What is ExamineX?
Modern Cloud Search for Umbraco
Eliminate search infrastructure headaches. Scale effortlessly. Keep your existing code.
The Challenge: Website Search That Grows With You
Imagine your website’s search function as a filing system. In a traditional setup, it’s like having physical filing cabinets in your office. They work fine when you’re small, but what happens when you need to:
- Open multiple offices (scale to multiple servers)?
- Ensure everyone sees the same files instantly (keep indexes in sync)?
- Never lock the filing cabinet when someone’s using it (avoid file lock issues)?
- Reorganize without shutting down the office (rebuild indexes without downtime)?
These challenges are exactly what many organizations face with traditional website search infrastructure. The technical symptoms—Lucene file locks, sync issues, scaling problems—translate to real business costs: downtime, poor user experience, and complex infrastructure management.
The Solution: ExamineX
ExamineX is a modern upgrade for your Umbraco website’s search capabilities. Instead of managing search files on your own servers, ExamineX connects your website to professional cloud search services like Azure AI Search or Elastic Search.
Think of it as upgrading from physical filing cabinets to a cloud-based document management system—all your content is always available, automatically synchronized, and scales effortlessly as your needs grow.
The Smart Part: No Code Changes Required
Here’s what makes ExamineX special: your existing website code doesn’t need to change.
Umbraco uses a search framework called “Examine” (think of it as a universal language for search). ExamineX is a smart implementation of this same language that redirects search operations to cloud services instead of local files. Your development team continues using the same familiar Examine APIs they already know—but behind the scenes, everything runs on enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure.
How ExamineX Works: A Simple Comparison
❌ Sync Issues
❌ Scaling Complexity"] A1 --> B1 B1 --> C1 C1 --> D1 end subgraph exam["ExamineX Approach"] direction TB A2[Your Umbraco Website] B2["Examine API
(Same Code!)"] C2[ExamineX] D2[Cloud Search Service
Azure AI or Elastic] E2["✅ Always Available
✅ Auto-Scales
✅ No File Issues
✅ Enterprise Performance"] A2 --> B2 B2 --> C2 C2 --> D2 D2 --> E2 end trad ~~~ exam
Key Business Benefits
🛡️ Reliability & Uptime
- Eliminate file lock errors
- No index corruption issues
- No Index synchronization problems
📈 Effortless Scaling
- Load-balanced environments
- Umbraco Cloud & Azure Web Apps ready
- Index rebuild overhead eliminated
⚡ Improved Performance
- Enterprise search engines
- Better search relevance
- AI-powered capabilities
🔧 Reduced Complexity
- No Azure %temp% storage hacks
- Zero-downtime rebuilds
- Less infrastructure to manage
🚀 Future-Proof
- Standard Examine API
- Switch Azure/Elastic easily
- New Umbraco.Cms.Search supports Examine - so also ExamineX
Why Choose ExamineX Over Traditional Examine?
While Examine (with Lucene) works great for single-server non-cloud deployments, ExamineX solves the challenges that emerge when scaling your Umbraco site. Here’s a detailed comparison:
Examine (Lucene)
ExamineX
💡 Key Insight: ExamineX doesn't replace Examine—it implements the Examine API using cloud search services. Your code stays the same, but your infrastructure becomes bulletproof.
Advanced Capabilities
While maintaining simplicity for developers, ExamineX unlocks powerful features:
- Media Content Indexing: Automatically search inside PDFs, Word documents, and other media files without complex configuration
- AI-Powered Search: Leverage Azure AI to automatically tag images with descriptions, categories, locations, and even identify people in photos
- Direct API Access: Full access to Azure AI Search or Elastic Search features when you need advanced functionality
Choose Your ExamineX Edition
ExamineX for Azure AI Search
Perfect for organizations using Microsoft Azure infrastructure. Seamlessly integrates with Azure Web Apps and Umbraco Cloud.
- Azure AI Search integration
- AI-powered media search
- Automatic document indexing
- Built for Azure Web Apps
ExamineX for Elastic Search
Leverage the power of Elastic Search for advanced search capabilities and analytics integration.
- Elastic Search integration
- Advanced search features
- Flexible deployment options
- Enterprise-grade performance
Ready to Upgrade Your Search?
ExamineX transforms your website search from a potential infrastructure headache into a reliable, scalable asset. Your development team keeps using familiar code, while your business gains enterprise-grade search infrastructure.
Next Steps
- Choose Your Edition - Select Azure AI Search or Elastic Search
- Review Documentation - Visit examinex.online for installation guides
- Get Support - Contact our team with questions about your specific requirements
Both editions provide the same development experience and maintain full compatibility with the Examine API.
Who Created ExamineX?
ExamineX is developed by Shannon Deminick, the creator of Examine—the search framework that’s been the standard in Umbraco for over a decade. This ensures:
- Deep understanding of Umbraco’s search requirements
- Perfect compatibility with the Examine API standard
- Ongoing support and development from the source