scout

Laravel Scout is the official first-party package for adding full-text search to Eloquent models. It provides a simple, driver-based abstraction: once you mark a model as searchable, Scout automatically keeps your search indexes in sync with model changes using model observers and queued jobs.

Scout ships engines for Algolia, Meilisearch, Typesense, and a database/collection driver, so you can develop against one and switch providers without changing your query code. Searches use a fluent, Eloquent-like builder that returns hydrated models.

What You Get

• A Searchable trait that makes any Eloquent model indexable
• Automatic index synchronization via model observers and queued jobs
• Pluggable engines for Algolia, Meilisearch, Typesense, and the database
• A fluent search() builder returning hydrated Eloquent models
• Artisan console commands for importing, flushing, and managing indexes

Common Use Cases

• Adding fast full-text search to an existing Laravel application
• Powering search-as-you-type over Eloquent-backed data
• Switching between Algolia, Meilisearch, and Typesense without code changes
• Keeping a hosted search index continuously in sync with the database

Under The Hood

Architecture - Scout attaches a Searchable trait (src/Searchable.php) that registers a ModelObserver to push model changes through an EngineManager to a driver-specific engine under src/Engines; queued Jobs (MakeSearchable, RemoveFromSearch) batch index updates, while the search Builder (src/Builder.php) constructs queries and maps engine results back to Eloquent models. Tech Stack - PHP package built on the Laravel framework (queues, collections, service provider), with official engine integrations for Algolia, Meilisearch, and Typesense and a database/collection fallback; tested with a PHPUnit and GitHub Actions CI suite. Code Quality - As a first-party Laravel package it is very actively maintained, follows Laravel’s conventions and contracts (src/Contracts), and carries an extensive test suite, reflected in its high repository-health score. API Design - The developer experience is deliberately minimal: add a trait, optionally define toSearchableArray(), and call Model::search(...), so search feels like a natural extension of Eloquent rather than a separate system.