Application hosting

Hosting SearXNG

SearXNG is a self-hosted metasearch engine that queries configured search services and presents aggregated results. The project recommends Compose for container deployments and supports Docker or Podman. Its installation documentation does not specify a universal CPU, memory, or disk minimum, so capacity depends on traffic, enabled engines, caching, and configuration.

Min vCPU
Depends on workload
Min memory
Depends on workload
Min storage
Depends on workload

Must have

Hard prerequisites

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.

Recommended

Documented guidance

No further general recommendations are published for this version.

Capacity depends on your workload

The reviewed official installation documentation does not publish a universal CPU, RAM, or disk minimum. Traffic, engine selection, cache behavior, and rate limiting affect resource use.

We only compare what providers publish. A RAM figure alone can't confirm compatibility or production capacity.

Deploy with

Supported paths

  • Docker Compose using the project container templates
  • Docker or Podman container with mounted configuration and cache directories
  • Manual server installation following the administrator guide

The host must provide

Runtime

Container runtime
Working Docker or Podman for the documented container path
Configuration
A configured settings.yml, including the server secret key and selected engines
Reverse proxy
Recommended when exposing a public instance; use the project's deployment guidance

Storage

Persistent data

Keep the configuration directory persistent, including settings.yml. The container exposes /etc/searxng for configuration and /var/cache/searxng for persistent cache data. The documentation does not state a universal disk minimum.

Step by step

Deploy a SearXNG instance

  1. Choose a container runtime

    Install Docker or Podman on the host. The SearXNG guide recommends Compose for container deployments and provides project templates.

    Official instructions
  2. Persist configuration and cache

    Mount the configuration and cache paths so settings and cache data survive container replacement, then review the current Compose template before updates.

    Official instructions
  3. Set production settings

    Configure the server secret, selected engines, and limiter behavior, then put the service behind a reverse proxy when exposing it publicly.

    Official instructions

Security

Before you go public

  • Do not use a public deployment with default or missing secrets; review the current settings reference.
  • Enable and test limiter protections and place a public instance behind a correctly configured reverse proxy.
  • Keep configuration writable only by the service operator and update the container templates deliberately.

Cost

Beyond the server price

  • SearXNG software does not include the server, storage, reverse proxy, monitoring, or backup costs.
  • Search engine usage may be subject to the queried services' terms and rate limits; review those services before enabling engines.

Matching plans

Plans with published evidence

DigitalOcean

CPU-Optimized Regular Droplet · 2 vCPU / 4 GiB

2vCPU
4 GiBRAM
25 GiBStorage
4 TBTransfer
  • Dedicated CPU
  • SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
DigitalOcean

General Purpose Droplet · 2 Dedicated vCPU / 8 GB

2vCPU
8 GBRAM
25 GBStorage
4 TBTransfer
  • Dedicated vCPU (100% allocatio...
  • NVMe SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Google Cloud

Compute Engine e2-medium · 2 vCPU / 4 GB

2vCPU
4 GBRAM
—Storage
—Transfer
  • Shared vCPU (1.00 sustained)
  • Persistent Disk (billed separa...
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Google Cloud

Compute Engine e2-small · 2 vCPU / 2 GB

2vCPU
2 GBRAM
—Storage
—Transfer
  • Shared vCPU (0.50 sustained)
  • Persistent Disk (billed separa...
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud CCX13 (Germany and Finland)

2vCPU
8 GBRAM
80 GBStorage
20 TBTransfer
  • Dedicated AMD vCPU
  • NVMe SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud CCX23 (Germany and Finland)

4vCPU
16 GBRAM
160 GBStorage
20 TBTransfer
  • Dedicated AMD vCPU
  • NVMe SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud CCX33 (Germany and Finland)

8vCPU
32 GBRAM
240 GBStorage
30 TBTransfer
  • Dedicated AMD vCPU
  • NVMe SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud CCX43 (Germany and Finland)

16vCPU
64 GBRAM
360 GBStorage
40 TBTransfer
  • Dedicated AMD vCPU
  • NVMe SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud CCX53 (Germany and Finland)

32vCPU
128 GBRAM
600 GBStorage
50 TBTransfer
  • Dedicated AMD vCPU
  • NVMe SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud CCX63 (Germany and Finland)

48vCPU
192 GBRAM
960 GBStorage
60 TBTransfer
  • Dedicated AMD vCPU
  • NVMe SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud CPX11 (US locations)

2vCPU
2 GBRAM
40 GBStorage
1 TBTransfer
  • Shared AMD vCPU
  • NVMe SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud CPX12 (Germany and Finland)

1vCPU
2 GBRAM
40 GBStorage
20 TBTransfer
  • Shared AMD vCPU
  • NVMe SSD
Compatibility unclear from published plan data

Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.

  • The official container installation requires a working Docker or Podman installation; Compose is the project-recommended container deployment method.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
  • A public deployment should be configured with an appropriate secret key, limiter settings, and reverse proxy as applicable.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.

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