Search is the other feature that trips up static and file-based sites. Traditional search needs a server querying a database - which a static host does not have. So people reach for a hosted search service like Algolia, adding a dependency, a cost, and another company holding a copy of their content.

There is a simpler way that needs no backend at all: build a search index from your pages and query it in the browser.

How client-side search works

1. Build an index. When the site is generated, the content of each page (titles, headings, text) is collected into a compact index file.
2. Ship it to the browser. The search page loads that index.
3. Query locally. As the visitor types, the search runs in their browser against the index - instant results, no server round-trip, no external service.

Because the index is just a file and the querying is client-side, there is nothing to host, nothing to pay for, and no third party in the loop.

What you get

• Real search across your whole site, with results that link straight to the matching page.
• No backend or database - it is a static index plus a little JavaScript.
• No search SaaS - no per-query fees, no external branding, no handing your content to another service.
• Fast - results appear as the visitor types.

The trade-offs, honestly

Client-side search suits small-to-medium sites best - the whole index loads in the browser, so a site with tens of thousands of pages would want a server-side approach instead. For a blog, docs, a brochure site or a directory, in-browser search is ideal.

Add it

lazysite includes site search built exactly this way - an index generated from your content, queried in the browser, with results linking to the page.

• See everything it does.
• Read about building dynamic sites without a backend.
• Or get started.