Embeddable vs. Native Search - Opensolr Drupal Docs

Embeddable Search

The module offers two completely different ways to display search on your Drupal site. You choose which one to use on the Embeddable Search tab (/admin/config/search/opensolr/embeddable).

Embeddable Search UI mode showing options for Search Toolbar, Initial Search Query, Default Content Type, Result Thumbnails, and Restrict to Domain — Embeddable options (part 1)

Additional embeddable options showing Result Thumbnails, Restrict to Domain, Freshness Filter, Language Filter, Locale Filter, Pagination Style, Color Theme, and Layout Width — Embeddable options (part 2)

Native Search vs. Embeddable Search

Drupal Native

Search is rendered by Drupal using Twig templates that you can override from your theme. Full control over the HTML, CSS, and behavior. Configured via the Search Display and Search Tuning tabs.

Opensolr Embeddable

A pre-built search widget from search.opensolr.com loads as an iframe on your /opensolr-search page. Zero customization needed — it works out of the box with a polished UI.

When to use which

Use Native when:

You want full control over the search page look and feel, need to match your theme exactly, or want to override templates with custom HTML.

Use Embeddable when:

You want instant search with zero effort, don't need template customization, or want the same search UI that Opensolr provides on its own platform.

Switching between modes

Select either "Drupal Native" or "Opensolr Embeddable Search UI" and click Save. The change takes effect immediately on your /opensolr-search page.

💡 Same URL, different UI

Both modes use the same /opensolr-search URL. Visitors don't see any difference in the URL — only the search interface changes.

Embeddable options

When you select the Embeddable mode, additional options appear:

Search Toolbar — Show or hide the search bar and filter toolbar
Initial Search Query — pre-fill the search box with a default query on page load
Default Content Type — show web pages or documents first
Result Thumbnails — show or hide OG image thumbnails
Restrict to Domain — only show results from a specific domain
Freshness Filter — boost recent content or show all equally
Language Filter — restrict to a specific language (e.g., en)
Locale Filter — restrict to a specific locale (e.g., en_us)
Pagination Style — infinite scroll or numbered pages
Color Theme — light or dark
Layout Width — default or full width

Elevation in Embeddable mode

When using the Embeddable UI, query elevation is managed directly in your Opensolr dashboard, not from the Drupal admin. The Elevation tab shows a link to the right panel.