Changelog Master Feed Lightspeed search built for devs (Changelog Interviews #649)
Jul 10, 2025
Don MacKinnon, Co-founder and CTO of Searchcraft, discusses building a lightspeed search engine using Rust. He shares insights on blending vector embeddings with traditional ranking systems. The conversation touches on the complexities of search integration for developers, emphasizing performance and usability. MacKinnon also explores how AI advancements are reshaping search functionalities and the ethical implications of AI on creativity. Plus, he highlights the future of open source in an increasingly AI-driven world.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Simplifying Search for Developers
- Searchcraft was built to improve developer experience with search, focusing on startups and front-end developers.
- It aims to provide simple, self-managed search without the complexity of cluster management.
Advantages of Rust for Search
- Use Rust for performance and low hardware requirements in building search engines.
- This choice lets you run millions of records on minimal hardware, reducing cluster complexity.
Optimizing Typo Tolerance
- Balance typo tolerance using Levenshtein distance to avoid performance hits and false matches.
- Adjust tolerance based on phrase length to improve search accuracy and speed.
