User Guide #

Welcome to Recollect! This guide will help you get started with your self-hosted search engine.

🎯 What is Recollect? #

Recollect is a privacy-focused, self-hosted search engine that combines web search with local knowledge management. It provides:

• Unified Search: Search across web, GitHub, and local files
• Privacy First: No tracking, no data collection
• Google-like Interface: Familiar search experience
• Image Search: Dedicated image search capabilities
• Infinite Scroll: Load more results as you browse

🚀 Quick Start #

Access Recollect #

Once deployed, access Recollect at:

http://localhost:8000

Or your custom domain if configured.

First Search #

1. Open Recollect in your browser
2. Type your search query in the search box
3. Press Enter or click the search button
4. Browse results using tabs (All/Images)

🔍 Search Features #

Basic Search #

Enter any query in the search box:

• General queries: "python tutorial", "machine learning"
• Technical searches: "docker compose nginx", "react hooks"
• Research topics: "quantum computing", "climate change"

Search Categories #

All (Default) #

Searches across multiple search engines for comprehensive results including:

• Web pages
• Articles
• Documentation
• Forums

Images #

Specialized image search returning:

• Photos
• Diagrams
• Screenshots
• Visual content

Advanced Search #

Use SearXNG's search syntax:

• Exact phrases: "exact match"
• Exclude terms: python -snake
• Site search: site:github.com docker
• File types: filetype:pdf tutorial

🎨 Interface Guide #

Search Bar #

• Location: Top center of the page
• Features: Auto-focus, instant search
• Shortcuts: Press Enter to search

Navigation Tabs #

• All: General web search results
• Images: Image and visual content
• Future: Videos, News, Music (when enabled)

Results Display #

Text Results #

Each result shows:

• Title: Clickable link to the source
• URL: Source website
• Snippet: Preview of content
• Source: Which search engine found it

Image Results #

• Thumbnail Grid: Visual preview of images
• Click to View: Opens full-size image
• Source Links: Navigate to original page

Infinite Scroll #

• Automatic Loading: More results load as you scroll
• No Pagination: Seamless browsing experience
• Performance: Results load on demand

⚙️ Configuration #

Basic Settings #

Most configuration is handled automatically, but you can customize:

SearXNG Settings #

Edit searxng/settings.yml to:

• Change instance name
• Configure search engines
• Set privacy options
• Enable/disable features

Environment Variables #

Modify .env for:

• Port numbers
• Instance names
• Debug settings

Advanced Configuration #

Search Engines #

Enable/disable specific search engines in searxng/settings.yml:

engines:
  - name: google
    engine: google
  - name: duckduckgo
    engine: duckduckgo
  - name: startpage
    engine: startpage

Privacy Settings #

Configure privacy features:

general:
  debug: false
  instance_name: "My Recollect"
  privacypolicy_url: false

🔒 Privacy & Security #

Privacy Features #

• No Tracking: Recollect doesn't track your searches
• No Data Storage: Search queries aren't stored
• Federated Search: Uses multiple engines simultaneously
• Self-Hosted: You control your data

Security Best Practices #

• Keep Updated: Regularly update Docker images
• Firewall: Only expose necessary ports
• HTTPS: Use SSL certificates for production
• Backups: Backup your configuration

📱 Mobile Usage #

Recollect works great on mobile devices:

Mobile Features #

• Responsive Design: Adapts to screen size
• Touch Friendly: Easy tapping and scrolling
• Fast Loading: Optimized for mobile networks

Mobile Tips #

• Use landscape mode for better results view
• Pinch to zoom on images
• Long-press links to open in new tabs

🛠️ Maintenance #

Regular Tasks #

Updates #

# Update Recollect
cd recollect
git pull
docker compose build
docker compose up -d

Backups #

# Backup configuration
cp .env .env.backup
cp searxng/settings.yml searxng/settings.yml.backup

Monitoring #

# Check service status
docker compose ps

# View recent activity
docker compose logs --tail=20

Troubleshooting #

Common Issues #

Search not working:

• Check if SearXNG is running: docker compose ps
• Test SearXNG directly: curl http://localhost:8080

Slow performance:

