Configuring Meilisearch at launch

    You can configure Meilisearch at launch with command-line options, environment variables, or a configuration file.

    These startup options affect your entire Meilisearch instance, not just a single index. For settings that affect search within a single index, see index settings.

    Command-line options and flags

    Pass command-line options and their respective values when launching a Meilisearch instance.

    ./meilisearch --db-path ./meilifiles --http-addr 'localhost:7700'
    

    In the previous example, ./meilisearch is the command that launches a Meilisearch instance, while --db-path and --http-addr are options that modify this instance's behavior.

    Meilisearch also has a number of command-line flags. Unlike command-line options, flags don't take values. If a flag is given, it is activated and changes Meilisearch's default behavior.

    ./meilisearch --no-analytics
    

    The above flag disables analytics for the Meilisearch instance and does not accept a value.

    Both command-line options and command-line flags take precedence over environment variables. All command-line options and flags are prepended with --.

    Environment variables

    To configure a Meilisearch instance using environment variables, set the environment variable prior to launching the instance. If you are unsure how to do this, read more about setting and listing environment variables, or use a command-line option instead.

    export MEILI_DB_PATH=./meilifiles
    export MEILI_HTTP_ADDR=localhost:7700
    ./meilisearch
    

    In the previous example, ./meilisearch is the command that launches a Meilisearch instance, while MEILI_DB_PATH and MEILI_HTTP_ADDR are environment variables that modify this instance's behavior.

    Environment variables for command-line flags accept n, no, f, false, off, and 0 as false. An absent environment variable will also be considered as false. Any other value is considered true.

    Environment variables are always identical to the corresponding command-line option, but prepended with MEILI_ and written in all uppercase.

    Configuration file

    Meilisearch accepts a configuration file in the .toml format as an alternative to command-line options and environment variables. Configuration files can be easily shared and versioned, and allow you to define multiple options.

    When used simultaneously, environment variables override the configuration file, and command-line options override environment variables.

    You can download a default configuration file using the following command:

    curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/meilisearch/meilisearch/latest/config.toml > config.toml
    

    By default, Meilisearch will look for a config.toml file in the working directory. If it is present, it will be used as the configuration file. You can verify this when you launch Meilisearch:

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    888Y88888P888  .d88b.  888 888 888 .d8888b   .d88b.   8888b.  888d888 .d8888b 88888b.
    888 Y888P 888 d8P  Y8b 888 888 888 88K      d8P  Y8b     "88b 888P"  d88P"    888 "88b
    888  Y8P  888 88888888 888 888 888 "Y8888b. 88888888 .d888888 888    888      888  888
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    888       888  "Y8888  888 888 888  88888P'  "Y8888  "Y888888 888     "Y8888P 888  888
    
    Config file path:       "./config.toml"
    

    If the Config file path is anything other than "none", it means that a configuration file was successfully located and used to start Meilisearch.

    You can override the default location of the configuration file using the MEILI_CONFIG_FILE_PATH environment variable or the --config-file-path CLI option:

    ./meilisearch --config-file-path="./config.toml"
    

    Configuration file formatting

    You can configure any environment variable or CLI option using a configuration file. In configuration files, options must be written in snake case. For example, --import-dump would be written as import_dump.

    import_dump = "./example.dump"
    
    WARNING

    Specifying the config_file_path option within the configuration file will throw an error. This is the only configuration option that cannot be set within a configuration file.

    Configuring cloud-hosted instances

    To configure Meilisearch with command-line options in a cloud-hosted instance, edit its service file. The default location of the service file is /etc/systemd/system/meilisearch.service.

    To configure Meilisearch with environment variables in a cloud-hosted instance, modify Meilisearch's env file. Its default location is /var/opt/meilisearch/env.

    After editing your configuration options, relaunch the Meilisearch service:

    systemctl restart meilisearch
    
    Configuring Meilisearch Cloud

    Meilisearch Cloud offers an optimal pre-configured environment. You do not need to use any of the configuration options listed in this page when hosting your project on Meilisearch Cloud.

