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This comprehensive explanation has been generated from 42 GitHub source documents. All source documents are searchable here.
Last updated: October 7, 2025
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KERISSE (KERI Suite Search Engine) is a Docusaurus-based documentation platform with Typesense search capabilities, designed to provide comprehensive, searchable access to KERI ecosystem terminology, specifications, and educational resources for experienced SSI developers.
KERISSE (KERI Suite Search Engine) is a specialized documentation and search infrastructure built on the Docusaurus static site generator framework, enhanced with Typesense search capabilities. Implemented primarily in JavaScript/TypeScript with Node.js tooling, KERISSE serves as the central knowledge base for the KERI (Key Event Receipt Infrastructure) ecosystem, hosted at weboftrust.github.io/WOT-terms.
Unlike general documentation sites, KERISSE explicitly targets well-versed developers in the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) field who need to understand the structure, implementation details, and architectural decisions behind the KERI suite codebase. The platform functions as "a search engine that drills down on documentation" rather than providing introductory tutorials, supporting developers' journey from SSI expertise to KERI implementation mastery.
KERISSE is part of a larger documentation ecosystem consisting of four interconnected systems:
KERISSE uses a dual-source architecture for glossary management:
This separation allows collaborative content creation while maintaining structured metadata control. The Google Sheet includes columns for:
The GitHub Actions workflow (content-fetch-and-deploy-update-glossary.yml) requires:
_category_.json and intro.md must not be overwritten during glossary updatesKERISSE deliberately hosts copies of external resources rather than linking, requiring:
Typesense configuration includes:
This separation of concerns, implemented in mid-2024, allows each component to evolve independently while maintaining clear interfaces between systems.
KERISSE maintains the authoritative glossary for the KERI ecosystem, containing 459 canonical terms with extensive alias mappings covering:
The glossary system enforces canonical term usage through a centralized Google Sheets management system ("Terms WOT manage") that serves as the source of truth, with automated GitHub Actions pipelines transforming this data into Docusaurus-compatible markdown files.
KERISSE leverages Typesense to provide:
The search index is refreshed through a shell script (search-index-typesense/main.sh) that takes approximately 30 minutes to process the complete corpus, requiring manual dependencies including jq, curl, ImageMagick, and sitemap-generator-cli.
KERISSE takes a deliberate approach of hosting copies of resources rather than simply linking externally, driven by four objectives:
Content is organized with metadata labeling, user level assignments (1=general digital identity expert, 2=advanced SSI expert, 3=KERI expert), and intuitive categorization accessible through left menu navigation.
The WebOfTrust terms wiki serves as the primary input source for KERISSE, operating under governance rules derived from Trust Over IP Foundation standards:
Content Creation Standards:
.md files## Definition header## See headerChange Management:
This CRU model (Create, Read, Update) excludes deletion to preserve the semantic web of interconnected terms.
KERISSE provides the terminology database for kerific, a Chrome/Brave browser extension that:
This integration extends KERISSE's utility beyond the documentation site itself, making terminology accessible across the entire web.
KERISSE employs GitHub Actions for automated content management:
The workflow is defined in content-fetch-and-deploy-update-glossary.yml, ensuring synchronization between the wiki, management spreadsheet, and published site.
KERISSE implements a three-level conceptual framework:
Content is tagged with appropriate levels, allowing users to filter resources matching their expertise and learning objectives.
For site maintainers, installation begins with standard repository operations:
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/WebOfTrust/WOT-terms.git
cd WOT-terms
# Install Node.js dependencies
npm install
Complete installation, configuration, and launch instructions are available in the GitHub README.
Four command-line tools must be installed manually to support scraper functionality:
The first three can be installed via package managers (apt, yum, brew):
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install jq curl imagemagick
# macOS
brew install jq curl imagemagick
The sitemap generator requires separate installation following its documentation.
Once dependencies are installed, refresh the Typesense search index:
sh search-index-typesense/main.sh
This process takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, indexing the entire KERI documentation corpus.
Sitemap generation instructions are available in search-index-typesense/createSitemap.mjs.
For local development and PR testing:
# Build the site
npm run build
# Serve locally
npm run serve
The site will be accessible at http://localhost:3000/WOT-terms/.
KERISSE uses a hosted Typesense subscription (initiated October 2022) rather than self-hosting. Configuration details for overrides, synonyms, nearby vector searches, ranking, and filtering options are documented in the repository but marked as "TBW" (to be written) in the current documentation.
