Self-hosting guide#
Searpa’s search engine is open source, so you can run your own instance and be the only operator who ever touches your users’ data. This guide is for administrators deploying and operating Searpa.
An instance is a single Django application backed by PostgreSQL. It ships as a Docker image that serves its own static files and runs database migrations on start, so a minimal deployment is one container plus a database.
In this guide#
| Page | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Requirements | What you need before you start |
| Quick start | Get an instance running with Docker |
| Configuration | Every environment variable |
| Search providers | API keys that light up engines, tabs and cards |
| Getting API keys | Step-by-step signup for each provider |
| Translation | Wiring up LibreTranslate for the Translate tab |
| Users & access | Creating accounts, email, password reset |
| API keys | Issuing and revoking API keys for users |
| Maintenance | Scheduled tasks, bangs, cache, provider status |
| Production notes | Static files, health checks, footer, email |
What you get. Self-hosting gives you the full Searpa search engine, every tab, instant answers, knowledge cards, settings and the public API. Which tabs and cards actually appear depends on which providers you configure.