DRAFT: Incrementally release SearchResponse during REST serialization

server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/QueryPhaseResultConsumer.java

@@ -302,8 +302,7 @@ private static InternalAggregations aggregate(
         int resultSetSize,
         AggregationReduceContext reduceContext
     ) {
-        interface ReleasableIterator extends Iterator<InternalAggregations>, Releasable {}
-        try (var aggsIter = new ReleasableIterator() {
+        try (var aggsIter = new ReleasableIterator<InternalAggregations>() {
 
             private Releasable toRelease;
 

server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/ReleasableIterator.java

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+ * or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the "Elastic License
+ * 2.0", the "GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only", and the "Server Side
+ * Public License v 1"; you may not use this file except in compliance with, at
+ * your election, the "Elastic License 2.0", the "GNU Affero General Public
+ * License v3.0 only", or the "Server Side Public License, v 1".
+ */
+
+package org.elasticsearch.action.search;
+
+import org.elasticsearch.core.Releasable;
+
+import java.util.Iterator;
+
+/**
+ * Iterator that must be released after the last element consumed from it is not needed any longer.
+ */
+public interface ReleasableIterator<T> extends Iterator<T>, Releasable {}

server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/search/SearchResponse.java

@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.action.OriginalIndices;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.bytes.BytesReference;
-import org.elasticsearch.common.collect.Iterators;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.DelayableWriteable;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamInput;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.io.stream.StreamOutput;
@@ -25,6 +24,8 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.ChunkedToXContentObject;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.Nullable;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.RefCounted;
+import org.elasticsearch.core.Releasable;
+import org.elasticsearch.core.Releasables;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.SimpleRefCounted;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.TimeValue;
 import org.elasticsearch.rest.RestStatus;
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.xcontent.XContentBuilder;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.ArrayDeque;
 import java.util.Base64;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.Iterator;
@@ -388,7 +390,7 @@ public Clusters getClusters() {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public Iterator<? extends ToXContent> toXContentChunked(ToXContent.Params params) {
+    public ReleasableIterator<? extends ToXContent> toXContentChunked(ToXContent.Params params) {
         assert hasReferences();
         return getToXContentIterator(true, params);
     }
@@ -397,17 +399,68 @@ public Iterator<? extends ToXContent> innerToXContentChunked(ToXContent.Params p
         return getToXContentIterator(false, params);
     }
 
-    private Iterator<ToXContent> getToXContentIterator(boolean wrapInObject, ToXContent.Params params) {
-        return Iterators.concat(
-            wrapInObject ? ChunkedToXContentHelper.startObject() : Collections.emptyIterator(),
-            ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk(SearchResponse.this::headerToXContent),
-            Iterators.single(clusters),
-            hits.toXContentChunked(params),
-            aggregations == null ? Collections.emptyIterator() : ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk(aggregations),
-            suggest == null ? Collections.emptyIterator() : ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk(suggest),
-            profileResults == null ? Collections.emptyIterator() : ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk(profileResults),
-            wrapInObject ? ChunkedToXContentHelper.endObject() : Collections.emptyIterator()
-        );
+    private ReleasableIterator<ToXContent> getToXContentIterator(boolean wrapInObject, ToXContent.Params params) {
+        final ArrayDeque<Iterator<? extends ToXContent>> iters = new ArrayDeque<>(7);
+        if (wrapInObject) {
+            iters.addLast(ChunkedToXContentHelper.startObject());
+        }
+        iters.addLast(ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk(SearchResponse.this::headerToXContent));
+        iters.addLast(ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk(clusters));
+        var hits = this.hits;
+        hits.incRef();
+        iters.addLast(hits.toXContentChunked(params));
+        final Releasable releaseHits = Releasables.releaseOnce(hits::decRef);
+        iters.addLast(ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk((b, p) -> {
+            releaseHits.close();
+            return b;
+        }));
+        var aggregations = this.aggregations;
+        if (aggregations != null) {
+            iters.addLast(ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk(aggregations));
+        }
+        var suggest = this.suggest;
+        if (suggest != null) {
+            iters.addLast(ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk(suggest));
+        }
+        var profileResults = this.profileResults;
+        if (profileResults != null) {
+            iters.addLast(ChunkedToXContentHelper.chunk(profileResults));
+        }
+        if (wrapInObject) {
+            iters.addLast(ChunkedToXContentHelper.endObject());
+        }
+        return new ReleasableIterator<>() {
+
+            @Override
+            public void close() {
+                releaseHits.close();
+            }
+
+            Iterator<? extends ToXContent> current = iters.pollFirst();
+
+            @Override
+            public boolean hasNext() {
+                while (true) {
+                    if (current.hasNext()) {
+                        return true;
+                    }
+                    var c = current = iters.pollFirst();
+                    if (c == null) {
+                        current = Collections.emptyIterator();
+                        return false;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            @Override
+            public ToXContent next() {
+                while (current.hasNext() == false) {
+                    current = iters.pollFirst();
+                }
+                var res = current.next();
+                return res;
+            }
+        };
     }
 
