instantsearch.js

What is instantsearch.js?

instantsearch.js is a library for building performant and instant search experiences with Algolia. It provides a set of widgets and tools to create highly customizable search interfaces.

What are instantsearch.js's main functionalities?

Search Box

The search box widget allows users to input their search queries. It connects to the Algolia index and fetches results based on the user's input.

const search = instantsearch({
  indexName: 'instant_search',
  searchClient: algoliasearch('YourApplicationID', 'YourSearchOnlyAPIKey')
});

search.addWidget(
  instantsearch.widgets.searchBox({
    container: '#searchbox'
  })
);

search.start();

Hits

The hits widget displays the search results. It can be customized to show different attributes of the search results and highlight the matching parts of the query.

search.addWidget(
  instantsearch.widgets.hits({
    container: '#hits',
    templates: {
      item: '<div>{{#helpers.highlight}}{ "attribute": "name" }{{/helpers.highlight}}</div>'
    }
  })
);

Refinement List

The refinement list widget allows users to filter search results based on specific attributes, such as categories. It provides checkboxes for each attribute value.

search.addWidget(
  instantsearch.widgets.refinementList({
    container: '#refinement-list',
    attribute: 'categories'
  })
);

Pagination

The pagination widget enables users to navigate through pages of search results. It provides controls for moving to the next or previous page and jumping to specific pages.

search.addWidget(
  instantsearch.widgets.pagination({
    container: '#pagination'
  })
);

Other packages similar to instantsearch.js

react-instantsearch

react-instantsearch is a library for building Algolia search interfaces in React. It provides React components that wrap instantsearch.js widgets, making it easier to integrate with React applications. Compared to instantsearch.js, it is more suitable for React-based projects.

searchkit

searchkit is a suite of UI components built in React to create search experiences powered by Elasticsearch. It offers a similar set of features to instantsearch.js but is designed to work with Elasticsearch instead of Algolia.

README

InstantSearch.js is a JavaScript library for building performant and instant search experiences with Algolia.

---

InstantSearch.js is a vanilla JavaScript library that lets you create an instant-search result experience using Algolia’s search API. It is part of the InstantSearch family:

InstantSearch.js | React InstantSearch | Vue InstantSearch | Angular InstantSearch | React InstantSearch Native | InstantSearch Android | InstantSearch iOS

Table of contents

• Why
• Getting started
• Installation
  • TypeScript users
• Documentation
• Demos
• Playground
• Browser support
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing
• License

Why

You should be using InstantSearch if you want to:

• Design search experiences with best practices
• Customize your components at will
• Remain independent from external frameworks

Getting started

Using InstantSearch.js is as simple as adding this JavaScript code to your page:

// 1. Instantiate the search
const search = instantsearch({
  indexName: 'instant_search',
  searchClient: algoliasearch('latency', '6be0576ff61c053d5f9a3225e2a90f76'),
});

search.addWidgets([
  // 2. Create an interactive search box
  instantsearch.widgets.searchBox({
    container: '#searchbox',
    placeholder: 'Search for products',
  }),

  // 3. Plug the search results into the product container
  instantsearch.widgets.hits({
    container: '#products',
    templates: {
      item: (hit, { html, components }) =>
        html`
          <h3>${components.Highlight({ attribute: 'name', hit })}</h3>
          <p>${components.Snippet({ attribute: 'description', hit })}</p>
        `,
    },
  }),

  // 4. Make the brands refinable
  instantsearch.widgets.refinementList({
    container: '#brand',
    attribute: 'brand',
  }),
]);

// 5. Start the search!
search.start();

To learn more about the library, follow the getting started guide or check how to add it to your own project.

Installation

npm install instantsearch.js algoliasearch
# or
yarn add instantsearch.js algoliasearch

TypeScript users

To use InstantSearch.js in a TypeScript environment, depending on your algoliasearch version, you need to import different types.

You still need to import these types even if you don't use InstantSearch.js with algoliasearch.

algoliasearch v4.x

This version uses types provided by both algoliasearch and @algolia/client-search.

yarn add algoliasearch@4 @algolia/client-search

algoliasearch v3.x

yarn add @types/algoliasearch@3

v3.x is deprecated and will soon no longer be supported.

Documentation

The documentation is available on the Algolia website.

Demos

E-commerce	Media	Travel

See more demos on the website.

Playground

You can get to know InstantSearch.js on this playground.

Start by adding widgets and tweaking the display. Once you feel familiar with the library, we recommend following the getting started guide.

Browser support

We support the last two versions of major browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari).

Please refer to the browser support section in the documentation to use InstantSearch.js on other browsers.

Troubleshooting

Encountering an issue? Before reaching out to support, we recommend heading to our FAQ where you will find answers for the most common issues and gotchas with the library.

Contributing

We welcome all contributors, from casual to regular 💙

• Bug report. Is something not working as expected? Send a bug report.
• Feature request. Would you like to add something to the library? Send a feature request.
• Documentation. Did you find a typo in the doc? Open an issue and we'll take care of it.
• Development. If you don't know where to start, you can check the open issues that are tagged easy, the bugs or chores.

To start contributing to code, you need to:

1. Fork the project
2. Clone the repository
3. Install the dependencies: yarn
4. Run the development mode: yarn storybook
5. Open the stories

Please read our contribution process to learn more.

License

InstantSearch.js is MIT licensed.