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<title>Why use a private instance? — SearXNG Documentation (2023.12.31+3535377c9)</title>
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<li class="nav-item nav-item-this"><a href="">Why use a private instance?</a></li>
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<section id="why-use-a-private-instance">
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<h1>Why use a private instance?<a class="headerlink" href="#why-use-a-private-instance" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h1>
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<aside class="sidebar">
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<p class="sidebar-title">Is it worth to run my own instance?</p>
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<p>.. is a common question among SearXNG users. Before answering this
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question, see what options a SearXNG user has.</p>
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<nav class="contents local" id="contents">
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<ul class="simple">
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#how-does-searxng-protect-privacy" id="id1">How does SearXNG protect privacy?</a></p>
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<ul>
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#what-are-the-consequences-of-using-public-instances" id="id2">What are the consequences of using public instances?</a></p></li>
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#i-see-what-about-private-instances" id="id3">I see. What about private instances?</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li><p><a class="reference internal" href="#conclusion" id="id4">Conclusion</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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</nav>
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<p>Public instances are open to everyone who has access to its URL. Usually, these
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are operated by unknown parties (from the users’ point of view). Private
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instances can be used by a select group of people. It is for example a SearXNG of
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group of friends or a company which can be accessed through VPN. Also it can be
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single user one which runs on the user’s laptop.</p>
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<p>To gain more insight on how these instances work let’s dive into how SearXNG
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protects its users.</p>
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<section id="how-does-searxng-protect-privacy">
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<span id="searxng-protect-privacy"></span><h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id1" role="doc-backlink">How does SearXNG protect privacy?</a><a class="headerlink" href="#how-does-searxng-protect-privacy" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
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<p>SearXNG protects the privacy of its users in multiple ways regardless of the type
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of the instance (private, public). Removal of private data from search requests
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comes in three forms:</p>
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<blockquote>
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<div><ol class="arabic simple">
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<li><p>removal of private data from requests going to search services</p></li>
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<li><p>not forwarding anything from a third party services through search services
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(e.g. advertisement)</p></li>
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<li><p>removal of private data from requests going to the result pages</p></li>
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</ol>
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</div></blockquote>
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<p>Removing private data means not sending cookies to external search engines and
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generating a random browser profile for every request. Thus, it does not matter
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if a public or private instance handles the request, because it is anonymized in
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both cases. IP addresses will be the IP of the instance. But SearXNG can be
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configured to use proxy or Tor. <a class="reference external" href="https://github.com/asciimoo/morty">Result proxy</a> is supported, too.</p>
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<p>SearXNG does not serve ads or tracking content unlike most search services. So
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private data is not forwarded to third parties who might monetize it. Besides
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protecting users from search services, both referring page and search query are
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hidden from visited result pages.</p>
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<section id="what-are-the-consequences-of-using-public-instances">
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<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#id2" role="doc-backlink">What are the consequences of using public instances?</a><a class="headerlink" href="#what-are-the-consequences-of-using-public-instances" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
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<p>If someone uses a public instance, they have to trust the administrator of that
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instance. This means that the user of the public instance does not know whether
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their requests are logged, aggregated and sent or sold to a third party.</p>
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<p>Also, public instances without proper protection are more vulnerable to abusing
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the search service, In this case the external service in exchange returns
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CAPTCHAs or bans the IP of the instance. Thus, search requests return less
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results.</p>
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</section>
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<section id="i-see-what-about-private-instances">
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<h3><a class="toc-backref" href="#id3" role="doc-backlink">I see. What about private instances?</a><a class="headerlink" href="#i-see-what-about-private-instances" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h3>
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<p>If users run their <a class="reference internal" href="admin/installation.html#installation"><span class="std std-ref">own instances</span></a>, everything is in their
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control: the source code, logging settings and private data. Unknown instance
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administrators do not have to be trusted.</p>
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<p>Furthermore, as the default settings of their instance is editable, there is no
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need to use cookies to tailor SearXNG to their needs. So preferences will not be
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reset to defaults when clearing browser cookies. As settings are stored on
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their computer, it will not be accessible to others as long as their computer is
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not compromised.</p>
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</section>
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</section>
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<section id="conclusion">
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<h2><a class="toc-backref" href="#id4" role="doc-backlink">Conclusion</a><a class="headerlink" href="#conclusion" title="Link to this heading">¶</a></h2>
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<p>Always use an instance which is operated by people you trust. The privacy
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features of SearXNG are available to users no matter what kind of instance they
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use.</p>
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<p>If someone is on the go or just wants to try SearXNG for the first time public
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instances are the best choices. Additionally, public instance are making a
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world a better place, because those who cannot or do not want to run an
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instance, have access to a privacy respecting search service.</p>
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</section>
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<h3><a href="index.html">Table of Contents</a></h3>
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<ul class="current">
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<li class="toctree-l1"><a class="reference internal" href="user/index.html">User information</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l1 current"><a class="current reference internal" href="#">Why use a private instance?</a><ul>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#how-does-searxng-protect-privacy">How does SearXNG protect privacy?</a><ul>
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<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="#what-are-the-consequences-of-using-public-instances">What are the consequences of using public instances?</a></li>
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<li class="toctree-l3"><a class="reference internal" href="#i-see-what-about-private-instances">I see. What about private instances?</a></li>
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</ul>
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<li class="toctree-l2"><a class="reference internal" href="#conclusion">Conclusion</a></li>
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<li><a href="https://searx.space">Public instances</a>
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