diff --git a/src/backend/elasticsearch.js b/src/backend/elasticsearch.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..36a7c1a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/elasticsearch.js
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+this.recline = this.recline || {};
+this.recline.Backend = this.recline.Backend || {};
+
+(function($, my) {
+  // ## ElasticSearch Backend
+  //
+  // Connecting to [ElasticSearch](http://www.elasticsearch.org/)
+  //
+  // To use this backend ensure your Dataset has a elasticsearch_url,
+  // webstore_url or url attribute (used in that order)
+  my.ElasticSearch = Backbone.Model.extend({
+    _getESUrl: function(dataset) {
+      var out = dataset.get('elasticsearch_url');
+      if (out) return out;
+      out = dataset.get('webstore_url');
+      if (out) return out;
+      out = dataset.get('url');
+      return out;
+    },
+    sync: function(method, model, options) {
+      var self = this;
+      if (method === "read") {
+        if (model.__type__ == 'Dataset') {
+          var base = self._getESUrl(model);
+          var schemaUrl = base + '/_mapping';
+          var jqxhr = $.ajax({
+            url: schemaUrl,
+            dataType: 'jsonp'
+          });
+          var dfd = $.Deferred();
+          my.wrapInTimeout(jqxhr).done(function(schema) {
+            // only one top level key in ES = the type so we can ignore it
+            var key = _.keys(schema)[0];
+            var fieldData = _.map(schema[key].properties, function(dict, fieldName) {
+              dict.id = fieldName;
+              return dict;
+            });
+            model.fields.reset(fieldData);
+            dfd.resolve(model, jqxhr);
+          })
+          .fail(function(arguments) {
+            dfd.reject(arguments);
+          });
+          return dfd.promise();
+        }
+      } else {
+        alert('This backend currently only supports read operations');
+      }
+    },
+    query: function(model, queryObj) {
+      var base = this._getESUrl(model);
+      var data = _.extend({}, queryObj);
+      var jqxhr = $.ajax({
+        url: base + '/_search',
+        data: data,
+        dataType: 'jsonp'
+      });
+      var dfd = $.Deferred();
+      // TODO: fail case
+      jqxhr.done(function(results) {
+        model.docCount = results.hits.total;
+        var docs = _.map(results.hits.hits, function(result) {
+          var _out = result._source;
+          _out.id = result._id;
+          return _out;
+        });
+        dfd.resolve(docs);
+      });
+      return dfd.promise();
+    }
+  });
+  recline.Model.backends['elasticsearch'] = new my.ElasticSearch();
+
+}(jQuery, this.recline.Backend));
+
diff --git a/test/backend.elasticsearch.test.js b/test/backend.elasticsearch.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d3822c16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/backend.elasticsearch.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+(function ($) {
+module("Backend ElasticSearch");
+
+var mapping_data = {
+  "note": {
+    "properties": {
+      "_created": {
+        "format": "dateOptionalTime", 
+        "type": "date"
+      }, 
+      "_last_modified": {
+        "format": "dateOptionalTime", 
+        "type": "date"
+      }, 
+      "end": {
+        "type": "string"
+      }, 
+      "owner": {
+        "type": "string"
+      }, 
+      "start": {
+        "type": "string"
+      }, 
+      "title": {
+        "type": "string"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+};
+
+var sample_data = {
+  "_shards": {
+    "failed": 0, 
+    "successful": 5, 
+    "total": 5
+  }, 
+  "hits": {
+    "hits": [
+      {
+        "_id": "u3rpLyuFS3yLNXrtxWkMwg", 
+        "_index": "hypernotes", 
+        "_score": 1.0, 
+        "_source": {
+          "_created": "2012-02-24T17:53:57.286Z", 
+          "_last_modified": "2012-02-24T17:53:57.286Z", 
+          "owner": "tester", 
+          "title": "Note 1"
+        }, 
+        "_type": "note"
+      }, 
+      {
+        "_id": "n7JMkFOHSASJCVTXgcpqkA", 
+        "_index": "hypernotes", 
+        "_score": 1.0, 
+        "_source": {
+          "_created": "2012-02-24T17:53:57.290Z", 
+          "_last_modified": "2012-02-24T17:53:57.290Z", 
+          "owner": "tester", 
+          "title": "Note 3"
+        }, 
+        "_type": "note"
+      }, 
+      {
+        "_id": "g7UMA55gTJijvsB3dFitzw", 
+        "_index": "hypernotes", 
+        "_score": 1.0, 
+        "_source": {
+          "_created": "2012-02-24T17:53:57.289Z", 
+          "_last_modified": "2012-02-24T17:53:57.289Z", 
+          "owner": "tester", 
+          "title": "Note 2"
+        }, 
+        "_type": "note"
+      }
+    ], 
+    "max_score": 1.0, 
+    "total": 3
+  }, 
+  "timed_out": false, 
+  "took": 2
+};
+
+test("ElasticSearch", function() { 
+  var dataset = new recline.Model.Dataset({
+      url: 'https://localhost:9200/my-es-db/my-es-type'
+    },
+    'elasticsearch'
+  );
+
+  var stub = sinon.stub($, 'ajax', function(options) {
+    if (options.url.indexOf('_mapping') != -1) {
+      return {
+        done: function(callback) {
+          callback(mapping_data);
+          return this;
+        },
+        fail: function() {
+          return this;
+        }
+      }
+    } else {
+      return {
+        done: function(callback) {
+          callback(sample_data);
+        },
+        fail: function() {
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  dataset.fetch().then(function(dataset) {
+    deepEqual(['_created', '_last_modified', 'end', 'owner', 'start', 'title'], _.pluck(dataset.fields.toJSON(), 'id'));
+    dataset.query().then(function(docList) {
+      equal(3, dataset.docCount);
+      equal(3, docList.length);
+      equal('Note 1', docList.models[0].get('title'));
+      start();
+    });
+  });
+  $.ajax.restore();
+});
+
+})(this.jQuery);
diff --git a/test/index.html b/test/index.html
index 0f16894d..fb96f9cf 100644
--- a/test/index.html
+++ b/test/index.html
@@ -23,7 +23,9 @@
   <script type="text/javascript" src="../src/backend/webstore.js"></script>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="../src/backend/dataproxy.js"></script>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="../src/backend/gdocs.js"></script>
+  <script type="text/javascript" src="../src/backend/elasticsearch.js"></script>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="backend.test.js"></script>
+  <script type="text/javascript" src="backend.elasticsearch.test.js"></script>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="../src/view.js"></script>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="../src/view-grid.js"></script>
   <script type="text/javascript" src="../src/view-transform-dialog.js"></script>