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Hound
What it is
Hound is a free source-code search engine for repositories. A Go backend maintains a current index for each repository, while a static React interface and minimal API provide search access. Its search core uses regular-expression matching with a trigram index. Hound supports Git, Mercurial, SVN, Bazaar, and local repositories, including private repositories reached through local directories, file URLs, or SSH-style URLs. Configured repository locations are checked every 30 seconds by default, with per-repository intervals available. You can build Hound from source or run its Docker image, and the web interface defaults to http://localhost:6080. Plugins are available for Sublime Text, Vim, Emacs, and Visual Studio Code. Hound is tested on macOS and CentOS and should work on Unix-like systems, but Windows is not supported. It does not provide TLS itself. Hound is distributed under the MIT license; the latest listed release is v0.7.1 from May 3, 2023.
For and against
For
- Free under the MIT license
- Regex search uses a trigram index
- Supports five version-control systems
- Private repository indexing options
- Editor plugins for four editors
Against
- Windows is not supported
- No built-in TLS support
- Latest listed release is v0.7.1
The verdict
Hound offers repository indexing, regular-expression search, and several deployment choices for self-hosted environments. Its Unix-oriented support and lack of built-in TLS should be considered before deployment.
Who it suits
Hound suits developers and teams that need regex-based searching across repositories they control. It is aimed at Unix-like, self-hosted environments and users of supported editor plugins.
On the record
- Architecture
- Hound has a static React frontend and a Go backend that maintains an up-to-date index for each repository and exposes a minimal API.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Creators
- Hound was created at Etsy by Kelly Norton and Jonathan Klein.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- Hound can be built from source or run from the project's GitHub Container Registry Docker image.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Docker
- Hound provides a Docker image at ghcr.io/hound-search/hound:latest and instructions for building its own image.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Editor integrations
- The README lists plugins supporting Sublime Text, Vim, Emacs, and Visual Studio Code.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Index updates
- By default, Hound polls configured repository URLs for updates every 30 seconds; the interval can be changed per repository.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository provides Hound under the MIT License.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Operating-system support
- Hound is tested on macOS and CentOS, should work on any Unix-like system, and is not supported on Windows.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Origin
- The README says Hound was created at Etsy by Kelly Norton and Jonathan Klein.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Platform support
- The README says Hound is tested on macOS and CentOS and should work on any Unix-like system; Windows is not supported, though it may compile and run.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Private repositories
- Private repositories can be indexed from local directories, local clones, or SSH URLs when SSH keys are configured on the Hound host.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Hound is an extremely fast source code search engine with a React frontend and Go backend that maintains an index for each repository.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Release
- The latest release listed on the project's Releases page is v0.7.1, dated May 3, 2023.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Release status
- The latest listed release is v0.7.1, published in May 2023.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Repository updates
- Hound polls configured repository URLs for updates every 30 seconds by default.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Search engine
- Hound’s core is based on regular expression matching with a trigram index.github.com · read 2 Oct 2026
- Search technology
- Its core is based on regular-expression matching with a trigram index.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
- Security limitation
- Hound does not currently support TLS and is commonly run behind Apache or nginx.github.com · read 1 Oct 2026
