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Search Engine runs a search server on your computer and gives you a window into it: indexes, a playground to try queries, API keys and backups. Sites that use Laravel Scout or a search client get a tab to wire it up. Open Search Engine (Search) in the rail. It runs on macOS and Windows.
The engines
| Engine | Port | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meilisearch | 7700 |
Keys, tasks and backups in DevCatz |
| Typesense | 8108 |
Keys in DevCatz |
| OpenSearch | 9210 |
Runs on a bundled Temurin 21 Java runtime (about 300 MB), with a 512 MB heap |
| Manticore | 9308 |
SQL on 9306; from repo.manticoresearch.com (macOS build, over HTTPS) |
| ZincSearch | 4080 |
An Elasticsearch-compatible API, with an admin user |
| Sonic | 1491 |
From Homebrew’s bottle, without needing Homebrew itself |
Two honest notes:
- OpenSearch has no official macOS build, so DevCatz takes its core (the min build) and runs it on an Eclipse Temurin 21 Java runtime it installs next to it. Change its heap under Settings → Search Engine.
- Sonic only stores search terms, not documents. DevCatz keeps a copy of the documents next to it so the playground can show results.
| Engine | Port | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meilisearch | 7700 |
Keys, tasks and backups in DevCatz; the Windows .exe from its GitHub releases |
| Typesense | 8108 |
Keys in DevCatz; runs in DoCatz — see below |
| OpenSearch | 9210 |
The full Windows bundle with its own Java (about 1 GB to download), with a 512 MB heap |
| Manticore | 9308 |
SQL on 9306; from repo.manticoresearch.com (Windows build, over HTTPS) |
| ZincSearch | 4080 |
An Elasticsearch-compatible API, with an admin user |
| Sonic | 1491 |
Runs in DoCatz — see below |
Two honest notes:
- OpenSearch’s Windows build only comes as the full bundle (its own Java included), so it is about 1 GB to download; DevCatz drops the bundle’s plugins after unpacking and runs plain OpenSearch on the Java inside it. Change its heap under Settings → Search Engine.
- Typesense and Sonic publish no Windows build, so on Windows they run from their official images
(
typesense/typesense,valeriansaliou/sonic) in DoCatz’s container engine (WSL 2). Their button reads Install in DoCatz…, with DoCatz’s logo: DevCatz pulls the image there, starts and stops it, and keeps the same port, domain, keys and.envlines as anywhere else. The page header says in DoCatz, More ▾ gets Open in DoCatz, and DoCatz lists the container under DevCatz Services. Updates pull the newer image; uninstalling removes the container and the image. No DoCatz yet? The page shows DoCatz is not installed with Download & Install DoCatz first, and with DoCatz but no engine set up yet, DevCatz opens DoCatz and says so. Sonic keeps its copy of the documents next to it here too.
The engine page
Each engine’s page has these tabs (some only for the engines that support them):
| Tab | What it does |
|---|---|
| Indexes | Create and delete indexes, edit their settings as JSON, Import… JSON, NDJSON or CSV, Export ▾ as NDJSON or JSON |
| Search | The playground |
| Keys | API keys (Meilisearch and Typesense) |
| Tasks | The task queue (Meilisearch) |
| Backups | Dumps and snapshots, and restoring them (Meilisearch) |
| Connection | Host, port, keys and ready-made lines |
| Sites | The sites that use this engine |
| Logs | The engine’s log |
The playground
The Search tab searches as you type. Add filters and facets to see what your app’s queries return, and add, edit or delete documents right there. With AI switched on, ✦ Ask AI helps you write a query.
The site Search Engine tab
A site gets a Search Engine tab when it uses Laravel Scout or a search client:
- Laravel Scout · driver — which driver the site uses now.
- Choose an engine… — point the site at one of the DevCatz engines.
- The
.envlines:SCOUT_DRIVER, the host and keys, and aVITE_*search-only key for searching from the browser. - Per Searchable model:
scout:import,scout:flushandsync-index-settings.
Settings → Search Engine
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Services | Every engine, and whether it starts with DevCatz |
| Allowed origins (CORS) | Which origins may call the engines from a browser |
| OpenSearch heap (MB) | The Java heap for OpenSearch |
Installed engines also appear in the menu bar (the tray on Windows) with Start / Stop / Restart and Open in DevCatz.
Last updated 2026-11-03