# Fess

Java enterprise search server with a built-in crawler, an admin console and a search UI, built on OpenSearch.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/fess/
Last reviewed: 2026-10-28
Listed since: 2026-10-28

## Record

### Links

- home: https://fess.codelibs.org
- repository: https://github.com/codelibs/fess
- docs: https://fess.codelibs.org/15.9/install/install.html
- forum: https://discuss.codelibs.org/c/FessEN/

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: CodeLibs, Inc.
- maintainerType: company
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2009
- hqCountry: JP

### Kind

- category: search
- hosting: java
- language: java
- runtime: jvm
- runtimeMin: unknown
- basedOn: opensearch

### Content

- contentStore: not applicable
- databases: not applicable
- adminUi: yes
- headlessApi: rest
- templating: not applicable
- i18n: yes

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: always-on
- renderingModes: not applicable
- installMethod: zip download

### License

- licenseModel: open-core
- license: Apache-2.0

### Releases

- currentMajor: 15
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-10-15

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 1142
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: not applicable
- contributors: 36
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: unknown
- dependentPackages: unknown

### Sources

- urls: https://fess.codelibs.org (read 2026-10-28)
- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess (read 2026-10-28)
- urls: https://fess.codelibs.org/15.9/install/install.html (read 2026-10-28)
- maintainer: https://codelibs.co/ (read 2026-10-28)
- maintainerType: https://codelibs.co/ (read 2026-10-28)
- hqCountry: https://codelibs.co/ (read 2026-10-28)
- firstRelease: https://fess.codelibs.org/news.html (read 2026-10-28)
- language: https://api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess (read 2026-10-28)
- runtime: https://github.com/codelibs/fess/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- basedOn: https://github.com/codelibs/fess/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- category: https://fess.codelibs.org (read 2026-10-28)
- license: https://api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess (read 2026-10-28)
- license: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codelibs/fess/main/LICENSE (read 2026-10-28)
- licenseModel: https://fess.codelibs.org (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://github.com/codelibs/fess/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://github.com/codelibs/fess/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- runsAs: https://fess.codelibs.org/15.9/install/install-linux.html (read 2026-10-28)
- adminUi: https://github.com/codelibs/fess/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- headlessApi: https://github.com/codelibs/fess/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- i18n: https://github.com/codelibs/fess/blob/main/README.md (read 2026-10-28)
- currentMajor: https://api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess/releases (read 2026-10-28)
- latestReleaseDate: https://api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess/releases (read 2026-10-28)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess (read 2026-10-28)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess/contributors (read 2026-10-28)

## Notes

Fess is an enterprise search server written in Java. It has a built-in crawler, a browser-based administration UI and a search UI. Crawled documents are indexed in OpenSearch, and the project's own pages state that Fess is built on OpenSearch. Fess runs as a service that depends on OpenSearch being started first. It is installed from a ZIP, RPM or DEB package, or run as a Docker image. The code is licensed under Apache-2.0 and maintained by CodeLibs, Inc.

## Worth knowing

The installation guide says Fess does not bundle a search engine and that every installation method needs a separate OpenSearch server. The README says the Docker images bundle OpenSearch, so the two statements differ for Docker.

A commercial version, N2 Search from N2SM, is offered beside the open-source product, with paid support.

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0