Apache Solr Basics

Apache Solr is an open-source enterprise search platform built on Apache Lucene. It is designed for scalability and is capable of handling large volumes of data.

2.1 Core

A Solr core is a running instance of a Solr index, which consists of a configuration file, schema, and data.

2.2 Schema

The schema defines fields and their types within a Solr core. It also specifies how data should be indexed and stored.

2.3 Documents

Documents are the basic units of search in Solr, typically represented in XML or JSON format.

2.4 Querying

Solr provides a powerful query language that allows for filtering, sorting, and highlighting search results.

Follow these steps to install Apache Solr:

1. Download the latest version of Apache Solr from the official website.
2. Unzip the downloaded file and navigate to the Solr directory.
3. Start Solr by running the following command in your terminal:

bin/solr start

Configuration involves setting up the solrconfig.xml and schema.xml files:

1. Navigate to the solr/your_core/conf/ directory.
2. Modify solrconfig.xml for request handlers and caching settings.
3. Adjust schema.xml to define fields and types.

Indexing data can be done using various formats:

5.1 Using XML

<add>
  <doc>
    <field name="id">1</field>
    <field name="title">Apache Solr Basics</field>
  </doc>
</add>

5.2 Using JSON

{
  "add": {
    "doc": {
      "id": "1",
      "title": "Apache Solr Basics"
    }
  }
}

Submit your data via POST to the Solr update URL:

curl -X POST -H 'Content-Type: application/xml' --data-binary @data.xml http://localhost:8983/solr/your_core/update

To search for documents, use the Solr query syntax via the search endpoint:

http://localhost:8983/solr/your_core/select?q=title:Solr

7.1 Schema Design

Design your schema to minimize the number of fields and optimize for the types of queries you expect.

7.2 Query Optimization

Utilize filters and caching to improve query performance.

7.3 Monitoring

Regularly monitor your Solr instance for performance and errors using tools like Solr Admin.