Lunr.js vs Tantivy
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 | Tantivy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 29 · At risk | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source | source, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,203 | ★ 16,133 |
| First released | 2013 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Algolia, Elasticsearch | Elasticsearch |
What are Lunr.js and Tantivy?
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
Tantivy
Tantivy is a full-text search engine library inspired by Apache Lucene and written in Rust. It is the foundation for several search engines and can be embedded directly into applications.
- Lucene-like full-text indexing
- Embeddable search library
- Fast and memory efficient
- Powers Quickwit and others
Lunr.js vs Tantivy: key differences
Lunr.js is written in JavaScript, while Tantivy is built with Rust. Lunr.js is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Tantivy. Lunr.js is the more established project (first released 2013), while Tantivy arrived in 2016.
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 Tantivy if…
- Very fast
- Embeddable in apps
Watch out for
- Library, not a turnkey server
Frequently asked questions
Is Lunr.js or Tantivy better?
Neither is universally better. Tantivy has the larger community, while Lunr.js is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Lunr.js and Tantivy free and open-source?
Yes. Lunr.js is licensed under MIT and Tantivy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lunr.js and Tantivy with Docker?
Lunr.js: check the project docs for container support. Tantivy: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Lunr.js or Tantivy?
Lunr.js has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Tantivy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.