    All instance options

    Configuration file path

    Environment variable: MEILI_CONFIG_FILE_PATH
    CLI option: --config-file-path
    Default: ./config.toml
    Expected value: a filepath

    Designates the location of the configuration file to load at launch.

    WARNING

    Specifying this option in the configuration file itself will throw an error (assuming Meilisearch is able to find your configuration file).

    Database path

    Environment variable: MEILI_DB_PATH
    CLI option: --db-path
    Default value: "data.ms/"
    Expected value: a filepath

    Designates the location where database files will be created and retrieved.

    Environment

    Environment variable: MEILI_ENV
    CLI option: --env
    Default value: development
    Expected value: production or development

    Configures the instance's environment. Value must be either production or development.

    production:

    development:

    TIP

    When the server environment is set to development, providing a master key is not mandatory. This is useful when debugging and prototyping, but dangerous otherwise since API routes are unprotected.

    HTTP address & port binding

    Environment variable: MEILI_HTTP_ADDR
    CLI option: --http-addr
    Default value: "localhost:7700"
    Expected value: an HTTP address and port

    Sets the HTTP address and port Meilisearch will use.

    Master key

    Environment variable: MEILI_MASTER_KEY
    CLI option: --master-key
    Default value: None
    Expected value: a UTF-8 string of at least 16 bytes

    Sets the instance's master key, automatically protecting all routes except GET /health. This means you will need a valid API key to access all other endpoints.

    When --env is set to production, providing a master key is mandatory. If none is given, or it is under 16 bytes, Meilisearch will throw an error and refuse to launch.

    When --env is set to development, providing a master key is optional. If none is given, all routes will be unprotected and publicly accessible.

    If you do not supply a master key in production or development environments or it is under 16 bytes, Meilisearch will suggest a secure autogenerated master key you can use when restarting your instance.

    Learn more about Meilisearch's use of security keys.

    Disable analytics

    WARNING

    🚩 This option does not take any values. Assigning a value will throw an error. 🚩

    Environment variable: MEILI_NO_ANALYTICS
    CLI option: --no-analytics

    Deactivates Meilisearch's built-in telemetry when provided.

    Meilisearch automatically collects data from all instances that do not opt out using this flag. All gathered data is used solely for the purpose of improving Meilisearch, and can be deleted at any time.

    Read more about our policy on data collection, or take a look at the comprehensive list of all data points we collect.

    Dump directory

    Environment variable: MEILI_DUMP_DIR
    CLI option: --dump-dir
    Default value: dumps/
    Expected value: a filepath pointing to a valid directory

    Sets the directory where Meilisearch will create dump files.

    Learn more about creating dumps.

    Import dump

    Environment variable: MEILI_IMPORT_DUMP
    CLI option: --import-dump
    Default value: none
    Expected value: a filepath pointing to a .dump file

    Imports the dump file located at the specified path. Path must point to a .dump file. If a database already exists, Meilisearch will throw an error and abort launch.

    Meilisearch will only launch once the dump data has been fully indexed. The time this takes depends on the size of the dump file.

    Ignore missing dump

    WARNING

    🚩 This option does not take any values. Assigning a value will throw an error. 🚩

    Environment variable: MEILI_IGNORE_MISSING_DUMP
    CLI option: --ignore-missing-dump

    Prevents Meilisearch from throwing an error when --import-dump does not point to a valid dump file. Instead, Meilisearch will start normally without importing any dump.

    This option will trigger an error if --import-dump is not defined.

    Ignore dump if DB exists

    WARNING

    🚩 This option does not take any values. Assigning a value will throw an error. 🚩

    Environment variable: MEILI_IGNORE_DUMP_IF_DB_EXISTS
    CLI option: --ignore-dump-if-db-exists

    Prevents a Meilisearch instance with an existing database from throwing an error when using --import-dump. Instead, the dump will be ignored and Meilisearch will launch using the existing database.

