Algolia

Algolia is a hosted search service. It powers the kind of search-as-you-type box that returns results on every keystroke, tolerates typos, and ranks the best matches first. In an app you build with Appsanic, you reach for Algolia when plain database queries feel slow or clumsy: searching a catalogue of products, a directory of people, a library of recipes, anything where users expect instant, forgiving results.

What you get by connecting it

Once Algolia is connected to your account, the agent can:

• Build an instant-search experience against your index, so results update live as the user types.
• Render typo-tolerant, ranked results without you touching any search library.
• Wire the search UI to the right index and surface the fields you care about.

Keeping the index populated and in sync with your data is a separate, server-side job. The agent sets this up to run on the server (for example as a Supabase trigger or Edge Function), using the admin / indexing key that never leaves the server. The search box in the app only ever uses the safe, search-only key.

Connecting it

Algolia needs two values:

• An Application ID.
• A Search-only API key.

Find both in the Algolia dashboard under Settings then API Keys. The Application ID identifies your account, and the Search-only key is the public, read-only key that is safe for the app to use. Leave the admin / indexing key where it is - it stays server-side and is never pasted into the app.

Paste the Application ID and Search-only key into Dashboard then Connectors then Algolia. Connect once and every project in the account can use it. Connecting requires a paid plan. You can also connect from inside a build via the in-chat connect card.

Saved values are shown as dots once stored, never the value itself. The page has a Test connection control to re-check the credentials against the live service, and a Disconnect control to remove them.

Keys and security

Algolia is a just-connect connector. The Search-only key is public by design and safe to embed, so the agent puts it directly into the app where search runs - there is no relay. The admin / indexing key is a different matter: it can rewrite your index, so it never goes near the app. Indexing and keeping the index in sync run server-side with that key held in a server environment.

Stored credentials are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM. The browser only ever sees that a value exists, never the value, and the agent never asks for a key in chat.

Useful links

• Algolia documentation: https://www.algolia.com/doc/
• Appsanic guide: In-App Search

Next

Read In-App Search for how search fits into the apps you build.