• Check system resources: docker stats
• Restart services: docker compose restart

Page not loading:

• Verify port configuration in .env
• Check firewall settings

🔧 Customization #

Themes (Future) #

Recollect currently uses a clean, Google-inspired theme. Future versions may include:

• Dark mode
• Custom color schemes
• Theme customization

Search Engines #

Add or remove search engines by editing searxng/settings.yml:

engines:
  - name: wikipedia
    engine: wikipedia
    shortcut: wp
  - name: bing
    engine: bing
    shortcut: bi

Categories #

Enable additional search categories:

categories:
  - general
  - images
  - videos
  - news
  - music
  - files

📊 Usage Statistics #

Monitoring Usage #

Check container logs for usage patterns:

# Recent searches
docker compose logs app | grep "GET /search"

# Error rate
docker compose logs app | grep -i error | wc -l

Performance Metrics #

Monitor response times:

# Test search speed
time curl -s "http://localhost:8000/search?q=test" > /dev/null

🌐 Integration #

Browser Integration #

Search Engine #

Add Recollect as a search engine in your browser:

• Chrome: Settings → Search Engines → Add
• Firefox: Preferences → Search → Add

Bookmarklet #

Create a bookmarklet for quick access:

javascript:window.open('http://localhost:8000/?q='+encodeURIComponent(window.getSelection()));

API Usage #

Access Recollect programmatically:

# Search API
curl "http://localhost:8000/search?q=python&categories=general"

# Image search
curl "http://localhost:8000/search?q=cats&categories=images"

🤝 Community #

Getting Help #

• Documentation: Check this user guide first
• Issues: Report bugs on GitHub
• Discussions: Ask questions in GitHub Discussions
• Discord: Join our community chat

Contributing #

Help improve Recollect:

• Report Issues: Found a bug? Let us know
• Suggest Features: Have an idea? Share it
• Contribute Code: Fix bugs or add features
• Improve Docs: Help make documentation better

📋 Best Practices #

Search Tips #

• Be Specific: Use detailed queries for better results
• Use Quotes: "exact phrase" for precise matches
• Combine Terms: python tutorial beginners for focused results
• Exclude Terms: python -snake to filter results

Performance Tips #

• Local Network: Best performance on local network
• Resource Allocation: Ensure adequate RAM for search engines
• Regular Updates: Keep Docker images updated
• Monitor Usage: Check logs for performance issues

Security Tips #

• Firewall: Only expose necessary ports
• Updates: Regularly update all components
• Backups: Backup configuration regularly
• Access Control: Limit access to trusted users

🚀 Advanced Usage #

Custom Search Engines #

Add specialized search engines:

engines:
  - name: stackoverflow
    engine: stackoverflow
    shortcut: so
  - name: github
    engine: github
    shortcut: gh

Result Filtering #

Use SearXNG's filtering options:

• Safe Search: Filter adult content
• Language: Restrict to specific languages
• Time Range: Search within date ranges

Keyboard Shortcuts (Future) #

Planned keyboard shortcuts:

• Ctrl+K: Focus search bar
• Tab: Switch between tabs
• Enter: Perform search
• Esc: Clear search

📞 Support #

Self-Help Resources #

1. This Guide: Comprehensive user documentation
2. Troubleshooting: Common issues and solutions
3. API Docs: Technical API reference
4. GitHub Issues: Search existing problems

Getting Support #

If you need help:

1. Check Documentation: Review relevant guides
2. Search Issues: Look for similar problems
3. Gather Information: Collect logs and configuration
4. Open Issue: Provide detailed problem description

Support Information #

When asking for help, include:

• Recollect version/commit
• Docker version
• Browser and OS
• Steps to reproduce
• Error messages/logs
• Configuration files

🎉 What's Next #

Upcoming Features #

• Search History: Save and revisit past searches
• Collections: Organize results into folders
• Dark Mode: Eye-friendly dark theme
• Extensions: Browser extensions for quick search
• Mobile App: Native mobile applications

Roadmap #

Check our GitHub Issues for planned features and vote on what matters most to you.

Thank you for using Recollect! Your feedback helps make it better for everyone.