    This option will trigger an error if --import-dump is not defined.

    Log level

    Environment variable: MEILI_LOG_LEVEL
    CLI option: --log-level
    Default value: 'INFO'
    Expected value: one of ERROR, WARN, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE, OR OFF

    Defines how much detail should be present in Meilisearch's logs.

    Meilisearch currently supports five log levels, listed in order of increasing verbosity:

    Max indexing memory

    Environment variable: MEILI_MAX_INDEXING_MEMORY
    CLI option: --max-indexing-memory
    Default value: 2/3 of the available RAM
    Expected value: an integer (104857600) or a human readable size ('100Mb')

    Sets the maximum amount of RAM Meilisearch can use when indexing. By default, Meilisearch uses no more than two thirds of available memory.

    The value must either be given in bytes or explicitly state a base unit: 107374182400, '107.7Gb', or '107374 Mb'.

    It is possible that Meilisearch goes over the exact RAM limit during indexing. In most contexts and machines, this should be a negligible amount with little to no impact on stability and performance.

    DANGER

    Setting --max-indexing-memory to a value bigger than or equal to your machine's total memory is likely to cause your instance to crash.

    Max indexing threads

    Environment variable: MEILI_MAX_INDEXING_THREADS
    CLI option: --max-indexing-threads
    Default value: half of the available threads
    Expected value: an integer

    Sets the maximum number of threads Meilisearch can use during indexing. By default, the indexer avoids using more than half of a machine's total processing units. This ensures Meilisearch is always ready to perform searches, even while you are updating an index.

    If --max-indexing-threads is higher than the real number of cores available in the machine, Meilisearch uses the maximum number of available cores.

    In single-core machines, Meilisearch has no choice but to use the only core available for indexing. This may lead to a degraded search experience during indexing.

    DANGER

    Avoid setting --max-indexing-threads to the total of your machine's processor cores. Though doing so might speed up indexing, it is likely to severely impact search experience.

    Payload limit size

    Environment variable: MEILI_HTTP_PAYLOAD_SIZE_LIMIT
    CLI option: --http-payload-size-limit
    Default value: 104857600 (~100MB)
    Expected value: an integer

    Sets the maximum size of accepted payloads. Value must be given in bytes or explicitly stating a base unit. For example, the default value can be written as 107374182400, '107.7Gb', or '107374 Mb'.

    Schedule snapshot creation

    Environment variable: MEILI_SCHEDULE_SNAPSHOT
    CLI option: --schedule-snapshot
    Default value: disabled if not present, 86400 if present without a value
    Expected value: None or an integer

    Activates scheduled snapshots. Snapshots are disabled by default.

    It is possible to use --schedule-snapshot without a value. If --schedule-snapshot is present when launching an instance but has not been assigned a value, Meilisearch takes a new snapshot every 24 hours.

    For more control over snapshot scheduling, pass an integer representing the interval in seconds between each snapshot. When --schedule-snapshot=3600, Meilisearch takes a new snapshot every hour.

    NOTE

    When using the configuration file, it is also possible to explicitly pass a boolean value to schedule_snapshot. Meilisearch takes a new snapshot every 24 hours when schedule_snapshot=true, and takes no snapshots when schedule_snapshot=false.

    Learn more about snapshots.

    Snapshot destination

    Environment variable: MEILI_SNAPSHOT_DIR
    CLI option: --snapshot-dir
    Default value: snapshots/
    Expected value: a filepath pointing to a valid directory

    Sets the directory where Meilisearch will store snapshots.

    Import snapshot

    Environment variable: MEILI_IMPORT_SNAPSHOT
    CLI option: --import-snapshot
    Default value: None
    Expected value: a filepath pointing to a snapshot file

    Launches Meilisearch after importing a previously-generated snapshot at the given filepath.

