Blast vs Lunr.js
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Blast | Lunr.js |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 14 · At risk | 29 · At risk |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,073 | ★ 9,203 |
| First released | 2017 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Elasticsearch | Algolia, Elasticsearch |
What are Blast and Lunr.js?
Blast
Blast is a full-text search and indexing server written in Go and built on the Bleve library, with support for clustering through the Raft consensus algorithm. It exposes both gRPC and HTTP APIs for indexing and searching documents.
- Distributed clustering
- Bleve-based indexing
- gRPC and HTTP APIs
- Raft consensus
Lunr.js
Lunr.js is a small, full-text search library for use in the browser that provides a simple search index without needing a backend service. It is commonly used to add offline search to static sites and documentation.
- Browser-based search
- No backend needed
- Prebuilt index support
- Tiny library size
Blast vs Lunr.js: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Blast's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Lunr.js is actively maintained. Blast is written in Go, while Lunr.js is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Blast versus MIT for Lunr.js. Lunr.js is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Blast. Lunr.js is the more established project (first released 2013), while Blast arrived in 2017. Lunr.js has the considerably larger community, at 9,203 GitHub stars versus 1,073. Blast lists first-class Docker deployment; Lunr.js does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Blast if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Choose Lunr.js if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 9.2k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Blast or Lunr.js better?
Lunr.js is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Blast if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Blast and Lunr.js free and open-source?
Yes. Blast is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Lunr.js under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Blast and Lunr.js with Docker?
Blast: yes. Lunr.js: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Blast or Lunr.js?
Lunr.js has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Blast. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.