Algolia Search Integration

Patterns

React InstantSearch with Hooks

Modern React InstantSearch setup using hooks for type-ahead search.

Uses react-instantsearch-hooks-web package with algoliasearch client. Widgets are components that can be customized with classnames.

Key hooks:

• useSearchBox: Search input handling
• useHits: Access search results
• useRefinementList: Facet filtering
• usePagination: Result pagination
• useInstantSearch: Full state access

Next.js Server-Side Rendering

SSR integration for Next.js with react-instantsearch-nextjs package.

Use instead of for SSR. Supports both Pages Router and App Router (experimental).

Key considerations:

• Set dynamic = ‘force-dynamic’ for fresh results
• Handle URL synchronization with routing prop
• Use getServerState for initial state

Data Synchronization and Indexing

Indexing strategies for keeping Algolia in sync with your data.

Three main approaches:

1. Full Reindexing – Replace entire index (expensive)
2. Full Record Updates – Replace individual records
3. Partial Updates – Update specific attributes only

Best practices:

• Batch records (ideal: 10MB, 1K-10K records per batch)
• Use incremental updates when possible
• partialUpdateObjects for attribute-only changes
• Avoid deleteBy (computationally expensive)

⚠️ Sharp Edges