    This command will throw an error if:

    This behavior can be modified with the --ignore-snapshot-if-db-exists and --ignore-missing-snapshot options, respectively.

    Ignore missing snapshot

    WARNING

    🚩 This option does not take any values. Assigning a value will throw an error. 🚩

    Environment variable: MEILI_IGNORE_MISSING_SNAPSHOT
    CLI option: --ignore-missing-snapshot

    Prevents a Meilisearch instance from throwing an error when --import-snapshot does not point to a valid snapshot file.

    This command will throw an error if --import-snapshot is not defined.

    Ignore snapshot if DB exists

    WARNING

    🚩 This option does not take any values. Assigning a value will throw an error. 🚩

    Environment variable: MEILI_IGNORE_SNAPSHOT_IF_DB_EXISTS
    CLI option: --ignore-snapshot-if-db-exists

    Prevents a Meilisearch instance with an existing database from throwing an error when using --import-snapshot. Instead, the snapshot will be ignored and Meilisearch will launch using the existing database.

    This command will throw an error if --import-snapshot is not defined.

    Task webhook URL

    Environment variable: MEILI_TASK_WEBHOOK_URL
    CLI option: --task-webhook-url
    Default value: None
    Expected value: a URL string

    Notifies the configured URL whenever Meilisearch finishes processing a task or batch of tasks. Meilisearch uses the URL as given, retaining any specified query parameters.

    The webhook payload contains the list of finished tasks in ndjson. For more information, consult the dedicated task webhook guide.

    Task webhook authorization header

    Environment variable: MEILI_TASK_AUTHORIZATION_HEADER
    CLI option: --task-webhook-authorization-header
    Default value: None
    Expected value: an authentication token string

    Includes an authentication token in the authorization header when notifying the webhook URL.

    SSL options

    SSL authentication path

    Environment variable: MEILI_SSL_AUTH_PATH
    CLI option: --ssl-auth-path
    Default value: None
    Expected value: a filepath

    Enables client authentication in the specified path.

    SSL certificates path

    Environment variable: MEILI_SSL_CERT_PATH
    CLI option: --ssl-cert-path
    Default value: None
    Expected value: a filepath pointing to a valid SSL certificate

    Sets the server's SSL certificates.

    Value must be a path to PEM-formatted certificates. The first certificate should certify the KEYFILE supplied by --ssl-key-path. The last certificate should be a root CA.

    SSL key path

    Environment variable: MEILI_SSL_KEY_PATH
    CLI option: --ssl-key-path
    Default value: None
    Expected value: a filepath pointing to a valid SSL key file

    Sets the server's SSL key files.

    Value must be a path to an RSA private key or PKCS8-encoded private key, both in PEM format.

    SSL OCSP path

    Environment variable: MEILI_SSL_OCSP_PATH
    CLI option: --ssl-ocsp-path
    Default value: None
    Expected value: a filepath pointing to a valid OCSP certificate

    Sets the server's OCSP file. Optional

    Reads DER-encoded OCSP response from OCSPFILE and staple to certificate.

    SSL require auth

    WARNING

    🚩 This option does not take any values. Assigning a value will throw an error. 🚩

    Environment variable: MEILI_SSL_REQUIRE_AUTH
    CLI option: --ssl-require-auth
    Default value: None

    Makes SSL authentication mandatory.

    Sends a fatal alert if the client does not complete client authentication.

    SSL resumption

    WARNING

    🚩 This option does not take any values. Assigning a value will throw an error. 🚩

    Environment variable: MEILI_SSL_RESUMPTION
    CLI option: --ssl-resumption
    Default value: None

    Activates SSL session resumption.

    SSL tickets

    WARNING

    🚩 This option does not take any values. Assigning a value will throw an error. 🚩

    Environment variable: MEILI_SSL_TICKETS
    CLI option: --ssl-tickets
    Default value: None

    Activates SSL tickets.