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Fess

Fess is an open-source, self-hosted enterprise search server built on OpenSearch. It crawls websites, file systems and data stores, indexes their contents, and provides full-text search through a browser interface and REST API.

Explore the practical guide ↓

Independent OpenViST project profile, based on linked sources.

Fess — OpenViST project profile in Search & Research AI.
OpenViST project illustration. See the linked sources for product details.
Understand the project

Practical overview

When it fits

Use Fess when you need to operate your own search service over multiple configured sources, with browser-based administration and an API for integrating search into other systems.

Who it is for

  • Organizations that need a searchable index across websites, files and connected data stores.
  • Teams building applications that need to retrieve indexed organizational content through an API.
  • Administrators seeking browser-based configuration for an OpenSearch-backed search service.

Documented uses

  • Crawl and index configured web, file-system and data-store sources.
  • Search indexed material with full-text queries, facets, sorting and suggestions.
  • Expose search results to other applications through a REST API.
  • Filter results using role- and permission-based controls.
Before you choose

Requirements & limits

Fess is open-source under Apache-2.0. The project documents ZIP, RPM and DEB packages, as well as Docker images.

  • Fess is the search application; OpenSearch provides its search-engine backend.
  • Docker images bundle OpenSearch, while other installation methods require a separate OpenSearch setup.
  • The README specifies Java 21 or later for ZIP, RPM and DEB packages.
  • Crawl sources are configured in the browser-based admin UI, and crawling is started through its scheduler.
  • The project lists role- and permission-based result filtering, multiple single sign-on methods and extensible connectors.

Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.

Source-based practical guide

Install and start Fess with Docker Compose

Start Fess and its bundled OpenSearch services locally, then open the search and administration interfaces.

Before you start

  • Docker and Docker Compose

Steps

  1. Create a working directory and download the two Compose files: mkdir fess-docker && cd fess-docker, then the command below and the command below.

    Documented command
    curl -OL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codelibs/docker-fess/main/compose/compose.yaml
    Documented command
    curl -OL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codelibs/docker-fess/main/compose/compose-opensearch3.yaml

  2. Start the services with the command below.

    Documented command
    docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose-opensearch3.yaml up -d

  3. Wait a couple of minutes for initialization, then open http://localhost:8080/ for search or http://localhost:8080/admin for administration. The listed default credentials are admin / admin; change the default administrator password after first login.

  4. When finished, stop the services with the command below.

    Documented command
    docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose-opensearch3.yaml down

Expected outcome

Fess and its bundled OpenSearch services are started, and the local search and administration interfaces are accessible.

Guide limitations

  • The quick-start documentation describes this as a Docker-based quick-start; consult the Docker Installation Guide for advanced configuration and production operation.
  • The default administrator password should be changed after first login.
Documentation 1 ↗Documentation 2 ↗
Source-based practical guide

Configure and run a small website crawl

Configure a limited web crawl in Fess, start it from the scheduler, and search the indexed content.

Before you start

  • A running Fess instance accessible at http://localhost:8080/.
  • A website URL to crawl.

Steps

  1. Sign in to the Admin Panel at http://localhost:8080/admin. Go to **Crawler → Web**, select **New**, and enter a name, the website URL, a small **Max Access Count** (the guide uses 10), and an interval (the guide recommends the default 10000 milliseconds); then select **Create**.

  2. Go to **System → Scheduler**, find **Default Crawler**, and select **Start Now**. Monitor progress under **System → Crawling Info**.

  3. After crawling completes, check for WebIndexSize in session information, then open http://localhost:8080/ and enter a search term.

Expected outcome

The configured site is crawled and its indexed content can be searched through the Fess search interface.

Guide limitations

  • Start with a small access count to reduce load on the target site; the guide warns that a high count may put excessive load on it.
  • When crawling a site you do not manage, follow its robots.txt settings.
Documentation 1 ↗
Evidence and transparency

Sources & review

Official repository ↗Guide documentation ↗Guide documentation ↗
Source record details
Source availability
Active
Sources checked
8 October 2026
Original website title
codelibs/fess · Official homepage title · retained in its source language
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