VuFind® is an open source discovery environment built by libraries, for libraries. It gives patrons a single, modern interface to search across bibliographic catalogs, institutional repositories, and third-party databases — replacing or supplementing traditional OPACs with faceted search, relevancy ranking, and ILS-integrated account management.Documentation Index
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What problem VuFind solves
Traditional integrated library system OPACs expose only one collection at a time and offer limited search capabilities. VuFind centralises multiple sources — local Solr indexes, external search APIs, and digital repositories — under one consistent interface. Patrons can search, filter, place holds, renew loans, and manage saved lists without navigating separate systems.Key features
- Unified search across Solr, EDS, Primo, Summon, WorldCat, LibGuides, and ProQuest FSG from a single search box
- 30+ ILS drivers for Folio, Koha, Sierra, Alma, Voyager, Symphony, and more
- Flexible authentication via LDAP, Shibboleth, CAS, OpenID Connect, ILS-native, and local database
- Themeable UI built on Bootstrap 5 with full local-override support and mobile-responsive layouts
- Multi-language support with 40+ included translations and an extensible i18n system
- REST API exposing search, record, and authority data to external applications
- Multi-site support for running several discovery portals from one installation
Architecture overview
VuFind is written in PHP 8.2+ and structured as a Laminas MVC application composed of several PSR-4 namespaced modules:| Module | Purpose |
|---|---|
VuFind | Core search, record display, and user account logic |
VuFindAdmin | Administrative interface |
VuFindApi | REST API endpoints |
VuFindConsole | CLI commands (indexing, installation, harvesting) |
VuFindSearch | Backend-agnostic search abstraction layer |
VuFindTheme | Theme management and asset pipeline |
VuFindSearch library provides a uniform interface over all supported backends. When a patron submits a query, VuFind translates it to the backend’s native query language (Solr query syntax, EDS API calls, etc.) and normalises the response into a common record model.
Solr. The primary search backend is Apache Solr. VuFind ships with Solr configuration schemas and import scripts based on SolrMarc. MARC 21 records are indexed via import/import.properties rules that map MARC fields to Solr fields.
ILS drivers. Each supported integrated library system has a driver class that implements a common interface for holdings lookup, patron authentication, and circulation actions. Drivers are configured in config/vufind/config.ini under the [Catalog] section.
Local overrides. VuFind separates core code from local customisations using an override directory (by default local/). Configuration files, templates, and language strings placed in the override directory take precedence over their core counterparts, making upgrades safe and straightforward.
Community and licensing
VuFind is maintained by a global community of libraries, developers, and vendors coordinated through the vufind-org GitHub organisation. It is released under the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPL-2.0-only), as declared in composer.json.
Community resources include:
- Wiki: comprehensive documentation at vufind.org/wiki
- Downloads: packaged releases at vufind.org/vufind/downloads.html
- Support: community and commercial support options listed at vufind.org/vufind/support.html
- Developers handbook: contribution guide at vufind.org/wiki/development
Packaged releases include all Composer dependencies. If you install from a Git checkout, run
composer install in the VuFind home directory before proceeding.Explore the documentation
Quick start
Get a working VuFind instance running in minutes using the interactive installer.
Full installation
Step-by-step walkthrough covering system requirements, web server configuration, and first-run verification.
Configuration
Configure search backends, ILS drivers, authentication, and site-wide settings.
API reference
Explore VuFind’s REST API for search, record retrieval, and authority data.