Engine Proxy

A self-hosted Next.js app that acts as a shortcut-aware search proxy. Add as many search engines or AI tools as you like, then search with commands such as @duck privacy coins or fall back to your default provider.

Features

• SQLite + Prisma persistence with seed data for 12 privacy-friendly engines.
• Public search bar that understands @shortcut query syntax and lists all available engines.
• Basic Auth-protected admin area for creating, editing, deleting, and setting default shortcuts.
• API endpoints (/api/shortcuts) for programmatic management.
• Dockerfile and Compose stack for one-command self-hosting (database stored on a volume).

Requirements

To run Engine Proxy, choose one of the following options:

Option 1: Using Docker (Recommended for easy setup)

• Docker

Option 2: Local development

• Node.js 22+
• pnpm (Corepack already enabled)
• SQLite (bundled through better-sqlite3)

Docker

The Dockerfile now builds a fully self-contained Next.js image with pnpm, Prisma, and better-sqlite3 ready to go. Nothing from your local .env is baked into the layers—the .dockerignore excludes it so secrets are only injected when a container starts.

1. Create the docker compose:

   services:
     engine-proxy:
       image: adarcher/engine-proxy:latest
       container_name: engine-proxy
       ports:
         - "3000:3000"
       environment:
         DATABASE_URL: "file:./prisma/data.db" # change if you prefer a different SQLite path
         ADMIN_USERNAME: "admin"              # set your admin username
         ADMIN_PASSWORD: "change-me"          # set your admin password
         COOKIE_SECURE: false                 # set to true if you require HTTPS
         # SKIP_DB_SETUP: "true"              # uncomment to skip db push/seed on start
       volumes:
         - sqlite-data:/app/prisma # Named volume (default)
       restart: unless-stopped
   
   volumes:
     sqlite-data:

2. Start the docker container

   docker compose up -d

Local setup

1. Install dependencies

   pnpm install

2. Configure environment – copy .env.example to .env and set:

   DATABASE_URL="file:./prisma/data.db"
   ADMIN_USERNAME="your-admin"
   ADMIN_PASSWORD="super-secret"

3. Sync the database and seed defaults

   pnpm db:push
   pnpm db:seed

4. Start the dev server

   pnpm dev

   Visit http://localhost:3000 for the public search page and http://localhost:3000/admin for the admin console (browser will prompt for the Basic Auth credentials).

Usage

• Search normally to use the currently selected/default shortcut.
• Override on the fly with @shortcut query (for example @perplexity quantum gravity).
• Manage shortcuts from /admin or via the JSON API (/api/shortcuts).

Browser integration

• Add Engine Proxy itself as a custom search engine in your browser with http://localhost:3000/search/%s (swap the host/port to match your deployment). Typing @shortcut query in the omnibox will trigger the proxy and forward you to the correct destination.
• Prefer to wire engines directly? Copy any of the templates below (replace %s with your query – most browsers do this automatically):
  • DuckDuckGo – https://duckduckgo.com/?q=%s
  • Brave Search – https://search.brave.com/search?q=%s
  • Perplexity AI – https://www.perplexity.ai/search?q=%s
  • Bing – https://www.bing.com/search?q=%s

Prisma helpers

pnpm db:push         # apply schema changes to SQLite
pnpm db:seed         # re-seed default engines (idempotent)
pnpm prisma:generate  # regenerate the Prisma client if needed

Key environment variables:

• DATABASE_URL – path/connection string for Prisma (defaults to file:./prisma/data.db inside the container).
• ADMIN_USERNAME / ADMIN_PASSWORD – Basic Auth credentials for /admin and the API.
• COOKIE_SECURE=true – force secure cookies if your TLS terminator does not set X-Forwarded-Proto; leave unset for HTTP/local Docker so sign-in works.
• SKIP_DB_SETUP=true – skips the automatic pnpm db:push + pnpm db:seed that run on each container boot if you prefer to manage migrations yourself.

SQLite data lives under /app/prisma. The compose stack keeps it on the sqlite-data named volume by default, or you can bind-mount a host directory if you prefer to see the data.db file directly.