Search Engine Theory/Algorithm

Question

Is there any good reference for learning how search engine (google, etc..) works? Does it using any special database? Thanks.

Answer 1

Here's a good place to start.

Google is also somewhat famous for the PageRank algorithm, though it is only one of many factors that go into their search results.

Answer 2

Search engines work on what are known as Inverted Indexes. A fabulous Free Opensource implementation is Apache Lucene