Algolia DocSearch

Algolia DocSearch provides free, high-quality search for open-source documentation including design system documentation sites. The service crawls documentation, builds search indexes, and provides embeddable search interfaces. Many prominent design systems use DocSearch for their documentation search needs.

What Is Algolia DocSearch

Algolia DocSearch is a free service from Algolia that provides search functionality for technical documentation. DocSearch crawls documentation sites on a regular schedule, indexes content using Algolia’s search infrastructure, and provides JavaScript widgets for embedding search into documentation sites.

The service is specifically designed for documentation use cases. Crawling logic understands documentation structure, extracting hierarchy from heading levels and categorizing content appropriately. Search ranking prioritizes documentation patterns like component names and API references.

How Algolia DocSearch Works

DocSearch operates through a crawler that visits documentation pages periodically. The crawler follows links, extracts text content, and builds search records capturing content hierarchy. Crawl configuration controls which pages to index and how to extract structured data.

Search indexes store crawled content in Algolia’s infrastructure. The indexes enable fast, typo-tolerant search with faceting and filtering capabilities. Algolia’s ranking algorithm optimizes results for documentation queries out of the box.

Integration involves adding DocSearch JavaScript and CSS to documentation pages. The widget provides a search input that displays results in an overlay. Keyboard shortcuts enable quick access. Configuration customizes appearance and behavior to match documentation design.

Key Considerations

• DocSearch is free for qualifying open-source projects but requires application approval
• Crawl configuration significantly affects index quality and search accuracy
• Search UI can be customized to match documentation visual design
• Analytics provide insight into search usage and common queries

Common Questions

What are the requirements for using DocSearch?

DocSearch requires publicly accessible documentation and open-source project status for the free tier. Applications describe the project and documentation to Algolia for approval. Documentation must be crawlable with proper HTML structure and hierarchy. Technical requirements include adding DocSearch JavaScript and styling to the documentation site. Some documentation frameworks like Docusaurus include DocSearch integration that simplifies setup.

How do teams customize DocSearch for design system documentation?

Customization spans crawler configuration and frontend presentation. Crawler selectors control which page elements become searchable content and how hierarchy is extracted. Custom selectors can prioritize component names, prop tables, and code examples. Frontend customization applies CSS to match documentation styling. Additional configuration can enable features like search by component category or version filtering. Some teams extend DocSearch with custom result rendering or additional metadata display.

Summary

Algolia DocSearch provides high-quality search for open-source design system documentation without infrastructure investment. The service handles crawling, indexing, and search infrastructure while teams configure crawlers and customize interfaces. DocSearch has become a standard choice for documentation search.