Product Overview of Gigablast
Gigablast is a robust and feature-rich web search engine developed by Matt Wells in 2000. Despite its website going offline in April 2023, the legacy and capabilities of Gigablast remain significant in the search engine landscape.
What Gigablast Does
Gigablast is designed to provide users with a comprehensive, fast, and reliable search experience. It operates as an independent web search engine and directory, indexing a vast number of web pages to deliver relevant search results. The engine is tailored to offer large-scale, high-performance, real-time information retrieval technology, making it a valuable resource for both individual users and partner sites.
Key Features
1. Massive Index
Gigablast boasts an incredibly large index of web pages, claiming to have indexed over 12 billion web pages at its peak. This extensive index ensures users have access to a wide range of information, increasing the likelihood of finding what they are looking for.
2. Lightning-Fast Speed
Known for its exceptional speed, Gigablast delivers search results with minimal latency. The engine is optimized to handle thousands of queries per second, making it one of the fastest search engines available.
3. Advanced Search Tools
Gigablast offers a variety of advanced search tools, including support for Boolean algebra operators and specialized searches such as file type searches, image searches, and domain-specific searches. The engine also features a “Giga Bits” function that provides relevant additional information related to the user’s search query.
4. Privacy-Conscious
Gigablast prioritizes user privacy by not collecting or storing personal information about its users. This commitment to privacy ensures that searches remain private and secure.
5. Open-Source
Unlike many proprietary search engines, Gigablast is open-source, with its source code available under the Apache License 2.0. This transparency allows developers to scrutinize, modify, and contribute to its algorithms, leading to potential enhancements and continuous improvement.
6. Scalability and Performance
Gigablast is designed for optimal performance and scalability. It can operate on a 64-bit architecture, scale to thousands of servers, and handle over 12 billion web pages efficiently. The engine’s setup includes dual quad-core systems, 32GB of RAM, and high-performance storage, enabling it to achieve about 8 queries per second.
7. Efficient Data Management
The search engine is highly efficient in data management, requiring approximately 28.6GB of drive space to store 1 million web pages. It can spider and index at a rate of 8 pages per second, totaling 691,200 pages per day.
8. Language Support and Anti-Spam Measures
Gigablast supports all languages and can prioritize results in specified languages for an enhanced user experience. It also implements various anti-spam techniques, including demoting spammy pages and flagging link spam.
9. Customized Solution
The engine is entirely custom-built, consolidating the web server, database, and other components into a single, efficient binary. This customization allows for a turnkey search solution that is both scalable and cost-effective for partner sites.
Functionality
- Real-Time Information Retrieval: Gigablast provides real-time information retrieval technology, ensuring that users get the most current and relevant results.
- Distributed Web Crawling: The engine uses distributed web crawling to efficiently index a vast number of web pages.
- REST/XML and JSON APIs: Gigablast offers APIs in REST, XML, and JSON formats, making it easy for developers to integrate its search capabilities into other applications.
- Cached Web Pages: The engine provides cached web pages with query term highlighting, enhancing the user’s search experience.
In summary, Gigablast is a powerful and feature-rich search engine that stands out due to its massive index, lightning-fast speed, advanced search tools, privacy-conscious approach, and open-source availability. Despite its current offline status, its legacy as a top-tier search engine remains significant.