Throughout this chapter we have explored the landscape of search engine options for our Django projects. On some level, the diversity is really astounding considering Django's relatively short existence. This is an area where the Django and Python community really shines and is a testament to both the popularity of the framework and the quality of its design. To review, this chapter covered:
- Creating a simple, homegrown search engine using MySQL indexes
- The Sphinx search engine and its use with django-sphinx
- A tour of the pure-Python search engine, Whoosh
- Demonstration of the powerful Haystack Django application
- Quick examples of using Xapian and Djapian
We also covered some continuing Django development themes such as pluggable backends and the registration pattern. The community projects presented in this chapter are significant for their designs in addition to their usefulness as tools. Anyone interested in improving their Python and Django development skills could benefit greatly by studying the code presented in these projects.