d", false), Filters.lt("costs.price&.usd", 300));
    Update update = Update.create().set("areas.r&&d", false).set("costs.price&.usd", 310);
    CollectionUpdateResult result = collection.updateOne(filter, update);
    System.out.println(result.getMatchedCount());
    System.out.println(result.getModifiedCount());
  }
}
curl -sS -L -X POST "API_ENDPOINT/api/json/v1/KEYSPACE_NAME/COLLECTION_NAME" \
  --header "Token: APPLICATION_TOKEN" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
  "updateOne": {
    "filter": {"$and": [
      {"areas.r&&d": false},
      {"costs.price&.usd": {"$lt": 300}}
    ]},
    "update": {
      "$set": {
        "areas.r&&d": true,
        "costs.price&.usd": 310
      }
    }
  }
}'

Client reference

  • Python

  • TypeScript

  • Java

  • curl

For more information, see the client reference.

For more information, see the client reference.

For more information, see the client reference.

Client reference documentation is not applicable for HTTP.

Was this helpful?

Give Feedback

How can we improve the documentation?

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2025 | Privacy policy | Terms of use |  Manage Privacy Choices

Apache, Apache Cassandra, Cassandra, Apache Tomcat, Tomcat, Apache Lucene, Apache Solr, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Pulsar, Pulsar, Apache Spark, Spark, Apache TinkerPop, TinkerPop, Apache Kafka and Kafka are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation or its subsidiaries in Canada, the United States and/or other countries. Kubernetes is the registered trademark of the Linux Foundation.

General Inquiries: Contact IBM