apache-solr-vs-elasticsearch

Apache Solr and Elasticsearch are both open-source enterprise search software solutions that allow users to search and retrieve data within an organization. Both software options integrate with tools like databases or intranets where information can be collected or displayed. Businesses of all sizes use both Apache Solr and Elasticsearch.

Features

Apache Solr and Elasticsearch both provide essential enterprise search features, including data retrieval and display. Despite this, both software options have a few standout features that set them apart from each other.

Apache Solr offers robust text search features that allow users to search for materials by their content. Apache Solr has many contributors to its open-source code. Developers and code committers for Apache Solr are selected from that community of contributors. This approach to development means bugfixes and updates are frequent, and features can be developed quickly. Lastly, Apache Solr provides detailed documentation for developers, including multiple examples.

Elasticsearch is lightweight to the extent that a business can install and run the Elasticsearch in a matter of minutes. Similarly, Elasticsearch configuration is based on JSON, which makes file configuration simple, if a little inflexible in terms of documentation. JSON compatibility also makes Elasticsearch a great choice when working with JSON applications. Elasticsearch focuses on complex querying and filtering, though it also offers basic text search. Lastly, Elasticsearch is designed for the cloud and supports clustering, leading to a highly scalable option.

Limitations

Though Apache Solr and Elasticsearch have robust sets of features, they both have a few limitations that are important to consider.

Apache Solr offers text search features but is limited when it comes to more complex querying and filtering. Lack of complex querying can make Apache Solr a poor choice for applications that need non-text search features. Additionally, Apache Solr is a heavier software option compared to Elasticsearch, which can make installation more challenging for lightweight applications.

Elasticsearch is open-source in that all users have access to the source code. However, unlike many open-source technologies, all changes to the code must be approved by Elastic developers. As a result, Elasticsearch provides the financial benefits of open-source software but doesn’t offer the same level of community development as Apache Solr. Additionally, though Elastisearch provides complex search features, its text search features are more limited compared to Apache Solr.

Pricing

Apache Solr and Elasticsearch are both open-source technologies, meaning their source code is available for free. Despite this, both software options also have vendors that provide cloud hosting services. Pricing for Apache Solr and Elasticsearch is dependent on factors such as the vendor, support needs, and amount of indexed nodes. Apache Solr pricing usually starts around $10.00 per month, while Elasticsearch starts around $16.00 per month.