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meilisearch:setup

Set up Meilisearch indexes and migrate data from PostgreSQL search.

Synopsis

php artisan meilisearch:setup [--force]

Description

This command performs the initial setup of Meilisearch for FVN.li, including:

  1. Connection Verification: Checks that Meilisearch is accessible
  2. Index Creation: Creates all required search indexes
  3. Configuration: Applies searchable, filterable, and sortable field settings
  4. Data Migration: Imports existing data from PostgreSQL into Meilisearch
  5. Verification: Confirms successful setup

This is typically run once during initial deployment or when setting up a new environment.

Options

--force

Force reindexing even if indexes already exist.

php artisan meilisearch:setup --force

Use this option to: - Rebuild indexes from scratch - Recover from corrupted indexes - Apply configuration changes that require full reindex

Usage Examples

Initial Setup

Set up Meilisearch on a new environment:

php artisan meilisearch:setup

Force Rebuild

Rebuild all indexes from scratch:

php artisan meilisearch:setup --force

DDEV Environment

Run setup in DDEV:

ddev artisan meilisearch:setup

What It Does

1. Connection Check

Verifies that Meilisearch is running and accessible:

Setting up Meilisearch for FVN.li...
Success: Meilisearch connection successful

If connection fails: 

Error: Cannot connect to Meilisearch. Please ensure it is running.

2. Index Setup

Creates and configures the following indexes:

Games Index

  • Searchable: title, description, author
  • Filterable: tags, languages, platforms, content_flags, rating, release_date
  • Sortable: rating, release_date, created_at

Dialogue Index

  • Searchable: text, character_name
  • Filterable: game_id, language, character_id
  • Sortable: created_at

Reviews Index

  • Searchable: content, title
  • Filterable: game_id, rating, user_id
  • Sortable: rating, created_at

Tags Index

  • Searchable: name, description
  • Filterable: category, usage_count
  • Sortable: usage_count, name

3. Data Import

Imports existing data from PostgreSQL:

Importing data...
Games: 10,234 indexed
Dialogue: 1,234,567 indexed
Reviews: 45,678 indexed
Tags: 456 indexed

4. Success Message

Displays helpful information after successful setup:

Meilisearch setup completed successfully!

Search indexing is now automatic!
  • New games and dialogue texts are indexed automatically
  • Updates to existing content trigger re-indexing
  • No manual intervention needed for normal operations

Useful commands:
  • Test search: php artisan meilisearch:test "your query"
  • Maintenance reindex: php artisan meilisearch:reindex
  • Check search health: Use SearchIndexService::healthCheck()

For development testing:
  php artisan tinker
  >>> App\Models\Game::search("your query")->get()

Prerequisites

Meilisearch Running

Ensure Meilisearch is running before setup:

# Check DDEV services
ddev describe

# Or check Meilisearch directly
curl http://localhost:7700/health

Environment Configuration

Verify .env settings:

SCOUT_DRIVER=meilisearch
MEILISEARCH_HOST=http://meilisearch:7700
MEILISEARCH_KEY=your-master-key

Database Data

Ensure PostgreSQL database is populated with data to import.

Performance

Execution Time

  • Small dataset (< 1,000 games): 1-2 minutes
  • Medium dataset (1,000-10,000 games): 5-10 minutes
  • Large dataset (> 10,000 games): 10-20 minutes

Resource Usage

  • Memory: Meilisearch uses RAM for indexing
  • CPU: High during initial import
  • Disk: Indexes stored on disk after import

Optimization Tips

  1. Run during low traffic: Setup can be resource-intensive
  2. Adequate memory: Ensure Meilisearch has sufficient RAM
  3. Monitor progress: Watch logs for any errors
  4. Verify completion: Check that all data was imported

Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

Problem: Cannot connect to Meilisearch

Solutions: 1. Check Meilisearch is running: ddev describe 2. Verify MEILISEARCH_HOST in .env 3. Check Meilisearch logs: ddev logs -s meilisearch 4. Restart Meilisearch: ddev restart

Import Timeout

Problem: Import times out for large datasets

Solutions: 1. Increase PHP timeout in php.ini 2. Run in smaller batches using meilisearch:reindex --type=games 3. Increase Meilisearch memory allocation 4. Run during off-peak hours

Partial Import

Problem: Some data not imported

Solutions: 1. Check for errors in output 2. Verify database connectivity 3. Run with --force to retry 4. Check Meilisearch logs for errors

Index Already Exists

Problem: Indexes already exist

Solutions: 1. Use --force to rebuild: php artisan meilisearch:setup --force 2. Or manually delete indexes first 3. Or skip setup if indexes are already configured

Post-Setup

Verify Search Works

Test search functionality:

php artisan tinker
>>> App\Models\Game::search("visual novel")->get()

Check Index Health

Verify indexes are healthy:

curl http://localhost:7700/indexes

Monitor Performance

Watch search performance in application logs and Meilisearch dashboard.

Automatic Indexing

After setup, indexing is automatic:

  • New records: Indexed immediately on creation
  • Updates: Re-indexed on save
  • Deletions: Removed from index on delete

No manual intervention needed for normal operations.

See Also