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Self-Hosting SearXNG: Privacy-Respecting Metasearch Engine

SearXNG aggregates results from multiple search engines without tracking. A self-hosted Google alternative that respects your privacy.

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What Is SearXNG?


SearXNG is a privacy-respecting metasearch engine. It queries multiple search engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc.) and returns aggregated results without tracking you.


How It Works


1. You search on your SearXNG instance

2. SearXNG queries multiple search engines on your behalf

3. Results are aggregated and deduplicated

4. No tracking, no profiling, no cookies


Features


Search

  • Web, images, videos, news, maps, files
  • Multiple search engines per category
  • Result scoring and ranking
  • Instant answers (calculator, definitions)
  • Autocomplete

    • Privacy

  • No cookies
  • No tracking
  • Proxied requests (search engines see SearXNG, not you)
  • Tor-friendly
  • No JavaScript required

    • Customization

  • Choose which engines to use
  • Preferences saved in URL or cookies (your choice)
  • Custom themes
  • Language and region settings

    • Advanced

  • Bang syntax (!g for Google, !w for Wikipedia)
  • Category filtering
  • Time range filtering
  • Safe search settings

    • SearXNG vs DuckDuckGo vs Startpage


  • SearXNG: Self-hosted, most engines, fully customizable
  • DuckDuckGo: SaaS, Bing results, easy
  • Startpage: SaaS, Google results, paid

    • Deployment


    1. Deploy SearXNG on TinyPod

    2. Configure search engines

    3. Set as browser default search

    4. Search privately


    Resources: 1 CPU, 256 MB RAM.


    SearXNG gives you Google-quality results without Google knowing what you searched for.