Haystack provides modular search for Django. It features a unified, familiar API that allows you to plug in different search backends (such as Solr, Elasticsearch, Whoosh, Xapian, etc.) without having to modify your code.

If you're new to Haystack, you may want to start with these documents to get you up and running:

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 2

   tutorial

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 1

   views_and_forms
   templatetags
   glossary
   management_commands
   faq
   who_uses
   other_apps
   installing_search_engines
   debugging

   changelog
   contributing
   python3
   migration_from_1_to_2

Once you've got Haystack working, here are some of the more complex features you may want to include in your application.

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 1

   best_practices
   highlighting
   faceting
   autocomplete
   boost
   signal_processors
   multiple_index
   rich_content_extraction
   spatial
   admin

If you're an experienced user and are looking for a reference, you may be looking for API documentation and advanced usage as detailed in:

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 2

   searchqueryset_api
   searchindex_api
   inputtypes
   searchfield_api
   searchresult_api
   searchquery_api
   searchbackend_api

   architecture_overview
   backend_support
   settings
   utils

Finally, if you're looking to help out with the development of Haystack, the following links should help guide you on running tests and creating additional backends:

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 1

   running_tests
   creating_new_backends

Haystack has a relatively easily-met set of requirements.

• Python 2.7+ or Python 3.3+
• A supported version of Django: https://www.djangoproject.com/download/#supported-versions

Additionally, each backend has its own requirements. You should refer to :doc:`installing_search_engines` for more details.