🔍 Host My Own Private Search Engine with SearXNG on AWS

This project is a self-hosted, privacy-focused search engine powered by SearXNG – a free and open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple search engines like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and others without tracking users or building user profiles. It aims to break the monopoly of ad-driven search engines and help reclaim user privacy.

🧠 The Problem with Traditional Search Engines

Every time we type a search query on Google, Bing, or Yahoo, a silent process begins — our search terms, IP address, location, and behavior are tracked, logged, and used to build detailed user profiles. These profiles are then sold to advertisers and used to target us with ads across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and even inside our browser (Chrome).

This raises a fundamental question:
Can we search the internet without being watched?

🛠️ The Solution — Build a Private, Ad-Free Search Engine

To take control of my digital privacy, I built and deployed a personal search engine using SearXNG – an open-source metasearch engine that aggregates results from dozens of other search engines without tracking or profiling users.

SearXNG acts like a smart middleman — querying engines like Google, Bing, Wikipedia, Reddit, and DuckDuckGo — but never stores or leaks your search data.

🚀 Key Features of My Search Engine

✅ No ads, no logs, no tracking
🔍 Aggregates results from 70+ sources
🐳 Docker-based installation for quick deployment
🔐 HTTPS secured via Let's Encrypt
🛡️ Optional proxy setup to anonymize your IP
🌐 Hosted on a personal EC2 instance for full control

📸 Sneak Peek

🙌 Why I Built This Project

I’ve always felt that online privacy is a fundamental right, not a luxury. This project gave me:

Complete control over how my search queries are processed
A hands-on experience with Docker, Linux, and cloud deployment
A tool that I (and others) can trust for private research

🌍 Real-Life Use Cases

🔒 Search without Google profiling
🧪 Use in research labs and educational institutes
💼 Deploy in organizations with strict compliance/privacy requirements
🧘‍♂️ Simply enjoy an ad-free, distraction-free internet experience

📦 Step-by-Step Guide to Deploy SearXNG on AWS

STEP 1: Web-Based Instance

Before installing SearXNG, it’s best to first decide on what sort of access you would like to have to the SearXNG instance. SearXNG, when installed, is accessible through a web browser, similar to any other search engine. This instance could be accessed on a remote web server or simply through a local install of the metasearch tool.

In this tutorial, SearXNG is installed locally and accessed on the same device on which it is installed, but the software could also be used on an internet-connected server to create a web-based search engine, such as the public instances listed on GitHub.

STEP 2: Setup EC2 instances (ubuntu)

Once you’ve chosen a device to install a SearXNG on, the next step is to ensure that the system is updated and secure. Linux distributions like Ubuntu, this updating process can be completed using apt-get. The command below will update the system software repositories and upgrade any out-of-date software. sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

Step3: install SearXNG & Docker

Installation of SearXNG creates a server-like stack of services which can be accessed locally or used to create a real live instance of the metasearch engine on an internet-connected server.

git clone https://github.com/searxng/searxng-docker.git

sudo chown -R root:root searxng-docker

cd searxng-docker/

sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y

Step 4: Configure Environment Variables

Edit the .env file

SEARXNG_HOSTNAME=search.asimsk.online
LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=your@email.com

🔹 Step 5: Launch the Instance

docker compose up -d

Now your private search engine is live at

https://search.asimsk.online

💡 Final Thoughts

If you're tired of feeling like your data is the product, host your own search engine. SearXNG proves that powerful, ethical, and user-respecting search tools are possible — and now accessible to anyone with basic Linux and Docker knowledge.