Drupal Setup with Opensolr
Three Ways to Connect Drupal to Opensolr
Pick the approach that fits your needs — from a 3-minute standalone setup to full manual control.
Option 1 — Opensolr Search Module (Standalone, Fastest Setup)
The Opensolr Search module is a completely standalone search engine for Drupal. It has no dependency on Search API — no views, no field mapping needed. You install it, enter your Opensolr credentials, and in about 3 minutes you have a fully working search page with:
Finds relevant results even when users don't use the exact words
Filter panels auto-built from your content fields
Suggestions as you type, "Did you mean?" corrections
Built-in dashboard: top queries, no-results, click-through rates
Pin or exclude specific results for any query
AI answer summaries and document reader — can be turned off
No persistent AI. No telemetry. No bullshit.
Opensolr Search does not run a persistent AI model on your data, does not phone home, and does not collect telemetry. It uses dense vector embeddings — a one-time mathematical fingerprint of each document — to make classic Solr keyword search smarter at matching meaning. Optional LLM add-ons (answer summarization, document reader) sit on top and can be disabled entirely. The core module is a fast, modern Drupal search with facets and vector matching.
Marketing Page & Features → Get on Drupal.org Documentation →
Option 2 — Search API Opensolr (Recommended for Existing Search API Sites)
If you already use Drupal's Search API module with views, indexes, and processors configured — this is your path. Search API Opensolr is a direct drop-in replacement for Search API Solr. You keep everything: your indexes, your views, your processors, your field mappings. It just swaps the backend connection to Opensolr and handles authentication automatically.
This is NOT an AI module. It is a standard Search API backend connector — identical in concept to Search API Solr, with one key difference: it includes AutoConfigure, which creates your Opensolr index, uploads the config files, and sets up the Drupal server in one click. No zip files, no version matching, no manual upload.
Quick Install
composer require 'drupal/search_api_opensolr:^2.2'
Then enable the module → go to configuration → click AutoConfigure. Done.
Get on Drupal.org Full Documentation →
Option 3 — Search API Solr with Manual Setup
If you need full manual control and prefer to use the standard Search API Solr module, here is a complete step-by-step guide including exactly what to put in every Drupal field.
Step 1 — Find Your Connection Details in Opensolr
Log in to opensolr.com, go to your index, and collect the following values. You will need all of them for the Drupal server configuration form.
Solr Host
The cluster hostname from your Index Control Panel dashboard, e.g. us-east-8-10.solrcluster.com
Solr Port
Always 443 for Opensolr hosted indexes (HTTPS)
HTTP Scheme
Always https
Solr Path
/solr/YOUR_CORE_NAME — your core name is the index name shown in your Opensolr dashboard. Do NOT leave this as just / — Drupal will connect to the server but fail to reach the core.
Basic Auth Username
Default is opensolr — set automatically when your index is created. Only change this if you have updated it in the Security tab.
Basic Auth Password
Default is your Automation REST API key — found in your Opensolr dashboard under Account Settings. Only change this if you have updated it in the Security tab.
⚠ Critical: Do not touch the Security tab unless you know what you are setting
A very common mistake: users open the Security tab, make partial changes (for example leaving the password blank or entering the wrong value), then wonder why their connection fails. There is no such thing as an Opensolr index without a password. A blank password will not work — the index will reject all requests.
If you have changed anything in the Security tab, follow these rules exactly:
- Changes take up to 10 seconds to propagate — do not test the connection immediately after saving
- No special characters — avoid @ # % & and similar. They get sanitized and the stored value may not match what you typed. Use only letters, numbers, underscores, and hyphens.
- Credentials are not saved in the UI — once you leave the Security tab, there is no way to see what you set. Write them down before saving.
The Security tab also shows the defaults — if you are unsure what you set, reset to:
Password: [your Automation REST API key from the dashboard]
API key regeneration note
If you regenerate your API key in the dashboard, existing indexes keep their old key as the password — only new indexes use the new key. To update an existing index, go to its Security tab and change the password manually. Full details: Default HTTP Auth Credentials →
For a complete guide on Opensolr security — HTTP auth, IP restrictions, credential propagation: Security Documentation →
Step 2 — Verify Your Solr Version
In your Index Control Panel dashboard, check which Solr version your index runs (e.g. 8.11, 9.x). When you download the config zip from Drupal, select the matching version. A mismatch causes schema errors.
If your Drupal module expects Solr 9 but your Opensolr index runs 8.x — contact us. We can adapt the config files without impacting your data.
Step 3 — Upload Config Files to Opensolr
- In Drupal, go to your Search API Solr server and download the config zip for your Solr version
- In Opensolr, open your index → click Config Files Editor
- Upload the zip file — that is it
No Reload button needed. Opensolr automatically validates every config file for errors during upload and reloads the index in place. If the zip contains invalid XML or schema errors, the upload is rejected and nothing changes. If it passes validation, the new config is live immediately. The same applies when editing individual files in the Config Files Editor — saving a file validates and reloads automatically.
Step 4 — Create Your Index and Start Indexing
- Create a Search API index in Drupal
- Select your content types, fields, and processors
- Click Index now
Quick Decision Guide
| If you want... | Use this |
|---|---|
| A full search engine up in minutes, no Search API needed | Opensolr Search module |
| Keep your existing Search API views and indexes, just swap the backend | Search API Opensolr |
| Full manual control, existing Search API Solr code you cannot change | Search API Solr (manual) |
| Multisite indexing across multiple Drupal sites | Search API Opensolr or manual |
LIVE DEMO
See Opensolr Search for Drupal in action
Vector search, faceted navigation, autocomplete, and AI hints on a live Drupal 11 site.
Try Live Demo →