Lunr.js vs Stork
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Lunr.js | Stork |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 29 · At risk | 18 · At risk |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,203 | ★ 2,760 |
| First released | 2013 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Elasticsearch | Algolia |
What are Lunr.js and Stork?
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
Stork
Stork is an open-source tool that builds a search index from your content and serves instant search on static sites using WebAssembly. It is small, fast, and requires no server-side component.
- WebAssembly search
- Static index files
- No backend
- Accessible UI
Lunr.js vs Stork: key differences
Lunr.js is written in JavaScript, while Stork is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for Lunr.js versus Apache-2.0 for Stork. Lunr.js is the more established project (first released 2013), while Stork arrived in 2019. Lunr.js has the considerably larger community, at 9,203 GitHub stars versus 2,760.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Stork if…
- Instant client-side results
- Easy integration
Watch out for
- Best for smaller sites
- Manual index builds
Frequently asked questions
Is Lunr.js or Stork better?
Neither is universally better. Lunr.js has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Lunr.js and Stork free and open-source?
Yes. Lunr.js is licensed under MIT and Stork under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lunr.js and Stork with Docker?
Lunr.js: check the project docs for container support. Stork: check the project docs for container support.