Fireplexity - Open Source AI Intelligent Search Engine

Project Overview

Fireplexity is an open-source alternative to Perplexity AI, a super-fast AI search engine built on Firecrawl's web crawling API, capable of providing intelligent answers with real-time citations and live data. Developed by the Mendable AI team, this project aims to provide developers with a fully controllable and customizable AI search experience.

Core Features

🔍 Real-time Web Search

• Provides real-time web search functionality based on the Firecrawl Search API
• Intelligent content selection and data extraction
• Reliable web crawling capabilities

🤖 AI Intelligent Question Answering

• Uses GPT-4o-mini to provide streaming AI responses
• Intelligent answer synthesis
• Contextual understanding and reasoning abilities

📚 Source Citation System

• Each statement is supported by reliable source citations
• Transparent information source tracking
• Improves answer credibility

📈 Real-time Stock Data

• Automatically displays TradingView charts
• Real-time financial data integration
• Intelligent stock information retrieval

💡 Intelligent Follow-up Questions

• AI-generated related question recommendations
• In-depth topic exploration
• Enhances user search experience

Technical Architecture

Core Technology Stack

• Frontend Framework: Next.js 15 - React Framework
• AI Service: OpenAI GPT-4o-mini
• Streaming: Vercel AI SDK
• Web Crawler: Firecrawl API
• Data Visualization: TradingView Stock Charts

Project Advantages

1. Quick Deployment: Answer engine that can be deployed and run in 5 minutes
2. No Vendor Lock-in: Fully open source, with complete control over the code
3. Real-time Intelligence: Uses Firecrawl for reliable web crawling, intelligently selects the best content, and synthesizes answers with citations

Quick Start

Installation Steps

1. Clone the project

git clone https://github.com/mendableai/fireplexity.git
cd fireplexity

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Configure environment variables

cp .env.example .env.local

4. Add API keys to .env.local

FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=fc-your-api-key
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-api-key

5. Start the development server

npm run dev

6. Access the application Visit http://localhost:3000

Use Cases

Target Audience

• Developers who need to build custom AI search experiences
• Businesses and teams that want complete control
• Users who need specialized search functionality for specific domains
• Organizations that prioritize data privacy and security

Application Areas

• Enterprise internal knowledge search
• Professional field research tools
• Education and learning platforms
• Content creation assistance tools
• Market research and analysis

Project Features

Open Source Advantages

• Fully Transparent: All code is open source and visible
• Customizable: Freely modify and extend according to needs
• Community-Driven: Continuous community contributions and improvements
• No Usage Restrictions: Not restricted by commercial platforms

Production Ready

• Stable and Reliable: Designed for production environments from day one
• High Performance: Optimized architecture ensures fast response
• Scalable: Supports large-scale deployment and use

Related Links

• Project Address: https://github.com/mendableai/fireplexity
• Official Website: https://fireplexity.org/
• Firecrawl: https://firecrawl.dev
• Technical Blog: https://www.firecrawl.dev/blog/introducing-fireplexity-open-source-answer-engine

Summary

Fireplexity represents a new standard for open-source AI search engines, offering functionality comparable to Perplexity while giving developers complete control and customization capabilities. By combining modern web technologies, advanced AI models, and reliable web crawling technology, Fireplexity provides a powerful foundation for building the next generation of intelligent search experiences.