Faceted Search vs Solr?
Flying Drupalist - February 13, 2009 - 19:36
| Project: | Faceted Search |
| Version: | 6.x-1.x-dev |
| Component: | Documentation |
| Category: | support request |
| Priority: | normal |
| Assigned: | Unassigned |
| Status: | active |
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Description
Which module do I want to be using? What are the differences? Is there a comparison somewhere? Should I use both modules together?
Thanks.
#1
As far as I know, Solr requires server configuration in that you need to have Solr installed an listening on a port on the server, whereas this module is all Drupal.
#2
If you don't have a VPS or dedicated server (since Solr requires that you install server applications that a shared host will not have), then the only way you'll be able to use Solr is through Acquia's Solr Search service (which I believe is in private beta right now, and will have some sort of cost involved when released). My understanding from what Robert Douglass has said in his DIWD video and the Lullabot podcast, as well as some advice someone offered when I asked about it in IRC... if your site is small and low traffic, then Faceted Search is the better choice: it has more features currently, and also is possible to install on a shared server like any normal Drupal module (though be careful not to anger your shared host if you know your site has a lot of traffic). If your site is larger, then Faceted Search may be too intense for your database to handle, as MySQL is not an ideal technology for doing this in a high-performance way. So in that case Solr would be a better bet for you. Robert mentioned that the maintainer of Faceted Search is helping to bring UI and functionality from Faceted Search into Solr, so eventually I believe Solr will end up both the higher performing and equally or better featured option (but still limited only to those who can meet the server requirements, so it would not replace Faceted Search for many users). Solr evidently has tons of additional functionality possible that is not yet "exposed" in the Drupal module, but will be over time.
#3
Thanks Keyz for the excellent answer. It is true that I will soon be working on adding features to ApacheSolr, many of those inspired by Faceted Search. I will also continue to maintain Faceted Search as it can be a simpler solution for many smaller sites.
#4
Can I get a better idea of what the definition of a "small site" is? My site will eventually have about 1,500 users with probably a range of 0 to 220 users a day. Node creation will mainly consist as forum posts. My site is in development with zero users, so I can't do a benchmark test...
I am currently on a VPS, should I save myself the time figuring out the Faceted Search and install the Solr search right now?
#5
The issue is more related to the number of nodes than the number of users. Results will vary depending on your configuration, but I would not use Faceted Search with 10k nodes or more. With less than 10k nodes, I would certainly test before committing myself.
Solr will always run faster than Faceted Search. If it has the right feature set for you and if you can install it, it might be a good idea to use it. :-)
See also: #347952: Database Load
#6
Hey all!
I just started using Drupal a month ago and had never any experience with a CMS before. It was a bit of work to set up Drupal on my local server and on my hosts server. But i could figure it out and now it runs very well and i'm excited about my new toy:)
Now i came to a point were i stuck again.
I just don't understand how solr works. I run my website on a VPS server. But how do i get solr working there? All the instructions and tutorials i found are greek to me. I don't know were to start. Do i need to instal tomcat first to run solr? Can i just create a folder on my VPS and put all the files in there? Or do i have to use command line?
Please, i would be very happy about any hint your guys can give me. I just need a point to start.
Kind regards
honorfield
#7
I don't think anyone can help you unless you provide some details of your VPS, like what OS is runs. (And do you really administer your own VPS?). That said, there are some very detailed and explicit instructions for installing the entire stack on Ubuntu 8 and 9. Other linuxes will have similar but different ways to install things (apt-get on Ubuntu and Debian, yum on Centos, pkg_add -r or make install clean on FreeBSD). You don't need Tomcat, only Java. Installing Java varies GREATLY from OS to OS and even from version to version (even point versions).