The decision to use hosted services reflects the project's focus on content over infrastructure management, acknowledging that "search engine configuration is not core business" for the KERI Suite documentation effort.
Users access KERISSE through the primary URL: weboftrust.github.io/WOT-terms
The interface provides:
The recommended search workflow:
The glossary system supports multiple access patterns:
/docs/glossary/{term-slug}Contributors follow the established governance model:
## Definition header## See for abbreviationsMaintainers testing PRs locally:
# Stash local changes
git stash
# Create test branch
git checkout -b testSC1
# Fetch PR changes
git fetch upstream fix-mdfiles
# Merge locally
git merge upstream/fix-mdfiles
# Build and test
npm run build
npm run serve
# If successful, merge to main
git checkout main
git merge testSC1
git push upstream main
# Cleanup
git stash pop
git branch -D testSC1
KERISSE provides integration points for:
keridoc (weboftrust.github.io/keridoc): Main technical documentation for KERI Suite, complementing KERISSE's glossary focus with comprehensive protocol specifications, implementation guides, and tutorials.
kerisse search engine (weboftrust.github.io/kerisse): Dedicated search interface providing full-text search across all KERI documentation, separate from the WOT-terms glossary site.
kerific (Chrome Web Store): Browser extension for Chrome/Brave that provides in-context terminology lookup using KERISSE's glossary database.
KERI GitHub Repository (github.com/WebOfTrust/keri): Original documentation location, now primarily containing markdown source documents that inform IETF specifications. The README explicitly directs users to KERISSE for "more accurately available and searchable" documentation.
keri.one: Samuel Smith's foundational KERI website, acknowledged as "an invaluable resource in its own right." KERISSE imports and enhances selected materials to provide unified search and consistent formatting.
KERISSE indexes and references multiple specification repositories:
These specifications are maintained under Trust Over IP Foundation governance, with KERISSE providing searchable access to their content.
KERISSE documents and indexes multiple KERI implementations:
The glossary and documentation help developers understand these implementations' architecture and usage.
Static Site Generation: KERISSE uses Docusaurus for static site generation rather than dynamic databases, justified by performance benefits, security advantages, and compatibility with GitHub-based workflows. This approach avoids database overhead while maintaining flexibility.
Hosted Search: The decision to use hosted Typesense services rather than self-hosting reflects pragmatic resource allocation, acknowledging that search infrastructure is not core to the KERI documentation mission.
Wiki as Source of Truth: The GitHub wiki serves as the primary content source, with the Google Sheets "Terms WOT manage" spreadsheet providing metadata and management capabilities. This dual-source approach balances ease of contribution (wiki) with structured management (spreadsheet).
Content Hosting vs. Linking: KERISSE deliberately hosts copies of external resources rather than linking, enabling format adaptation, enhanced search, contextual annotation, and chatbot integration. This approach requires careful IP rights management.
KERISSE operates under a transparent IP framework:
The project commits to removing sources with legitimate IP violations and seeking Apache-2 compliant alternatives.
Regular Maintenance Tasks:
Critical File Preservation: When overwriting glossary items, two files must remain intact:
_category_.json: Docusaurus section metadataintro.md: Glossary introduction and linking targetThese files are vital for maintaining internal documentation links.
KERISSE organizes content through multiple dimensions:
This multi-dimensional organization enables users to navigate by expertise, topic, or content type.
GitHub Actions Pipeline: Automated workflows handle:
The content-fetch-and-deploy-update-glossary.yml workflow orchestrates these operations.
External Glossary Integration: KERISSE aggregates terminology from multiple sources:
This aggregation creates a unified terminology resource for the broader SSI community.
Search Index Size: The 30-minute indexing time suggests a substantial corpus, likely hundreds of documents and thousands of terms. This scale requires careful optimization of search queries and result ranking.
Static Site Performance: Docusaurus generates static HTML, providing fast page loads and minimal server requirements. GitHub Pages hosting ensures reliable availability.
Browser Extension Efficiency: kerific uses a large JSON file for term matching, requiring efficient client-side processing to avoid performance degradation on complex web pages.
Documented planned features include:
These enhancements will further improve KERISSE's utility as a comprehensive KERI learning platform.
search-index-typesense/main.shThe WebOfTrust wiki follows a CRU model (Create, Read, Update) with specific rules:
## Definition, abbreviations use ## Seekerific browser extension:
ChatGPT integration:
External glossaries:
Regular maintenance tasks include:
main.sh script (~30 minutes)Two files must be preserved during glossary updates:
Overwriting these files breaks internal documentation links throughout the site.