| =========================== | |
| Why use a private instance? | |
| =========================== | |
| .. sidebar:: Is running my own instance worth it? | |
| \.\.\.is a common question among SearXNG users. Before answering this | |
| question, see what options a SearXNG user has. | |
| .. contents:: | |
| :depth: 2 | |
| :local: | |
| :backlinks: entry | |
| Public instances are open to everyone who has access to their URL. Usually, they | |
| are operated by unknown parties (from the users' point of view). Private | |
| instances can be used by a select group of people, such as a SearXNG instance for a | |
| group of friends, or a company which can be accessed through a VPN. Instances can also be | |
| single-user instances, which run locally on the user's machine. | |
| To gain more insight on how these instances work, let's dive into how SearXNG | |
| protects its users. | |
| .. _SearXNG protect privacy: | |
| How does SearXNG protect privacy? | |
| ================================= | |
| SearXNG protects the privacy of its users in multiple ways, regardless of the type | |
| of the instance (private or public). Removal of private data from search requests | |
| comes in three forms: | |
| 1. Removing private data from requests going to search services | |
| 2. Not forwarding anything from third party services through search services | |
| (e.g. advertisement) | |
| 3. Removing private data from requests going to the results pages | |
| Removing private data means not sending cookies to external search engines and | |
| generating a random browser profile for every request. Thus, it does not matter | |
| if a public or private instance handles the request, because it is anonymized in | |
| both cases. The IP address used will be the IP of the instance, but SearXNG can also be | |
| configured to use proxy or Tor. | |
| SearXNG does not serve ads or tracking content, unlike most search services. Therefore, | |
| private data is not forwarded to third parties who might monetize it. Besides | |
| protecting users from search services, both the referring page and search query are | |
| hidden from the results pages being visited. | |
| What are the consequences of using public instances? | |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | |
| If someone uses a public instance, they have to trust the administrator of that | |
| instance. This means that the user of the public instance does not know whether | |
| their requests are logged, aggregated, and sent or sold to a third party. | |
| Also, public instances without proper protection are more vulnerable to abuse of | |
| the search service, which may cause the external service to enforce | |
| CAPTCHAs or to ban the IP address of the instance. Thus, search requests would return less | |
| results. | |
| I see. What about private instances? | |
| ------------------------------------ | |
| If users run their :ref:`own instances <installation>`, everything is in their | |
| control: the source code, logging settings and private data. Unknown instance | |
| administrators do not have to be trusted. | |
| Furthermore, as the default settings of their instance are editable, there is no | |
| need to use cookies to tailor SearXNG to their needs and preferences will not | |
| reset to defaults when clearing browser cookies. As settings are stored on | |
| the user's computer, they will not be accessible to others as long as their computer is | |
| not compromised. | |
| Conclusion | |
| ========== | |
| Always use an instance which is operated by people you trust. The privacy | |
| features of SearXNG are available to users no matter what kind of instance they | |
| use. | |
| For those on the go, or just wanting to try SearXNG for the first time, public | |
| instances are the best choice. Public instances are also making the | |
| world a better place by giving those who cannot, or do not want to, run an | |
| instance access to a privacy-respecting search service. | |