Searches

rainlytics searches counts search terms recorded in CloudFront access logs. Use it for a search endpoint that puts the term in a query-string parameter:

rainlytics searches --path /search/ --last 30d

term      searches  redirected
--------  --------  ----------
rain            41          38
weather         12           0

CloudFront records the query string for cached and uncached requests. Rainlytics reads the term but does not include the viewer address in the result.

Name the search path and parameter

Specify the search endpoint with --path and the query-string parameter with --param. The path filter excludes unrelated requests that happen to use the same parameter name.

rainlytics searches --path /search/ --param q --last 30d
rainlytics searches --path /tools/convert/ --param text --last 30d

--param defaults to q.

Repeat --path for several search pages:

rainlytics searches \
  --path /docs/search/ \
  --path /api/search/ \
  --last 30d

The result then includes a section column. If prefixes overlap, the first matching path on the command line wins.

Redirected searches

redirected counts searches that returned status 302, 303 or 307 by default. For example, a search endpoint may redirect an exact match directly to the matching page.

Permanent redirects are omitted because canonical URL redirects can count one search twice. Change the statuses when your search endpoint uses another response:

rainlytics searches \
  --path /search/ \
  --redirect-status 301,302 \
  --last 30d

If successful searches and searches with no results both return 200, this rollup cannot tell them apart. Use a different status or path if you need to measure that distinction.

Stored searches

Configure the scheduled question with the same path and parameter:

new RollupSummaries(this, "Summaries", {
  table,
  workgroup,
  requests: {
    searches: { paths: ["/search/"], param: "q" },
  },
});

A command that omits --path and --param adopts the values recorded in the stored summaries. A different value requires --query.

CloudFront encodes the browser’s query string again when writing the log. The rollup extracts the parameter and decodes the term once more. Form + and URL %20 spaces therefore group together.