---
title: "Search entities"
method: POST
path: "/search"
tags: ["Search"]
---

# Search entities

`POST /search`

Using search API you can search vRealize Network Insight entities by specifying entity type and filter expression.
A filter expression is a predicate expression (similar to SQL where clause) used to define the search criteria.
Please refer to API Guide on details of how to construct filter expression. A successful search request will return a
list of entity ids that matches the search criteria.

## Request body

- SearchRequest
  - `cursor` string
  - `entity_type` 'Group' | 'BaseSecurityGroup' | 'BaseEvent' | 'BaseVirtualMachine' | 'BaseFirewallRule' | 'BaseIPSet' | 'BaseL2Network' | 'BaseFirewall' | 'BaseService' | 'BaseServiceGroup' | 'BaseVnic' | 'VirtualMachine' | 'EC2Instance' | 'Host' | 'Vnic' | 'Vmknic' | 'VxlanLayer2Network' | 'VlanL2Network' | 'Cluster' | 'SecurityTag' | 'ResourcePool' | 'NSXIPSet' | 'EC2IPSet' | 'NSXSecurityGroup' | 'EC2SecurityGroup' | 'Flow' | 'ProblemEvent' | 'Application' | 'Tier' | 'NSXFirewallRule' | 'EC2SGFirewallRule' | 'NSXRedirectRule' | 'VCenterManager' | 'NSXVManager' | 'BaseManager' | 'BaseNSXManager' | 'NSXService' | 'EC2Service' | 'VPC' | 'NSXDistributedFirewall' | 'EC2Firewall' | 'NSXServiceGroup' | 'DistributedVirtualSwitch' | 'DistributedVirtualPortgroup' | 'VCDatacenter' | 'Datastore' | 'Folder'
  - `filter` string — query filter
  - `size` integer
  - `sort_by` SortByClause
    - `field` string
    - `order` 'ASC' | 'DESC'
  - `time_range` TimeRange
    - `end_time` integer
    - `start_time` integer

## Response `200`

Success

- PagedListResponseWithTime
  - `cursor` string
  - `end_time` integer
  - `results` EntityIdWithTime[]
    - `entity_id` string — Entity Identifier
    - `entity_type` 'VirtualMachine' | 'EC2Instance' | 'Host' | 'Vnic' | 'Vmknic' | 'VxlanLayer2Network' | 'VlanL2Network' | 'Cluster' | 'SecurityTag' | 'ResourcePool' | 'NSXIPSet' | 'EC2IPSet' | 'NSXSecurityGroup' | 'EC2SecurityGroup' | 'Flow' | 'ProblemEvent' | 'Application' | 'Tier' | 'NSXFirewallRule' | 'EC2SGFirewallRule' | 'NSXRedirectRule' | 'VCenterManager' | 'NSXVManager' | 'NSXService' | 'EC2Service' | 'VPC' | 'NSXDistributedFirewall' | 'EC2Firewall' | 'NSXServiceGroup' | 'DistributedVirtualSwitch' | 'DistributedVirtualPortgroup' | 'VCDatacenter' | 'Datastore' | 'Folder'
    - `time` integer
  - `start_time` integer
  - `total_count` integer

## Other responses

- `400` — Bad Request
- `401` — Unauthorized
- `500` — Internal Error

---

[API](https://skmtc.net/vmware/apis/vrni.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.net/vmware/apis/vrni/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc-service-staging.skmtc.workers.dev/v1/apis/vmware/vrni/revisions/29e16496f00c/schema)