     public XContentBuilder headerToXContent(XContentBuilder builder, ToXContent.Params params) throws IOException {

server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/action/RestChunkedToXContentListener.java

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
  */
 public class RestChunkedToXContentListener<Response extends ChunkedToXContent> extends RestActionListener<Response> {
 
-    private final ToXContent.Params params;
+    protected final ToXContent.Params params;
 
     public RestChunkedToXContentListener(RestChannel channel) {
         this(channel, channel.request());

server/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/rest/action/search/RestSearchAction.java

@@ -11,17 +11,22 @@
 
 import org.elasticsearch.ExceptionsHelper;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.ActionRequestValidationException;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.search.ReleasableIterator;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.search.SearchRequest;
+import org.elasticsearch.action.search.SearchResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.search.TransportSearchAction;
 import org.elasticsearch.action.support.IndicesOptions;
 import org.elasticsearch.client.internal.node.NodeClient;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.Booleans;
 import org.elasticsearch.core.Nullable;
+import org.elasticsearch.core.Releasable;
 import org.elasticsearch.features.NodeFeature;
 import org.elasticsearch.index.query.QueryBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.rest.BaseRestHandler;
+import org.elasticsearch.rest.ChunkedRestResponseBodyPart;
 import org.elasticsearch.rest.RestRequest;
+import org.elasticsearch.rest.RestResponse;
 import org.elasticsearch.rest.Scope;
 import org.elasticsearch.rest.ServerlessScope;
 import org.elasticsearch.rest.action.RestActions;
@@ -36,6 +41,7 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.search.suggest.SuggestBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.search.suggest.term.TermSuggestionBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.usage.SearchUsageHolder;
+import org.elasticsearch.xcontent.ToXContent;
 import org.elasticsearch.xcontent.XContentParser;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -120,7 +126,24 @@ public RestChannelConsumer prepareRequest(final RestRequest request, final NodeC
 
         return channel -> {
             RestCancellableNodeClient cancelClient = new RestCancellableNodeClient(client, request.getHttpChannel());
-            cancelClient.execute(TransportSearchAction.TYPE, searchRequest, new RestRefCountedChunkedToXContentListener<>(channel));
+            cancelClient.execute(TransportSearchAction.TYPE, searchRequest, new RestRefCountedChunkedToXContentListener<>(channel) {
+                @Override
+                protected Releasable releasableFromResponse(SearchResponse searchResponse) {
+                    return super.releasableFromResponse(searchResponse);
+                }
+
+                @Override
+                protected void processResponse(SearchResponse searchResponse) throws IOException {
+                    final ReleasableIterator<? extends ToXContent> iter = searchResponse.toXContentChunked(params);
+                    channel.sendResponse(
+                        RestResponse.chunked(
+                            getRestStatus(searchResponse),
+                            ChunkedRestResponseBodyPart.fromXContent(p -> iter, params, channel),
+                            iter
+                        )
+                    );
+                }
+            });
         };
     }