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[Search & Filtering](/categories/search) 4. / 5. boldminded/craft-dexter ActiveCraft-plugin[Search & Filtering](/categories/search) boldminded/craft-dexter ======================= Advanced Algolia or Meilisearch index management and search 1.0.8(2w ago)047[1 issues](https://github.com/boldminded/craft-dexter/issues)proprietaryPHPPHP >=8.2CI passing Since Oct 15Pushed 2w agoCompare [ Source](https://github.com/boldminded/craft-dexter)[ Packagist](https://packagist.org/packages/boldminded/craft-dexter)[ RSS](/packages/boldminded-craft-dexter/feed)WikiDiscussions main Synced today READMEChangelog (8)Dependencies (8)Versions (11)Used By (0) Dexter ====== [](#dexter) Dexter is a powerful and highly configurable add-on that indexes your Craft entries, files, categories, and users in Algolia or Meilisearch. It gives you full control over how your content is structured and searched. Search implementations are rarely one-size-fits-all. Every site has unique business rules and content models. Dexter provides a reliable foundation for getting your content into a search index, along with the tools to tailor the output to your exact needs. Document full text indexing and search -------------------------------------- [](#document-full-text-indexing-and-search) Make all your files searchable with Dexter, including content from PDFs, Word, text files, CSVs, and XML. You can index all content, or limit it the number of pages or words. Generate image descriptions with AI ----------------------------------- [](#generate-image-descriptions-with-ai) Add a connection to OpenAI through Dexter's configuration options and images will be described and categorized for searchability. Descriptions, alt text, and categories are saved back to the file object in Craft's database. Batch Re-Indexing ----------------- [](#batch-re-indexing) Dexter keeps your index in sync by updating it when entries are created, updated, or deleted. You can also run a full re-index to clear and rebuild the index from scratch. This feature works smoothly with the queue for background processing. Export and Import Settings -------------------------- [](#export-and-import-settings) Dexter lets you export settings to a .json file in your config directory for version control, make modifications to it, and import back to the related index in Algolia or Meilisearch. Customizable Pipelines ---------------------- [](#customizable-pipelines) Dexter supports all native fields out of the box. If you need more control, you can extend its behavior with PHP using the Pipeline pattern to transform your content however you like. Front-End Flexibility --------------------- [](#front-end-flexibility) Dexter is built for indexing and displaying the most relevant search results fast and efficiently. It includes tags for native template integration, and an API endpoint for creating a custom front-end search experience using JavaScript libraries like Algolia's InstantSearch or any other solution that fits your stack. --- Requirements ------------ [](#requirements) This plugin requires Craft CMS 5.8.0 or later, or Craft CMS 6.0.0 or later, and PHP 8.2 or later. ### Running on Craft 6 [](#running-on-craft-6) Craft 6 is a Laravel-based application and no longer ships the legacy Yii APIs that Dexter relies on. Those APIs are provided by the official compatibility layer, [`craftcms/yii2-adapter`](https://craftcms.com/docs/6.x/extend/adapter). On Craft 6 you must install it alongside Dexter: ``` composer require craftcms/yii2-adapter ``` The adapter activates automatically once any installed plugin requires it. It is **not** needed on Craft 5 (and cannot be installed there, since it depends on `craftcms/cms ^6`), which is why it is listed under `suggest` rather than `require` — keeping Dexter installable on both Craft 5 and Craft 6 from a single release. Installation ------------ [](#installation) You can install this plugin from the Plugin Store or with Composer. #### From the Plugin Store [](#from-the-plugin-store) Go to the Plugin Store in your project’s Control Panel and search for “Dexter”. Then press “Install”. #### With Composer [](#with-composer) Open your terminal and run the following commands: ``` # go to the project directory cd /path/to/my-project.test # tell Composer to load the plugin composer require boldminded/craft-dexter # tell Craft to install the plugin ./craft plugin/install dexter ``` Documentation ============= [](#documentation) Search Endpoint --------------- [](#search-endpoint) ### GET [](#get) ``` https://mysite.com/dexter/search?index=demo_collections&term=empire ``` ### POST [](#post) ``` https://mysite.com/dexter/search body: { "index": "demo_collections", "term": "empire", "filters": { "limit": 6, "hybrid": { "embedder": "fullText" } } } ``` Template Tags ------------- [](#template-tags) Iterate over search results object directly from Algolia or Meilisearch. ``` {% set results = craft.dexter.search({ index: 'demo_collections', filter: [], perPage: 50, }) %} {% if results %} {% for result in results %} {{ result.title }} {% endfor %} {% else %} No results found. {% endif %} ``` Or, use the `idsOnly` parameter to retrieve only the UIDs of the search results. Then use the UIDs to fetch the full entry object with Craft's entries tag. ``` {% set ids = craft.dexter.search({ index: 'demo_collections', term: 'empire', filter: [], perPage: 50, idsOnly: true, }) %} {% set entries = craft.entries.section('collection').uid(ids).all() %} {% if entries %} {% for result in entries %} {{ result.title }} {% endfor %} {% else %} No results found. {% endif %} ``` ### Health Score 44 ↑ FairBetter than 90% of packages Maintenance97 Actively maintained with recent releases Popularity8 Limited adoption so far Community8 Small or concentrated contributor base Maturity54 Maturing project, gaining track record Bus Factor1 Top contributor holds 90.4% of commits — single point of failure How is this calculated?**Maintenance (25%)** — Last commit recency, latest release date, and issue-to-star ratio. Uses a 2-year decay window. **Popularity (30%)** — Total and monthly downloads, GitHub stars, and forks. Logarithmic scaling prevents top-heavy scores. **Community (15%)** — Contributors, dependents, forks, watchers, and maintainers. Measures real ecosystem engagement. **Maturity (30%)** — Project age, version count, PHP version support, and release stability. ### Release Activity Cadence Every ~35 days Recently: every ~60 days Total 8 Last Release 15d ago ### Community Maintainers ![](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/53965?v=4)[Brian Litzinger](/maintainers/litzinger)[@litzinger](https://github.com/litzinger) --- Top Contributors [![litzinger](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/53965?v=4)](https://github.com/litzinger "litzinger (47 commits)")[![github-actions[bot]](https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/in/15368?v=4)](https://github.com/github-actions[bot] "github-actions[bot] (5 commits)") --- Tags searchmeilisearchaialgoliaindexing ### Embed Badge ![Health badge](/badges/boldminded-craft-dexter/health.svg) ``` [![Health](https://phpackages.com/badges/boldminded-craft-dexter/health.svg)](https://phpackages.com/packages/boldminded-craft-dexter) ``` ### Alternatives [algolia/scout-extended Scout Extended extends Laravel Scout adding algolia-specific features 4196.7M6](/packages/algolia-scout-extended)[cmsig/seal Search Engine Abstraction Layer 33306.4k144](/packages/cmsig-seal)[cmsig/seal-symfony-bundle An integration of CMS-IG SEAL search abstraction into Symfony Framework. 15284.6k11](/packages/cmsig-seal-symfony-bundle)[vizra/vizra-adk Vizra Agent Development Kit - A comprehensive Laravel package for building intelligent AI agents. 29434.2k](/packages/vizra-vizra-adk)[mezcalito/ux-search Effortless search and faceted search with Symfony UX and Mezcalito UX Search 6612.7k2](/packages/mezcalito-ux-search)[statamic-rad-pack/meilisearch meilisearch search driver for Statamic 1675.5k](/packages/statamic-rad-pack-meilisearch) PHPackages © 2026 [Directory](/)[Categories](/categories)[Trending](/trending)[Changelog](/changelog)[Analyze](/analyze)