In this first chapter, we have introduced Apache Solr; we have explained what it is and what it is not, cited its history, and explained the main role of the Apache Lucene library. We cited a list of features that are the most interesting ones from our perspective. Then we saw how to set up a simple Solr instance, how to have it running using the default distribution, and its examples. Using these examples we performed our first query by using the web interface, the direct call to Solr REST services, and the cURL command-line tool, which will be useful in the next chapters.

We end the chapter citing how Solr is widely adopted by players who have been using Solr for some years. Then we resume the perspective we will adopt through the book, which will be based on prototypes and writing as little code as possible.