---
title: Add an RSS source
slug: '1647'
canonical_url: https://docs.coveo.com/en/1647/
collection: index-content
source_format: adoc
---
# Add an RSS source

A Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed is a file that includes information about content that a site has published, and will allow a user to keep track of the updates to those sites.
An RSS [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) allows members with the [required privileges](#required-privileges) to add the content of an RSS feed to a [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/).

The availability of old and new RSS feed [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) depends on the RSS feed configuration contained in an XML file.

> **Notes**
>
> * If the XML feed file contains OpenSearch information, your RSS [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) uses it to include all available [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) in the feed as far in the past as possible.
> 
> * If the XML feed file doesn't contain OpenSearch information, the RSS [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) doesn't retrieve old feed [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/), only new ones that are published.
> 
> * The indexing process of RSS [sources](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) keeps [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) in your [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) even when they're filtered out of the RSS feed as new [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) are published.
> The filtered-out RSS feed [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) are however deleted from the [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) when you perform a [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) [rebuild or rescan](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3390#refresh-rescan-or-rebuild-sources).

**Example**

A technological website RSS feed is configured to provide only the last 100 articles, therefore previous articles aren't accessible.
When you create, rebuild, or rescan your RSS [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/), you get the last 100 RSS articles available on this site at that time.
The next day, five articles are published and your [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) ends up containing 105 articles.

Six months later, it may contain a thousand articles as long as you don't rebuild or rescan the [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/), in which case it will only contain the last 100 articles.

> **Leading practice**
>
> The number of [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) that a source processes per hour (crawling speed) depends on various factors, such as network bandwidth and source configuration.
> See [About crawling speed](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2078/) for information on what can impact crawling speed, as well as possible solutions.

## Source key characteristics

The following table presents the main characteristics of an RSS source.

[%header,cols="2,2,2,4"]
|===
2+|Features
^|Supported
|Additional information

2+|RSS feed formats
^|RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0, and Atom 1.0
|

2+|Indexable content
|RSS feeds (or channels) and RSS [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/).
|

2+|[Optical Character Recognition (OCR)](#content-and-images)
^|[check]
|Available for an additional charge.
Contact [Coveo Sales](https://www.coveo.com/en/contact) to add this feature to your [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/) [license](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2864/).

.3+|[Content update operations](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2039/)
|[refresh](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2710/)
^|[check]
a|[Takes place every hour by default](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1933/).  
  
A rescan or rebuild is required to account for deleted [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/).  
  
The last update time of each RSS feed [item](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) must be available.[.footnote]^[[1](#limitations)]^

|[rescan](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2711/)
^|[check]
|

|[rebuild](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2712/)
^|[check]
|

.3+|[Content security](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1779/) options
|[Same users and groups as in your content system](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1779#same-users-and-groups-as-in-your-content-system)
^|[x]
|

|[Specific users and groups](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1779#specific-users-and-groups)
^|[check]
|

|[Everyone](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1779#everyone)
^|[check]
|

.3+|[Metadata indexing for search](#index-metadata)

|Automatic mapping of [metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/218/) to [fields](https://docs.coveo.com/en/200/) that have the same name
2+a|This setting is disabled by default and [not recommended for this source type](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1640#about-the-performfieldmappingusingallorigins-setting).

|Automatically indexed [metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/218/)
2+a|Examples of [auto-populated default fields](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1833#field-origin) (no user-defined metadata required):  
 

* `clickableuri`

* `language` (auto-detected from item content)

* `rsspublishdate`

* `rsscategories`

* `title`  
 

After a content update, [inspect your item field values](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2053#inspect-search-results) in the **Content Browser**.

|Extracted but not indexed metadata
2+a|The RSS source extracts metadata from RSS feed elements such as author, description, category, and publication date.  
 

After a rebuild, review the [**View and map metadata**](https://docs.coveo.com/en/m9ti0339#view-and-map-metadata-subpage) subpage for the list of indexed metadata, and [index additional metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/m9ti0339#index-metadata).
|===

## Limitations

* The source requires a last update time to support refreshes.
To that end, the source uses one of the following [item](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210/) properties:

** Atom 1.0: `<updated>`
** RSS 2.0: `<a10:updated>`


Without a last update time, the [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/) uses an arbitrary date far in the past, making a [rescan](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2711/) or [rebuild](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2712/) necessary to retrieve changes to items.

