Web Research Assistant

# Optimal Free SearXNG Configuration ## Best Free Search Engines to Enable ### 🌐 General Web Search (Essential) Enable these for broad web coverage: ```yaml # In your SearXNG settings.yml engines: - name: duckduckgo engine: duckduckgo shortcut: ddg disabled: false - name: brave engine: brave shortcut: br disabled: false - name: qwant engine: qwant shortcut: qw disabled: false ``` **Why:** Free, privacy-respecting, no API keys needed, good general coverage --- ### 💻 Code & Developer Resources (CRITICAL for search_examples) ```yaml - name: github engine: github shortcut: gh disabled: false - name: stackoverflow engine: stackoverflow shortcut: so disabled: false - name: gitlab engine: gitlab shortcut: gl disabled: false - name: codeberg engine: codeberg shortcut: cb disabled: false ``` **Why:** These give you actual code repositories and Q&A - exactly what `search_examples` needs! --- ### 📚 Documentation & Tutorials ```yaml - name: mdn engine: mdn shortcut: mdn disabled: false # You already have this! - name: devdocs engine: devdocs shortcut: dd disabled: false - name: wikipedia engine: wikipedia shortcut: wp disabled: false ``` **Why:** Official documentation and educational content --- ### 📰 Tech News & Articles ```yaml - name: reddit engine: reddit shortcut: re disabled: false - name: hackernews engine: hackernews shortcut: hn disabled: false ``` **Why:** Real-world discussions, tutorials, and tech articles --- ### 🎥 Video Content (Optional but useful) ```yaml - name: youtube engine: youtube_noapi shortcut: yt disabled: false - name: peertube engine: peertube shortcut: pt disabled: false ``` **Why:** Video tutorials and coding screencasts (no API key needed with youtube_noapi) --- ### 📦 Package Registries (Helpful) ```yaml - name: pypi engine: pypi shortcut: pypi disabled: false - name: npm engine: npm shortcut: npm disabled: false - name: crates engine: crates shortcut: cr disabled: false ``` **Why:** Find packages (though we have dedicated tools for this) --- ### 🎨 Images (If not using Pixabay tool) ```yaml - name: unsplash engine: unsplash shortcut: us disabled: false - name: flickr engine: flickr_noapi shortcut: fl disabled: false ``` **Why:** Free stock photos (alternative to our Pixabay tool) --- ## Minimal Optimal Configuration (Start Here) If you want the **minimum for great results**, enable these 8 engines: 1. **duckduckgo** - General web 2. **brave** - General web backup 3. **github** - Code repositories ⭐ 4. **stackoverflow** - Code Q&A ⭐ 5. **mdn** - Documentation (you have this) 6. **wikipedia** - General knowledge 7. **reddit** - Discussions & tutorials 8. **hackernews** - Tech articles --- ## Full Recommended Configuration Save this to your SearXNG `settings.yml`: ```yaml search: safe_search: 0 autocomplete: "duckduckgo" default_lang: "en" engines: # General Web - name: duckduckgo engine: duckduckgo shortcut: ddg - name: brave engine: brave shortcut: br - name: qwant engine: qwant shortcut: qw # Code & Developer - name: github engine: github shortcut: gh - name: stackoverflow engine: stackoverflow shortcut: so - name: gitlab engine: gitlab shortcut: gl # Documentation - name: mdn engine: mdn shortcut: mdn - name: wikipedia engine: wikipedia shortcut: wp # Tech Community - name: reddit engine: reddit shortcut: re - name: hackernews engine: hackernews shortcut: hn # Package Registries - name: pypi engine: pypi shortcut: pypi - name: npm engine: npm shortcut: npm # Video - name: youtube engine: youtube_noapi shortcut: yt ``` --- ## Category Configuration Make sure these categories include the right engines: ```yaml categories_as_tabs: general: - duckduckgo - brave - qwant - wikipedia it: - github - stackoverflow - gitlab - mdn - hackernews - reddit science: - wikipedia - stackoverflow news: - reddit - hackernews ``` The **`it` category is crucial** - this is what `search_examples` uses! --- ## Engines to AVOID (Cost Money or Need API Keys) ❌ **Don't enable these without API keys:** - Google (requires API key + costs money after 100 queries/day) - Bing (requires API key) - YouTube API (requires Google API key) - Flickr API (requires API key) ✅ **Use these free alternatives instead:** - DuckDuckGo instead of Google - Brave instead of Bing - youtube_noapi instead of youtube - flickr_noapi instead of flickr --- ## Testing Your Configuration After updating your `settings.yml`: 1. **Restart SearXNG:** ```bash docker restart searxng # or however you run it ``` 2. **Test with our tool:** ```python search_examples("React hooks examples", content_type="code") ``` You should now see results from: - GitHub repositories - Stack Overflow answers - Reddit discussions - MDN documentation --- ## Expected Results After Configuration ### Before (MDN only): ``` 1. Site glossary https://developer.mozilla.org/... 2. XSS documentation https://developer.mozilla.org/... ``` ### After (Diverse sources): ``` 1. [GitHub] facebook/react - Hooks documentation https://github.com/facebook/react/... 2. [Stack Overflow] How to use React hooks https://stackoverflow.com/q/12345678... 3. [Article] React Hooks Tutorial https://reddit.com/r/reactjs/... 4. React Hooks - MDN https://developer.mozilla.org/... ``` --- ## Quick Setup Checklist - [ ] Enable DuckDuckGo (general web) - [ ] Enable Brave (general web backup) - [ ] Enable GitHub (code repos) ⭐ - [ ] Enable Stack Overflow (code Q&A) ⭐ - [ ] Enable GitLab (more code repos) - [ ] Keep MDN (documentation) - [ ] Enable Reddit (discussions) - [ ] Enable HackerNews (tech news) - [ ] Configure 'it' category with code engines - [ ] Restart SearXNG - [ ] Test with search_examples tool --- ## Performance Tips 1. **Don't enable too many engines** - 8-12 is optimal 2. **Prioritize code engines** for our use case 3. **Use categories** - assign engines to relevant categories 4. **Test incrementally** - add a few engines, test, repeat --- ## Where to Find settings.yml **Docker:** ```bash # Usually in a volume mount docker inspect searxng | grep -A 5 Mounts # Common locations: /etc/searxng/settings.yml ./searxng/settings.yml ``` **Native Install:** ```bash /etc/searxng/settings.yml ~/.config/searxng/settings.yml ``` --- ## Need Help? If you need a complete example `settings.yml`, check: - SearXNG docs: https://docs.searxng.org/ - Example config: https://github.com/searxng/searxng/blob/master/searx/settings.yml --- **After this configuration, `search_examples` will return high-quality code examples from GitHub, Stack Overflow, and more!** 🎉