I Abandoned Google For A Search Tool That Doesn't Track Me Or Push Ai - And It Gets Better

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET cardinal takeaways

• If you want to wantonness Google, you tin instal your ain hunt engine.
• YaCy is simply a free, decentralized hunt motor that tin beryllium installed locally.
• YaCy tin beryllium installed connected Linux, MacOS, and Windows.

When you run a hunt via google.com, that hunt not only goes done nan Google servers, but it besides places AI answers beforehand and center. That centralized work intends Google is successful complete power of your searches.

What if you could alternatively usage a decentralized server that runs crossed galore devices, each of which is backstage and not nether nan power of a azygous organization? That's YaCy.

YaCy is simply a hunt instrumentality you tin deploy to your desktop aliases immoderate machine connected your location LAN that does not cod personalized information and is superior astir privacy. YaCy has nary "phoning home" integration and does not usage cookies (although linked services whitethorn person cookies).

Also: Thinking astir switching to Linux? 10 things you request to know

I deployed YaCy complete nan play and person recovered it to beryllium a singular tool, and nan hunt results are rather promising (enough that I've started turning to YaCy arsenic my go-to hunt tool).

There are respective ways you tin instal and tally YaCy. You tin download an executable binary from nan charismatic site, tally it, and you're ready. Or, you tin do what I did and deploy YaCy via Docker.

Also: 8 free Linux apps that are amazingly useful - nary bid statement required

The logic I chose nan Docker deployment was that I'd alternatively not person nan YaCy work moving connected immoderate of my desktops aliases laptops. Instead, I'd alternatively person a dedicated server (via a virtual machine) for nan hunt motor truthful it gets much powerfulness and nan work has constricted (if any) entree to nan stored information connected my main machines.

How to instal YaCy connected Windows/MacOS

Although I deployed YaCy via Docker connected a Ubuntu Server 24.04 instance, I want to locomotion you done nan first steps for installing YaCy connected Windows aliases MacOS.

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That's nan speedy type of nan installation. Now, fto maine show you really to deploy YaCy via Docker.

How to instal YaCy via Docker

One of nan reasons I for illustration installing YaCy via Docker is that I don't person to interest astir remembering to commencement nan YaCy work earlier utilizing nan hunt tool. With Docker, nan work is ever moving (and sandboxed wrong a container for much safety).

Also: I instal these 11 apps connected each caller Linux system, and you should, excessively - here's why

Before you jump into this method, you do request to person Docker installed. I'll show you how.

1. Install Docker GPG cardinal and repo

Let's instal Docker first (because it's necessary). Here's how:

First, you must adhd nan Docker charismatic GPG key, which tin beryllium achieved pinch nan pursuing commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get instal ca-certificates curl
sudo instal -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

Next, adhd nan Docker repository pinch nan pursuing 2 commands:

The first bid starts pinch "echo," and nan 2nd bid is "sudo apt-get update."

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

2. Deploy Docker

With Docker installed, you tin now deploy YaCy pinch nan pursuing command:

docker tally -d --name yacy_search_server -p 8090:8090 -p 8443:8443 -v yacy_search_server_data:/opt/yacy_search_server/DATA --restart unless-stopped --log-opt max-size=200m --log-opt max-file=2 yacy/yacy_search_server:latest

Allow nan work clip to rotation up (between 2 and 5 minutes), aft which, constituent your browser to http://SERVER:8090 (where SERVER is nan IP reside of nan hosting server).

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YaCy is now running.

3. Accessing YaCy

You've astir apt already opened YaCy successful your web browser, wherever you'll spot a hunt bar. If you effort to tally immoderate searches, you'll beryllium prompted for a username/password combo, which is admin/yacy.

You'll want to alteration that.

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Instead of moving a hunt astatine first, click Administration successful nan apical correct corner. On nan resulting page, you'll spot nan pursuing warning:

WARNING: This YaCy lawsuit tin beryllium administered pinch nan relationship "admin" and nan default password "yacy." Open nan User Administration and alteration nan password arsenic soon arsenic possible!

Click User Administration. If you are prompted for nan personification credentials again, they are still admin/yacy. On this page, you'll spot nan conception (under "Access only pinch qualified account") wherever you tin alteration nan password for nan admin. I highly urge changing this password correct away.

You should astir surely alteration nan admin personification password to thing beardown and unique.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Once you've done that, click nan YaCy logo astatine nan apical left, and you'll find yourself backmost connected nan main YaCy page, wherever you tin tally your first search.

The YaCy hunt page is very easy to use.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Also: 5 of nan easiest, quickest Linux distros to instal - and I've tried them all

Congratulations, you now person your ain decentralized hunt engine. You tin disregard Google and nary longer interest astir AI results aliases having a floor plan created that tin beryllium utilized for targeted ads and who knows what else.

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