Live demo
The framework MevaSearch was built on

Your own private search engine, in plain PHP.

Zethal Framework is the original framework MevaSearch was built on, now released as a clean template for your own search engine. Drop it on any PHP host, give it your name and it works right away. No API keys, no database, no build step and no trackers.

Open the live demo Read the docs GitHub
The Zethal Framework home page with a large wordmark, a rounded search bar and shortcut tiles
  • PHP 8.1+ with curl and mbstring
  • Plain files, no dependencies
  • Works without any API key
  • No cookies for tracking, no analytics

Features

Everything a search page needs, nothing it does not.

Every feature works out of the box with free public sources. When you are ready, plug in your own search provider or AI model and the same interface keeps working.

Web, images, videos, news

Four result tabs with paging, a knowledge panel and results per page. Powered by Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons until you connect your own index.

Bring your own provider

Point ZETHAL_SEARCH_URL at any endpoint that returns a small JSON format and every tab switches to it. Keys stay on the server.

AI summaries

Short answers built from the top results. Use Anthropic or any OpenAI-compatible API, or keep the built-in extractive summary that needs no model at all.

Search with a photo

Drop, paste or pick a photo. It is resized in the browser, sent once and never stored. A vision model turns it into a query.

!bangs with suggestions

Type !w, !gh or !maps to jump straight to a site. A dropdown suggests bangs as you type, and adding your own takes one line.

Private by default

Tracking parameters are stripped from links, domains can be hidden, settings live only in the browser and every page ships a strict Content Security Policy.

Languages as folders

Copy lang/en, translate the strings and add an info.json. The new language appears in settings automatically, right to left included.

A real settings page

Theme, page capsule, compact results, shortcuts, SafeSearch, new tab, hidden domains and data reset, with a sidebar that follows your scroll.

Small and readable

Plain PHP, one stylesheet and two scripts. No framework, no bundler, no npm. Assets are versioned automatically so caches never go stale.

Screens

Minimal, monochrome and ready for your brand.

Light and dark themes follow the system or the visitor's choice. Click any screen to see it full size.

Search results with a quick summary card, result list and a Wikipedia knowledge panel
ResultsQuick summary, clean result cards and a knowledge panel.
The same results page in dark mode
Dark modeBlack and white, carefully balanced for night use.
Image results shown as a grid of aurora photos from Wikimedia Commons
Images and videosA tidy grid with titles and paging.
The search bar showing a dropdown of bang shortcuts such as Wikipedia, Google and Reddit
!bang suggestionsArrow keys, Enter or Tab to pick one.
The search with a photo dialog with a drop zone and a choose photo button
Search with a photoDrop, paste or choose an image.
The settings page with a sidebar and appearance options
SettingsStored only in the browser, nothing is sent to the server.

Made for phones too

The layout adapts down to the smallest screens, with the knowledge panel moving above the results and every control sized for touch.

The home page on a phone Search results on a phone

Get started

Up and running in three steps.

Any host that runs PHP will do: shared hosting, a VPS or your laptop.

  1. Download

    Clone the repository or download the ZIP and upload the files to your web root.

    git clone https://github.com/mevasearch/Zethal

  2. Make it yours

    Change the name, tagline and description in lang/en/common.php. That is your branding done.

    'app_name' => 'Your Search',

  3. Connect when ready

    Optionally set environment variables for your search provider and AI model. Until then it runs on free public sources.

    SetEnv ZETHAL_AI_KEY ...

License

Source available under SA-SDL.

This public edition contains the same foundation MevaSearch started from, without its private services. You get the full source and can run, change and build on it under the terms of the SA-SDL license. Please read the license before you use the framework. For commercial use, see the commercial license and pricing.

Source available is not the same as open source in the OSI sense. When in doubt, the license text is what counts.

See pricing License Commercial license
  • Self-host it, change it and give it your own name and look, also in projects that make money.
  • Connect any search provider or AI model you have access to.
  • Attribution is not required, but the small "Built with Zethal Framework" note is appreciated.
  • It does not include the MevaSearch index, ranking or any of its services.

See it before you download it.

The demo runs the framework exactly as it ships, with no keys and no changes.

Open the live demo Read the docs