Meilisearch (Hardened) — documentation & support card

At a glance

Type	Hardened VM image
Upstream / license	Meilisearch (MIT) — see licenses
Version	Meilisearch 1.x, built from source at image build. Current builds: release notes.
Architecture	x86-64
Sizing	Any current-generation instance with ≥ 4 vCPU (pay-as-you-go floor); 8 vCPU recommended for production.

Marketplaces

• AWS Marketplace — submission in progress (image verified 2026-07-21) (base: Amazon Linux 2023)

Network ports

Port	Purpose	State
22	SSH (key-only)	default-open
7700	REST API — 127.0.0.1	customer-must-open (config + firewall)

"customer-must-open" means a cloud firewall rule and, where noted, an in-image configuration change — both deliberate. Closed by default is the design.

Access & credentials

No shared or default credentials are included in this image. Access uses the SSH key you supply at launch; any application credential is generated uniquely on your instance at first boot and stored only there — we never know it.

Log in: SSH with your launch key; API calls need the master key (or derived API keys) even locally.

A unique MEILI_MASTER_KEY is generated on YOUR instance at first boot (root-readable file; guarded one-shot service).

sudo grep MEILI_MASTER_KEY /etc/meilisearch.env

Rotation: Stop meilisearch, write a new key into /etc/meilisearch.env, start — then re-issue API keys (the master key derives them).

Data & dependencies

• Data locations: /var/lib/meilisearch/data (dumps: …/dumps, snapshots: …/snapshots) — all data stays on your instance and volumes.
• Does any data leave your tenant? No. Telemetry: none. Our images contain no phone-home, no usage beacons, no license servers. The only parties that know you deployed our software are you and your cloud provider's billing system.
• We have no access to your deployment. Your instance runs in your tenancy under your IAM; remote access for a support session exists only if you explicitly grant it, and you can revoke it at any time.
• External dependencies at deploy/runtime: None — the image is fully self-contained at deploy time; no internet access is required to boot and run.

Operate

• First boot: meilisearch-firstboot.service creates /etc/meilisearch.env with the per-instance master key (ConditionPathExists guard), then the service starts. Health endpoint answers within seconds.
• Update / patch: Replace with the newest image version; move data via dumps (POST /dumps → import on the new instance).
• Backup / restore: POST /dumps (portable) or snapshots directory for same-version restores; copy off-box.
• Uninstall: delete the VM/deployment and its volumes — nothing else persists, and software billing stops with the instance under your cloud's marketplace terms.
• Logs: journalctl -u meilisearch -f
• Health check: curl -s http://127.0.0.1:7700/health → {"status":"available"}

Known limitations

Single node (Meilisearch is single-node by design upstream); scale reads behind your own proxy.

Support

Email support@dcassociatesgroup.com — first response within 1 business day (US Eastern), most tickets same-day. To escalate an open ticket, reply "ESCALATE"; it is reviewed by the founder within 1 business day. Security reports: vulnerability disclosure.

Privacy: policy · Terms: terms · Security practices: security & trust · Vulnerability reports: disclosure policy