Resources and Support

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Metasearch? Is it the same as search?

Metasearch is a technical approach in which a search engine (or “broker”) accepts a query from some user (or system), distributes the query to other search engines, waits for the responses, then returns a normalized, unified and ideally relevancy-ranked set of results.

What is Swirl?

Swirl is a metasearch engine released under the Apache 2.0 license.
Built on the Python/Django/RabbitMQ stack Swirl includes connectors to many popular systems including search engines, databases and applications – really anything with a query API.

Where can I learn more about the features in Swirl?

We have detailed documentation on all of the core features built into Swirl and will update the project wiki as new releases are rolled out. Click here to visit the features overview on GitHub.

Where do I download Swirl?

Swirl is an open-source project hosted on GitHub. Visit the project site there to download the latest packages, read the documentation, log an issue and join the discussion about the project. Go to the Swirl GitHub project.

Where is the documentation for Swirl?

We’ve assembled everything you need to know to get Swirl installed, configured and operational on the GitHub project’s wiki.
This includes information related to:

• An overview of Swirl key terminology
• QuickStart guide
• User guide
• Developer guide
• Admin guide
  Click here to visit the project wiki on GitHub.
  

What are SearchProviders and how do they work with Swirl?

SearchProviders are the essential element of Swirl. They make it quick and easy to search across many search engines without writing any code. They are implemented as JSON dictionaries, and Swirl includes several pre-built Visit our wiki on GitHub for the full SearchProvider defiintions.

How do I get support if I get stuck?

We offer numerous ways for you to connect with us if you’re having trouble and need help:

• Join Swirl on Slack!
• Create an Issue if something doesn’t work, isn’t clear, or should be documented.
• Email: [email protected] with issues, requests, questions, etc – we’d love to hear from you!