Fess
Java enterprise search server with a built-in crawler, an admin console and a search UI, built on OpenSearch.
fess.codelibs.orgrepositorydocs
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.
Identity
Rendering and deploy
Releases
Adoption
Sources
- 2026-10-28: links, Categories, License model
fess.codelibs.org - 2026-10-28: links, Written in, License, GitHub stars
api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess - 2026-10-28: links
fess.codelibs.org/15.9/install/install.html - 2026-10-28: Maintainer, Maintained by, Headquarters
codelibs.co/ - 2026-10-28: First release
fess.codelibs.org/news.html - 2026-10-28: Runtime, Built on, Install with, Admin interface, Content API, Multilingual
github.com/codelibs/fess/blob/main/README.md - 2026-10-28: License
raw.githubusercontent.com/codelibs/fess/main/LICENSE - 2026-10-28: Runs as
fess.codelibs.org/15.9/install/install-linux.html - 2026-10-28: Current major version, Last release
api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess/releases - 2026-10-28: Contributors
api.github.com/repos/codelibs/fess/contributors