# `limit`

## Description

The `limit` command restricts the number of documents returned by a query to a specified count. It is typically used after sorting or aggregation operations to retrieve only the most relevant or top results from a larger dataset.

This command is especially useful for performance optimization or for displaying only a subset of high-value results (for example, the top 100 users or the most recent 50 logs).

Note

The `limit` command does not guarantee order unless used after an explicit `orderby`. If order matters, always pair it with `orderby` to ensure predictable results.

## Syntax

```dataprime
limit <event-count>
```

## Example

**Use case: Show the top 100 users by activity**

Suppose you want to analyze the most active users by counting their log activity. After aggregating and sorting by total hits, you can apply `limit` to return only the top 100 users.

### Example data

```json
{ "path": "/home", "user": "chris" },
{ "path": "/home", "user": "dave" },
{ "path": "/home", "user": "maya" },
{ "path": "/checkout", "user": "chris" },
{ "path": "/login", "user": "dave" }
{ "path": "/blog", "user": "chris" },
{ "path": "/about", "user": "Eugene" }
```

### Example query

```dataprime
groupby user count() as hit_count
| orderby hit_count desc
| limit 2
```

### Example output

```json
{ "user": "chris", "hit_count": 3 },
{ "user": "dave", "hit_count": 2 }
```

The `limit` command truncates the result set to the first 100 users based on the ordering applied. **Since there are only 3 users** in this example, all are returned.

Note

You can achieve similar behavior with the `top` command, which combines ordering and limiting in one operation.