deploy-searxng

Deploy SearXNG

Deploy a self-hosted SearXNG meta search engine with Docker Compose and Nginx.

When to Use

• Setting up a private, self-hosted search engine
• Aggregating results from multiple search providers without tracking
• Running a search instance for a team or organization
• Replacing reliance on a single search provider

Inputs

• Required: Server or machine with Docker installed
• Optional: Domain name for public access
• Optional: SSL certificate or Let's Encrypt setup
• Optional: Custom engine preferences

Procedure

Step 1: Create Project Structure

mkdir -p searxng/{config,nginx}
cd searxng

Step 2: Write Docker Compose File

docker-compose.yml:

services:
  searxng:
    image: searxng/searxng:latest
    container_name: searxng
    volumes:
      - ./config:/etc/searxng:rw
    environment:
      - SEARXNG_BASE_URL=https://search.example.com/
    cap_drop:
      - ALL
    cap_add:
      - CHOWN
      - SETGID
      - SETUID
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - searxng

  nginx:
    image: nginx:1.27-alpine
    container_name: searxng-nginx
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - ./nginx/nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf:ro
    depends_on:
      - searxng
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - searxng

networks:
  searxng:
    driver: bridge

Step 3: Configure SearXNG Settings

config/settings.yml:

use_default_settings: true

general:
  instance_name: "My SearXNG"
  privacypolicy_url: false
  contact_url: false

search:
  safe_search: 0
  autocomplete: "google"
  default_lang: "en"

server:
  secret_key: "generate-a-random-secret-key-here"
  limiter: true
  image_proxy: true
  port: 8080
  bind_address: "0.0.0.0"

ui:
  static_use_hash: true
  default_theme: simple
  infinite_scroll: true

engines:
  - name: google
    engine: google
    shortcut: g
    disabled: false

  - name: duckduckgo
    engine: duckduckgo
    shortcut: ddg
    disabled: false

  - name: wikipedia
    engine: wikipedia
    shortcut: wp
    disabled: false

  - name: github
    engine: github
    shortcut: gh
    disabled: false

  - name: stackoverflow
    engine: stackoverflow
    shortcut: so
    disabled: false

  - name: arxiv
    engine: arxiv
    shortcut: arx
    disabled: false