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Host My Own Search Engine using SearXNG

· 2025

Crawl, index, and rank the web with a custom-built search engine.

privacysearxngdockerawsmetasearch
Host My Own Search Engine using SearXNG cover

Description

This project is a self-hosted, privacy-focused search engine powered by SearXNG – a free and open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and others without tracking users or building user profiles. It aims to break the monopoly of ad-driven search engines and help reclaim user privacy.

Audience: Privacy-conscious users and developers interested in self-hosted solutions

Problem Statement

Traditional search engines track user behavior, build profiles, and monetize data through targeted ads. How can we search the web privately without being tracked or profiled?

Features / Highlights

  • No tracking, no profiling, no logs
  • Aggregates results from 70+ search engines (Google, Bing, Wikipedia, Reddit, etc.)
  • Easy Docker-based deployment on cloud infrastructure
  • Optional proxy setup for anonymous IP addresses
  • HTTPS enabled with Let's Encrypt certificates
  • Self-hosted on AWS EC2 with containerized setup

Tech Stack

SearXNGDockerDocker ComposeAWS EC2Let's EncryptUbuntu

Use Cases

  • Private web searching without tracking or profiling
  • Breaking free from ad-driven search engine monopolies
  • Educational tool for understanding metasearch engines
  • Self-hosted solution for privacy-conscious organizations

Screenshots / Demo

SearXNG Search Interface
Privacy-focused search engine interface with aggregated results

Architecture & Workflow

User Query -> SearXNG -> Multiple Search Engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo) -> Aggregated Results -> User Interface

High-level architecture diagram

Challenges & Learnings

Challenges

  • Configuring Docker deployment on cloud infrastructure
  • Setting up HTTPS with Let's Encrypt certificates
  • Optimizing proxy configuration for IP anonymity

Learnings

  • Docker containerization and deployment strategies
  • Privacy-focused search engine architecture
  • Cloud infrastructure setup and SSL certificate management

Quick Q&A

How to Use / Installation

  1. Launch Ubuntu EC2 instance on AWS
  2. SSH into instance and update system: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
  3. Install Docker: sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y
  4. Clone SearXNG repo: git clone https://github.com/searxng/searxng-docker.git
  5. Configure .env file with your domain and email
  6. Launch with Docker Compose: docker compose up -d
  7. Access at https://search.asimsk.online

Your Role & Contributions

Solo builder

  • Deployed SearXNG on AWS EC2 infrastructure
  • Configured Docker containerization and SSL certificates
  • Set up privacy-focused search aggregation from multiple engines
  • Implemented proxy configuration for IP anonymity

Links & Contact