Sosse
Self-HostedOpen-source self-hosted search engine for your websites
Overview
Sosse is a lightweight, self-hosted search engine built to index and search content from your own websites or internal resources. It supports incremental crawling to update indexes without re-scanning entire sites, full-text search with relevance ranking, and customizable rules to exclude/prioritize pages. Deployable via Docker for quick setup or manual installation on Linux servers, it ensures data privacy by keeping all indexed content under your control. Sosse also offers a simple web interface for managing crawls and a REST API to integrate search into your apps, making it ideal for private or internal use cases.
Self-Hosting Resources
Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml.
⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.
version: '3'
services:
sosse:
image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
container_name: sosse
ports:
- "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
volumes:
- ./data:/app/data
restart: unless-stopped Key Features
- Incremental website crawling
- Full-text search with relevance ranking
- Customizable indexing rules
- REST API for integration
- Docker deployment support
Frequently Asked Questions
? Is Sosse hard to install?
Sosse is easy to install using Docker—just pull the official image and run it with minimal configuration. Manual installation requires Python and a few dependencies, but the GitHub repo provides step-by-step instructions for both methods, making it accessible even for beginners with basic server knowledge.
? Is it a good alternative to Google Custom Search?
Yes—Sosse is an excellent alternative if you want to avoid third-party tracking and retain full control over your search data. Unlike Google Custom Search, it doesn’t show ads and keeps all indexed content on your server, making it perfect for private websites or internal tools.
? Is it completely free?
Absolutely! Sosse is open-source software released under the MIT License, so it’s completely free to use, modify, and self-host without any hidden fees or subscription requirements.
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Tool Info
Pros
- ⊕ Privacy-focused (no external tracking)
- ⊕ Full control over search data
- ⊕ Lightweight resource usage
- ⊕ Clear installation instructions
Cons
- ⊖ Limited to indexing your own sites (not public web)
- ⊖ Requires basic server administration
- ⊖ Lacks advanced features like semantic search