I’m Joni, a solo developer who got tired of relying on massive, opaque tech infrastructure for everyday tools. So, I decided to build Orange Search entirely from scratch. The Problem: Most web search technology is locked behind massive corporate ecosystems, while independent setups often rely on heavy, traditional relational databases that add unnecessary bloat. How Orange Search Works: Instead of using standard stacks like MySQL, I built a custom PHP backend powered by a bespoke binary-indexed database. This handles data storage and rapid lookups efficiently on a bare-metal level, keeping the engine fast, lean, and completely ad-free. I built this to prove that you can still engineer fundamental web infrastructure independently. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the technical approach, especially from fellow devs tackling custom storage or indexing challenges. Ask me anything!

Orange Search

An independent, ad-free web search engine

An independent, ad-free web search engine