Documentation > Errors

Data won't get indexed.

Errors

Sometimes, in the shared opensolr cloud, the data folder may get corrupted, so it can't be read from or written into.
One easy fix for this, is to simply remove your index, and then just create another one, preferably under another name.

If that doesn't work, please contact us, and we'll be happy to fix it up for you.

Also, keep in mind, that there may be more reasons, so please make sure to check your error log, by clicking the Error Log button inside your opensolr index control panel, and keep refreshing that page to make sure the errors you'll see are accurate.

If you do see errors in there, please email them to us, at support@opensolr.com and we'll fix it for you.

Common Causes of Indexing Failures

Field Names Do Not Match the Schema

One of the most common reasons data fails to index is a mismatch between the field names in your documents and the field names defined in your schema.xml. Solr will reject documents that contain fields not defined in the schema (unless you have a dynamicField rule that matches). Check that every field you are sending exists in your schema, and remember that field names are case-sensitive.

Missing Commit After Indexing

Solr does not make newly indexed documents searchable until a commit is issued. If you are sending documents via the API but they do not appear in search results, make sure you are either:

  • Sending a commit command after your indexing batch: <commit/>
  • Appending ?commit=true to your update request URL
  • Relying on autoCommit settings in your solrconfig.xml (check that <autoCommit> is configured with a reasonable maxTime value)

Document Size or Field Value Too Large

If individual documents contain very large field values (for example, a full PDF text in a single field), the indexing request may time out or fail silently. Try indexing a smaller document first to isolate whether size is the issue.

Authentication or Network Issues

If your Opensolr Index uses HTTP Basic Authentication, make sure your indexing client is sending the correct credentials with every request. An authentication failure may not always produce an obvious error in your application but will result in a 401 Unauthorized response from Solr.

Step-by-Step Debugging

  1. Check the Error Log: Click the Error Log button in your Opensolr Index control panel. This will show you any exceptions Solr encountered while processing your documents. Common errors include unknown field, undefined field type, and document size exceeds limit.
  2. Verify Schema Fields: Open your schema.xml in the Config Files Editor and confirm that every field in your indexing payload is defined. Pay attention to the type attribute — sending a string to a numeric field will cause a parsing error.
  3. Test with a Simple cURL POST: Send a minimal test document directly to your Opensolr Index to rule out issues with your application code: 
    curl "https://YOUR_HOSTNAME/solr/YOUR_CORE/update?commit=true" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '[{"id": "test-1", "title": "Test document"}]'
    If this works but your application does not, the problem is in your application's indexing code.
  4. Check Your Document Count: Query your index with q=*:*&rows=0 to see the total number of documents. If the count is not increasing after indexing attempts, the documents are being rejected.

Integration-Specific Tips

Drupal with Search API Solr

If you are using Drupal's Search API Solr module, make sure the Solr server connection is configured correctly in the Drupal admin panel. Run drush search-api:rebuild-tracker to reset the indexing tracker, then trigger a re-index. Check the Drupal watchdog logs (drush watchdog:show) for Solr-related errors.

WordPress with WPSolr or Ajax Search Pro

For WordPress integrations, verify the Solr endpoint URL and credentials in the plugin settings. Some plugins require you to manually trigger an initial full index from the plugin settings page. Check the WordPress debug log (wp-content/debug.log) if indexing appears to do nothing.

Custom Applications

If you are posting documents from a custom application using SolrJ, Python (pysolr, sunburnt), or any other client library, make sure you are handling the Solr response correctly. A successful index request returns an HTTP 200 status. Any other status code indicates a problem — parse the response body for the specific error message.