Search

Why Meilisearch (decision record)

For 5k–50k products, Meilisearch is the clear winner.

Operational rules (enforce — see plan)

• Every product mutation path updates the index (create/update/delete/updateSpecs/import) — audit ProductsService and the scraper import path.
• MEILISEARCH_API_KEY required in production (env.config.ts should enforce it like JWT_SECRET).
• Deals search stays Postgres-ILIKE for now (fine at current volume). When deal volume justifies it, index deals through the same SearchService rather than a second client.
• Fallback: if Meilisearch is down, fall back to a PostgreSQL ILIKE query.

Remaining UX improvements

• Instant search-as-you-type in the header search bar (replace the 300ms debounced query) with highlighted matching text.
• Search suggestions / autocomplete dropdown.
• Faceted category counts in the product browse page ("Frame (42)", "Motor (89)") — Meilisearch facets are built-in.
• Frontend integration choice: direct Meilisearch access with a search-only key is fastest (<20ms, supports CORS + tenant tokens); the backend proxy adds latency but centralizes auth/logging. Direct-with-search-key is the recommendation if/when instant search ships.

Later

• Index deals in a separate Meilisearch index (same SearchService), enabling typo-tolerant deal search and facets over condition/price.
• Public price-history data joined into search results once the scraper price history exists.