SearXNG

Web Search Setup Guide for Open WebUI

What This Does

This guide will add internet search capabilities to your Open WebUI installation. Your AI will be able to search the web in real-time to answer questions about current events, news, and information beyond its training data.

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed
Open WebUI already running
Terminal/command line access
Basic familiarity with terminal commands

Installation Steps

Step 1: Create Setup Directory

Open your terminal and run:

mkdir searxng-setup
cd searxng-setup

Step 2: Create Docker Compose File

Create a new file called docker-compose.yml:

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following configuration:

services:
  searxng:
    container_name: searxng
    image: searxng/searxng:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./searxng:/etc/searxng:rw
    environment:
      - SEARXNG_HOSTNAME=localhost:8080/
    restart: unless-stopped
    logging:
      driver: "json-file"
      options:
        max-size: "1m"
        max-file: "1"

Save the file:

Press Ctrl + X
Press Y to confirm
Press Enter to save

Step 3: Generate Initial Configuration

Start the container briefly to create the configuration files:

docker compose up -d
sleep 10
docker compose down

Step 4: Enable JSON Format Support

Open WebUI needs JSON format support to communicate with SearXNG. Edit the settings file:

sudo nano searxng/settings.yml

Find this section (around line 64):

search:
  # formats: [html, csv, json, rss]
  formats:
    - html

Change it to:

search:
  # formats: [html, csv, json, rss]
  formats:
    - html
    - json

Important: Make sure - json is indented with exactly 4 spaces (same as - html).

Save the file:

Press Ctrl + X
Press Y
Press Enter

Step 5: Start SearXNG

Start the SearXNG container:

docker compose up -d

Step 6: Verify SearXNG is Working

Wait a few seconds, then test:

sleep 5
curl "http://localhost:8080/search?q=test&format=json"

curl "http://100.87.1.24:8888/search?q=test&format=json"

You should see JSON output with search results. If you see HTML or an error, go back to Step 4 and verify the JSON format was added correctly.

Configure Open WebUI

Step 1: Access Admin Settings

Open your Open WebUI in a web browser (usually http://localhost:3000)
Click your profile icon in the top right corner
Select Admin Panel
Navigate to Settings → Web Search

Step 2: Configure Web Search Settings

Set the following options:

Enable Web Search: Toggle ON (switch should be blue/highlighted)
Web Search Engine: Select "searxng" from the dropdown menu
Searxng Query URL: Enter one of the following:
```
http://searxng:8080/search?q=<query>
```
(If this doesn't work, try: http://host.docker.internal:8080/search?q=<query>)
Search Result Count: Set to 3 (or your preference)
Concurrent Requests: Set to 10 (or your preference)

Step 3: Save Configuration

Scroll to the bottom and click Save.

Using Web Search

How to Enable Web Search in a Chat

Open any chat in Open WebUI
Look for the + button next to the message input field at the bottom
Click the + button to reveal additional options
Toggle "Web Search" to ON (it should turn blue/highlighted)
Type your question and send

Important Notes

⚠️ Web Search must be enabled manually for each chat session

The toggle automatically turns OFF when you:
- Reload the page
- Switch to a different chat
- Start a new conversation
You must turn it ON every time you want the AI to search the web

Example Questions to Test

Once Web Search is enabled, try asking:

"What's the weather forecast for tomorrow?"
"What happened in the news today?"
"What are the current trending topics?"
"Find recent information about [specific topic]"

Troubleshooting

SearXNG Container Won't Start

Check logs:

docker logs searxng

Common issue: YAML syntax error in settings.yml

Make sure the - json line is indented exactly like - html (4 spaces)
No tabs, only spaces

Web Search Not Working in Open WebUI

Checklist:

✅ Is SearXNG container running? Check with: docker ps
✅ Did you enable Web Search in Admin Panel settings?
✅ Did you select "searxng" as the search engine?
✅ Did you enter the Searxng Query URL correctly?
✅ Did you toggle Web Search ON in the chat (click the + button)?

Testing Connectivity

From Open WebUI container:

docker exec -it open-webui curl "http://searxng:8080/search?q=test&format=json"

If this fails, try changing the URL in Open WebUI settings to:

http://host.docker.internal:8080/search?q=<query>

403 Forbidden Error

This means JSON format is not enabled. Go back to Step 4 and verify:

The - json line exists under formats:
It's indented correctly (4 spaces, same as - html)
You restarted the container after making changes

Maintenance

Viewing Logs

docker logs searxng

Restarting SearXNG

cd searxng-setup
docker compose restart

Stopping SearXNG

cd searxng-setup
docker compose down

Updating SearXNG

cd searxng-setup
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Understanding the Setup

What is SearXNG?

SearXNG is a privacy-respecting metasearch engine that queries multiple search engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, etc.) and aggregates the results. It doesn't track users or store search history.

How Does This Work?

You enable Web Search in Open WebUI
You ask the AI a question
Open WebUI sends a search query to SearXNG
SearXNG searches multiple engines and returns results
The AI uses those results to answer your question

Port Information

Port 8080: SearXNG web interface and API
Your Open WebUI container communicates with SearXNG over this port

Quick Reference Card

Starting Fresh

cd searxng-setup
docker compose down
sudo rm -rf searxng/
docker compose up -d
sleep 10
docker compose down
# Edit searxng/settings.yml to add JSON support
docker compose up -d

Daily Use Checklist

✅ Open WebUI chat
✅ Click + button
✅ Toggle "Web Search" ON
✅ Ask your question

URLs to Remember

Container name URL: http://searxng:8080/search?q=<query>
Alternative URL: http://host.docker.internal:8080/search?q=<query>
Bridge IP URL: http://172.17.0.1:8080/search?q=<query>

Support

If you continue to experience issues:

Check Docker logs: docker logs searxng
Verify container is running: docker ps | grep searxng
Test connectivity: curl "http://localhost:8080/search?q=test&format=json"
Review Open WebUI logs for error messages

Setup Complete! 🎉

You now have web search capabilities in your Open WebUI installation. Remember to toggle Web Search ON in each chat session when you need it.

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