Configure a search and indexing provider

Abstract

Describes how to select and configure search and indexing providers

When you configure servers, you must select a search and indexing provider. You can select Solr or Azure, depending on your business purpose and the type of server architecture you want to implement.

This topic describes how to:

Select a search and indexing provider

To help you select a search and indexing provider, use the following links:

Using Solr or Azure – guidance on choosing a search and indexing provider.
Search index descriptions – a list of all Sitecore default search indexes with descriptions.
Search indexes required for servers in a scalable environment – a list of search indexes required on each type of server.
Index update strategies – guidance on which type of index update strategy you should use to maintain your search indexes.

Specify the search provider

When you have chosen a search provider, you must specify it in the web.config file.

To specify the search provider:

In the web.config file, locate the <AppSettings> section and change the value of the search:define setting to your search provider. For example:
```
<AppSettings>
<add key="role:define" value="ContentDelivery"/>
<add key="search:define" value="Solr"/>
</AppSettings>
```

If there is no search:define setting in the web.config file, you can add it yourself.

Note

The web.config file must have only one line using the search:define setting. If there is more than one search:define line, Sitecore only uses the value in the last line.

The supported values for a search provider are:

Solr
Azure

Note

On a standalone Sitecore instance, you can select Solr or Azure. The default value is Solr. On multiserver Sitecore installations, you must select Solr.

When you have specified the search provider, Sitecore automatically configures the server to work with the selected provider.

Note

You can use the Show Config tool to see the resulting configuration as it looks when Sitecore compiles it at runtime. You can also use the Show Config tool to simulate changing the configuration rules or disabling configuration layers without actually changing the configuration.