How to Install Answer on macOS

Answer is an open-source, serverless search engine that you can self-host on your own computer. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the steps to install Answer on macOS.

Prerequisites

Before we get started, you need to make sure your computer meets the following requirements:

Step 1: Clone the Answer Repository

Open the Terminal app on your macOS and navigate to the directory where you want to install Answer. Then, clone the Answer repository using the following command:

git clone https://github.com/answer-dev/answer.git

This command will download the entire Answer repository to your local machine.

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Navigate inside the Answer directory and run the following command to install all the necessary dependencies:

yarn

This command will install all the dependencies required for Answer to run.

Step 3: Configure Answer

Next, you need to configure Answer according to your preferences. Copy the config.example.json file to config.json and edit it using your favorite text editor.

cp config.example.json config.json
nano config.json

Make sure to modify the values in the config.json file to reflect your needed settings.

Step 4: Start Answer

Once you have customized the configuration file, you can start Answer by running the following command:

yarn start

This command will start Answer on your local machine.

Step 5: Test Answer

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000 to test Answer. If everything is working correctly, you should see the Answer search interface in your web browser.

Conclusion

Answer is now installed and running on your macOS. You can start adding your data to Answer and start searching through it immediately.

If you encounter any issues while following this tutorial, make sure to check the official Answer documentation for more information. Happy searching!

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!