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Lionz IPTV Downloader uses MeiliSearch to provide fast, typo-tolerant search for VOD streams and series content.

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Installation

Install MeiliSearch on your system:

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Using Docker

docker run -d \
  --name meilisearch \
  -p 7700:7700 \
  -e MEILI_MASTER_KEY=your-master-key \
  -v $(pwd)/meili_data:/meili_data \
  getmeili/meilisearch:v1.5

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Using Binary

Download and run MeiliSearch: 
# Linux/macOS
curl -L https://install.meilisearch.com | sh

# Start MeiliSearch
./meilisearch --master-key="your-master-key"

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Using Package Manager

# macOS
brew install meilisearch
brew services start meilisearch

# Ubuntu/Debian
echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://apt.fury.io/meilisearch/ /" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/fury.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install meilisearch
Always set a strong MEILI_MASTER_KEY in production to secure your search instance.

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Environment Configuration

Configure MeiliSearch connection in your .env file:
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SCOUT_DRIVER
string
default:"meilisearch"
required
Laravel Scout driver. Must be set to meilisearch.
Do not change this value. The application requires MeiliSearch for search functionality.
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SCOUT_QUEUE
boolean
default:"true"
Queue search index updates for better performance.
Set to true in production to avoid blocking requests during indexing.
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SCOUT_PREFIX
string
Prefix for all search index names. Useful when sharing MeiliSearch between multiple applications.Example: lionz_, production_
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MEILISEARCH_HOST
string
default:"http://localhost:7700"
required
MeiliSearch server URL.Examples:
  • Local: http://localhost:7700
  • Remote: https://meilisearch.example.com
This is required for the application to connect to MeiliSearch.
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MEILISEARCH_KEY
string
MeiliSearch master key for authentication.
Required if MeiliSearch was started with a master key. Keep this secret.

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Example Configuration

.env
SCOUT_DRIVER=meilisearch
SCOUT_QUEUE=true
MEILISEARCH_HOST=http://localhost:7700
MEILISEARCH_KEY=your-master-key-here

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Index Configuration

Lionz IPTV Downloader configures two MeiliSearch indexes with specific settings for optimal search performance:

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Series Index

Indexes TV series and shows with the following settings:
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sortableAttributes
array
Fields that can be used for sorting search results.Values:
  • created_at - Creation date
  • last_modified - Last modification date
  • releaseDate - Release date
  • rating - Rating score
  • rating_5based - 5-star rating
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filterableAttributes
array
Fields that can be used for filtering search results.Values:
  • genre - Genre/category
  • category_id - Category identifier

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VOD Streams Index

Indexes video-on-demand content with the following settings:
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sortableAttributes
array
Fields that can be used for sorting VOD results.Values:
  • created_at - Creation date
  • added - Date added to library
  • rating - Rating score
  • rating_5based - 5-star rating
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filterableAttributes
array
Fields that can be used for filtering VOD results.Values:
  • category_id - Category identifier

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Initial Indexing

After configuring MeiliSearch, import your existing data:

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Import All Content

php artisan scout:import "App\Models\Series"
php artisan scout:import "App\Models\VodStream"

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Flush and Re-import

If you need to rebuild indexes from scratch: 
php artisan scout:flush "App\Models\Series"
php artisan scout:flush "App\Models\VodStream"

php artisan scout:import "App\Models\Series"
php artisan scout:import "App\Models\VodStream"
If SCOUT_QUEUE=true, indexing operations will be queued. Run php artisan queue:work to process them.

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Automatic Syncing

With Scout configured, models are automatically synced to MeiliSearch when:
  • New series or VOD streams are created
  • Existing content is updated
  • Content is deleted
No manual intervention is required for ongoing synchronization.

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Search Configuration

MeiliSearch provides typo-tolerant search out of the box with these features:
  • Typo Tolerance: Finds results even with spelling mistakes
  • Prefix Search: Matches partial words (e.g., “sci” matches “science fiction”)
  • Ranking: Results are ranked by relevance
  • Fast: Sub-50ms search responses

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Searchable Fields

The following fields are searchable in the application: Series:
  • Name/title
  • Plot/description
  • Genre
  • Cast
  • Director
VOD Streams:
  • Name/title
  • Description
  • Genre
  • Category

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Performance Tuning

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Queue Configuration

For better performance, enable queued indexing:
.env
SCOUT_QUEUE=true
QUEUE_CONNECTION=database  # or redis for better performance
Ensure your queue worker is running: 
php artisan queue:work

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Database Transactions

Scout waits for database transactions to commit before syncing to MeiliSearch. This is configured in config/scout.php: 
'after_commit' => true,
This prevents discarded data from being synced to the search index.

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Chunk Sizes

Control batch import chunk sizes in config/scout.php: 
'chunk' => [
    'searchable' => 1000,
    'unsearchable' => 1000,
],
Increase for faster bulk imports, decrease if you encounter memory issues.

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Monitoring

Check MeiliSearch status and statistics: 
# Check server health
curl http://localhost:7700/health

# Get index stats
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your-master-key" \
  http://localhost:7700/indexes/series/stats

curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your-master-key" \
  http://localhost:7700/indexes/vod_streams/stats

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Troubleshooting

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Connection Failed

If the application can’t connect to MeiliSearch:
  1. Verify MeiliSearch is running: 
    curl http://localhost:7700/health
  2. Check MEILISEARCH_HOST matches your MeiliSearch URL
  3. Verify MEILISEARCH_KEY matches your master key

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Search Not Working

If search returns no results:
  1. Check if indexes exist: 
    curl -H "Authorization: Bearer your-master-key" \
  http://localhost:7700/indexes
  2. Verify data is indexed: 
    php artisan scout:import "App\Models\Series"
php artisan scout:import "App\Models\VodStream"
  3. Check queue is processing (if SCOUT_QUEUE=true): 
    php artisan queue:work

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Slow Indexing

If indexing is slow:
  1. Enable queue for background processing: 
    SCOUT_QUEUE=true
  2. Use Redis instead of database for queue: 
    QUEUE_CONNECTION=redis
  3. Run multiple queue workers: 
    php artisan queue:work &
php artisan queue:work &
php artisan queue:work &

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Production Recommendations

For production deployments:
  1. Always set a strong MEILI_MASTER_KEY
  2. Enable SCOUT_QUEUE=true for better performance
  3. Use HTTPS for remote MeiliSearch instances
  4. Run queue workers as supervised processes
  5. Monitor MeiliSearch resource usage
  6. Set up regular backups of MeiliSearch data

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Additional Resources

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