Perplexica Installation Guide

This guide will help you install Perplexica—your own private, AI-powered search engine—on almost any Linux system.

** Part 1: Choose Your "Brain" (Model Selection)**

Before we start, decide which AI model fits your hardware.

  • Low End (2GB - 4GB VRAM): qwen3:1.7b (Fast & Light)
  • Standard (4GB - 6GB VRAM): qwen2.5:3b (Best Balance)
  • High End (8GB+ VRAM): qwen2.5:7b (Smartest)

** Part 2: The Foundation (Docker)**

We need Docker to run the application. Choose the command for your OS.

Option A: Ubuntu / Debian / Fedora / Linux Mint

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Option B: Arch Linux / Manjaro / CachyOS

yay -S docker
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

** CRITICAL STEP FOR EVERYONE:
Run this command to allow your user to control Docker, then
REBOOT YOUR COMPUTER**.

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# NOW REBOOT!

** Part 3: The Brain (Ollama)**

Once you have rebooted, install Ollama and your chosen model.

1. Install Ollama:

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

2. Download the Model:
(Replace 3b with 1.7b or 7b if you chose a different size)

ollama pull qwen2.5:3b

3. Build the Bridge:
By default, Ollama ignores Docker. We need to tell it to listen.

  1. Edit the service file:
    sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/ollama.service
    
  2. Scroll down to [Service] and add this line:
    Environment="OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0"
    
  3. Save (Ctrl+O, Enter) and Exit (Ctrl+X).
  4. Restart Ollama:
    sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl restart ollama
    

** Part 4: Find Your IP**

Docker needs your computer's real IP address to talk to Ollama.
Run this command:

hostname -I | awk '{print $1}'
  • Write down the number you see (e.g., 192.168.1.50).
  • If that command gives an error, try this backup: ip route get 1 | awk '{print $7}'

** Part 5: Install Perplexica**

Choose ONE command based on your privacy needs.

** Option A: Laptop Mode (Secure)
Best for coffee shops & public Wi-Fi. Only accessible from THIS computer.

sudo docker run -d -p 127.0.0.1:3000:3000 -v perplexica-data:/home/perplexica/data --name perplexica itzcrazykns1337/perplexica:latest

** Option B: Server Mode (Open)
Best for home servers. Allows access from your phone or other PCs on your LAN.

sudo docker run -d -p 3000:3000 -v perplexica-data:/home/perplexica/data --name perplexica itzcrazykns1337/perplexica:latest

To make Perplexica start automatically, you can add --restart always to the Docker install command


** Part 6: Final Configuration**

  1. Open your browser to: http://localhost:3000
  2. Go to Settings > Components.
  3. Chat Model Provider: Select Ollama.
  4. Ollama Api URL:
  • Type: http://YOUR_IP_ADDRESS:11434
  • (Example: http://192.168.1.50:11434)
  • ** IMPORTANT:** Do NOT use localhost here!
  1. Select Chat Model: Choose the Qwen model you downloaded.
  2. Select Embedding Model: Choose all-MiniLM-L6-v2.
  3. Click Save / Finish.

** Troubleshooting**

If Perplexica won't load after you restart your computer, run these three commands to kickstart everything:

1
2
3
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl start ollama
sudo docker start perplexica

If your system has a firewall (UFW or Firewalld), it will block the connection. Run the command for your firewall:

For Ubuntu/Debian (UFW):

sudo ufw allow 11434/tcp

For Fedora/CentOS (Firewalld):

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=11434/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
Edit

Pub: 05 Feb 2026 11:05 UTC

Edit: 09 Feb 2026 00:10 UTC

Views: 66