Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET key takeaways If you want to abandon Google, you can install your own search engine. YaCy is a free, decentralized search engine that can be installed locally. YaCy can be installed on Linux, MacOS, and Windows. When you run a search via google.com, that search not only goes through the Google servers, but it also places AI answers front and center. That centralized service means Google is in complete control of your searches. What if you could instead use a decentralized server that runs across many devices, each of which is private and not under the control of a single organization? That's YaCy. YaCy is a search tool you can deploy to your desktop or any computer on your home LAN that does not collect personalized data and is serious about privacy. YaCy has no "phoning home" integration and does not use cookies (although linked services may have cookies). Also: Thinking about switching to Linux? 10 things you need to know I deployed YaCy over the weekend and have found it to be a remarkable tool, and the search results are quite promising (enough that I've started turning to YaCy as my go-to search tool). There are several ways you can install and run YaCy. You can download an executable binary from the official site, run it, and you're ready. Or, you can do what I did and deploy YaCy via Docker. Also: 8 free Linux apps that are surprisingly useful - no command line required The reason I chose the Docker deployment was that I'd rather not have the YaCy service running on any of my desktops or laptops. Instead, I'd rather have a dedicated server (via a virtual machine) for the search engine so it gets more power and the service has limited (if any) access to the stored data on my main machines. How to install YaCy on Windows/MacOS Although I deployed YaCy via Docker on a Ubuntu Server 24.04 instance, I want to walk you through the initial steps for installing YaCy on Windows or MacOS. 1. Install Java The first thing you must do is install Java >= v11. To do that, head to the Oracle site and download the .exe (Windows) or the .dmg (MacOS) file for the latest version of Java. Once the file is downloaded, double-click it and follow the simple instructions in the installation wizard. Also: My go-to Linux search tool makes finding what you need easy and fast Show more 2. Run YaCy Next, download the YaCy .exe/.dmg file from the official site. Double-click the YaCy exe/dmg file and then run the YaCy startup script (which is the only file within the YaCy package). You should now have the YaCy service running. Open a web browser and point it to http://localhost:8090, and you should see the YaCy search page. Show more Also: XeroLinux could be the most beautiful Linux desktop on the market That's the quick version of the installation. Now, let me show you how to deploy YaCy via Docker. How to install YaCy via Docker One of the reasons I prefer installing YaCy via Docker is that I don't have to worry about remembering to start the YaCy service before using the search tool. With Docker, the service is always running (and sandboxed within a container for more safety). Also: I install these 11 apps on every new Linux system, and you should, too - here's why Before you jump into this method, you do need to have Docker installed. I'll show you how. 1. Install Docker GPG key and repo Let's install Docker first (because it's necessary). Here's how: First, you must add the Docker official GPG key, which can be achieved with the following commands: sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc Next, add the Docker repository with the following two commands: The first command starts with "echo," and the second command is "sudo apt-get update." Jack Wallen/ZDNET 2. Deploy Docker With Docker installed, you can now deploy YaCy with the following command: docker run -d --name yacy_search_server -p 8090:8090 -p 8443:8443 -v yacy_search_server_data:/opt/yacy_search_server/DATA --restart unless-stopped --log-opt max-size=200m --log-opt max-file=2 yacy/yacy_search_server:latest Allow the service time to spin up (between two and five minutes), after which, point your browser to http://SERVER:8090 (where SERVER is the IP address of the hosting server). Also: The easiest way to try out Ubuntu Linux YaCy is now running. 3. Accessing YaCy You've probably already opened YaCy in your web browser, where you'll see a search bar. If you try to run any searches, you'll be prompted for a username/password combo, which is admin/yacy. You'll want to change that. Also: My two favorite AI apps on Linux - and how I use them to get more done Instead of running a search at first, click Administration in the top right corner. On the resulting page, you'll see the following warning: WARNING: This YaCy instance can be administered with the account "admin" and the default password "yacy." Open the User Administration and change the password as soon as possible! Click User Administration. If you are prompted for the user credentials again, they are still admin/yacy. On this page, you'll see the section (under "Access only with qualified account") where you can change the password for the admin. I highly recommend changing this password right away. You should most certainly change the admin user password to something strong and unique. Jack Wallen/ZDNET Once you've done that, click the YaCy logo at the top left, and you'll find yourself back on the main YaCy page, where you can run your first search. The YaCy search page is very easy to use. Jack Wallen/ZDNET Also: 5 of the easiest, quickest Linux distros to install - and I've tried them all Congratulations, you now have your own decentralized search engine. You can ignore Google and no longer worry about AI results or having a profile created that can be used for targeted ads and who knows what else. Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.