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.. _installation container:
======================
Installation container
======================
.. _Docker 101: https://docs.docker.com/get-started/docker-overview
.. _Docker cheat sheet (PDF doc): https://docs.docker.com/get-started/docker_cheatsheet.pdf
.. _Podman rootless containers: https://github.com/containers/podman/blob/main/docs/tutorials/rootless_tutorial.md
.. _DockerHub mirror: https://hub.docker.com/r/searxng/searxng
.. _GHCR mirror: https://ghcr.io/searxng/searxng
.. _Docker compose: https://github.com/searxng/searxng-docker
.. sidebar:: info
- `Docker 101`_
- `Docker cheat sheet (PDF doc)`_
- `Podman rootless containers`_
.. important::
Understanding container architecture basics is essential for properly
maintaining your SearXNG instance. This guide assumes familiarity with
container concepts and provides deployment steps at a high level.
If you're new to containers, we recommend learning the fundamentals at
`Docker 101`_ before proceeding.
Container images are the basis for deployments in containerized environments,
`Docker compose`_, Kubernetes and more.
.. _Container installation:
Installation
============
.. _Container prerequisites:
Prerequisites
-------------
You need a working Docker or Podman installation on your system. Choose the
option that works best for your environment:
- `Docker <https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/>`_ (recommended for most users)
- `Podman <https://podman.io/docs/installation>`_
In the case of Docker, you need to add the user running the container to the
``docker`` group and restart the session:
.. code:: sh
$ sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
In the case of Podman, no additional steps are generally required, but there
are some considerations when running `Podman rootless containers`_.
.. _Container pulling images:
Pulling images
--------------
.. note::
DockerHub now applies rate limits to unauthenticated image pulls. If you
are affected by this, you can use the `GHCR mirror`_ instead.
The official images are mirrored at:
- `DockerHub mirror`_
- `GHCR mirror`_ (GitHub Container Registry)
Pull the latest image:
.. code:: sh
$ docker pull docker.io/searxng/searxng:latest
\.\. or if you want to lock in to a specific version:
.. code:: sh
$ docker pull docker.io/searxng/searxng:2025.8.1-3d96414
.. _Container instancing:
Instancing
==========
This section is intended for advanced users who need custom deployments. We
recommend using `Docker compose`_, which provides a preconfigured environment
with sensible defaults.
Basic container instancing example:
.. code:: sh
# Create directories for configuration and persistent data
$ mkdir -p ./searxng/config/ ./searxng/data/
$ cd ./searxng/
# Run the container
$ docker run --name searxng --replace -d \
-p 8888:8080 \
-v "./config/:/etc/searxng/" \
-v "./data/:/var/cache/searxng/" \
docker.io/searxng/searxng:latest
This will start SearXNG in the background, accessible at http://localhost:8888
.. _Container management:
Management
----------
List running containers:
.. code:: sh
$ docker container list
CONTAINER ID IMAGE ... CREATED PORTS NAMES
1af574997e63 ... ... 3 minutes ago 0.0.0.0:8888->8080/tcp searxng
Access the container shell (troubleshooting):
.. code:: sh
$ docker container exec -it --user root searxng /bin/sh -l
1af574997e63:/usr/local/searxng#
Stop and remove the container:
.. code:: sh
$ docker container stop searxng
$ docker container rm searxng
.. _Container volumes:
Volumes
=======
Two volumes are exposed that should be mounted to preserve its contents:
- ``/etc/searxng``: Configuration files (settings.yml, etc.)
- ``/var/cache/searxng``: Persistent data (faviconcache.db, etc.)
.. _Container environment variables:
Environment variables
=====================
The following environment variables can be configured:
- ``$SEARXNG_*``: Controls the SearXNG configuration options, look out for
environment ``$SEARXNG_*`` in :ref:`settings server` and :ref:`settings
general`.
- ``$GRANIAN_*``: Controls the :ref:`Granian server options <Granian configuration>`.
- ``$FORCE_OWNERSHIP``: Ensures mounted volumes/files are owned by the
``searxng:searxng`` user (default: ``true``)
Container internal paths (don't modify unless you know what you're doing):
- ``$CONFIG_PATH``: Path to the SearXNG configuration directory (default: ``/etc/searxng``)
- ``$SEARXNG_SETTINGS_PATH``: Path to the SearXNG settings file (default: ``$CONFIG_PATH/settings.yml``)
- ``$DATA_PATH``: Path to the SearXNG data directory (default: ``/var/cache/searxng``)
.. _Container custom images:
Custom images
=============
To build your own SearXNG container image from source (please note, custom
container images are not officially supported):
.. code:: sh
$ git clone https://github.com/searxng/searxng.git
$ cd ./searxng/
# Run the container build script
$ make container
$ docker images
REPOSITORY TAG IMAGE ID CREATED SIZE
localhost/searxng/searxng 2025.8.1-3d96414 ... About a minute ago 183 MB
localhost/searxng/searxng latest ... About a minute ago 183 MB
localhost/searxng/searxng builder ... About a minute ago 524 MB
ghcr.io/searxng/base searxng-builder ... 2 days ago 378 MB
ghcr.io/searxng/base searxng ... 2 days ago 42.2 MB
|
