Installation & Deployment

Smart Search can be deployed locally for full control and customization. This page provides step-by-step instructions to set up Smart Search on your local environment.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

• Docker – for containerized services

• Google Cloud SDK – used for integrations or local emulation

• Redis Server – required for task queue (Celery)

• Poetry – for Python dependency management

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Installation Steps

Clone the repository.

You have two main options for local setup:

1. Quick Start with Local Script

You can quickly set up both Swirl and Smart Search together by running the following script:

./local-start.sh

📂 This script is located in: applications/smart-search-backend/

Running this command will launch all required services using Docker, including Smart Search, Redis, and Postgres — ideal for local testing or development.

2. Manual (Makefile) Setup

Alternatively, you can use the provided Makefile commands for finer control:

• Install dependencies (one time):

  make install

• Run dependencies (start required Docker containers: Postgres, Redis, etc.):

  make run-dependencies

• Start Smart Search backend (in another terminal):

  make run

Using these Makefile commands allows you to manage dependencies and the backend individually, which can be helpful for development, debugging, or advanced customization.

Choose the approach that best suits your workflow.