## Add an RSS source

Follow the instructions below to add an RSS source.

. On the [**Sources**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/)) page, click **Add source**.

. In the **Add a source of content** panel, click the **RSS** source tile.

. Configure your source.

> **Leading practice**
>
> It's best to create or edit your source in your sandbox organization first.
> Once you've confirmed that it indexes the desired content, you can copy your source configuration to your production organization, either [with a snapshot](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3239/) or manually.
> 
> See [About non-production organizations](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2959/) for more information and best practices regarding sandbox organizations.

### "Configuration" tab

On the **Add an RSS Source** page, the **Configuration** tab is selected by default.
It contains your [source](https://docs.coveo.com/en/246/)’s general and content information, as well as other parameters.

#### General information

##### Name

Enter a name for your source.

> **Leading practice**
>
> A source name can't be modified once it's saved, therefore be sure to use a short and descriptive name, using letters, numbers, hyphens (`-`), and underscores (`_`). Avoid spaces and other special characters.

**Example**

`Corporate-RSS-Feeds`

##### Feed URL

Enter the web addresses of RSS feeds that you want to [index](https://docs.coveo.com/en/204/) in the `http://` or `https://` format.

**Example**

`+http://rss.cnn.com/rss/cnn_tech.rss+`

##### Project

Use the **Project** selector to associate your source with one or more Coveo [projects](https://docs.coveo.com/en/n7ef0517/).

#### "Authentication" section

If basic authentication is required, enter the **Username** and **Password** of the RSS feed website account that has access to the RSS feed content you want to include.
See [Source credentials leading practices](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1920/).

### "Items" tab

On the **Items** tab, you can enable or disable optical character recognition (OCR) on your content.

#### Content and images

If you want Coveo to extract text from image files or PDF files containing images, enable the appropriate option.
The extracted text is processed as item data, meaning that it's fully searchable and will appear in the item [Quick view](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2760#search-result-quick-view).

> **Note**
>
> When OCR is enabled, ensure the source's relevant [file type configurations](https://docs.coveo.com/en/l3qg9275/) index the item content.
> Indexing the item's metadata only or ignoring the item will prevent OCR from being applied.

See [Enable optical character recognition](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2937/) for details on this feature.

### "Content security" tab

Select who will be able to access the source items through a Coveo-powered [search interface](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2741/).
For details on the content security options, see [Content security](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1779/).

### "Access" tab







. On the **Access** tab, specify whether each group (and API key, if applicable) in your [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/) can view or edit the current source.

For example, when creating a new source, you could decide that members of Group A can edit its configuration, while Group B can only view it.

For more information, see [Custom access level](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3151#custom-access-level).
On the **Access** tab, specify whether each group (and API key, if applicable) in your [Coveo organization](https://docs.coveo.com/en/185/) can view or edit the current source.

For example, when creating a new source, you could decide that members of Group A can edit its configuration, while Group B can only view it.

For more information, see [Custom access level](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3151#custom-access-level).

### Build the source

. Finish adding or editing your source:

** When you're done editing the source and want to make your changes effective, click **Add and build source**/**Save and rebuild source**.

** When you want to save your source configuration changes without starting a build/rebuild, such as when you know you want to make other changes soon, click **Add source**/**Save**.
On the [**Sources**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/)) page, click **Launch build** or **Start required rebuild** when you're ready to make your changes effective and index your content.

> **Leading practice**
>
> By default, a Jira Software source indexes the entire Jira Software instance content.
> To index only certain projects, click **Save**, and then specify the desired address patterns in your [source JSON configuration](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1685/) before launching the initial build.
> See [Add source filters](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2006#add-source-filters) for further information.

. On the [**Sources**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/)) page, follow the progress of your source addition or modification.

. Once the source is built or rebuilt, [review its content in the Content Browser](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2053/).

. Optionally, consider [editing or adding mappings](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1640/).


> **Note**
>
> If you selected **Specific URLs** or **User profiles** in the [**Content**](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1739#content) section, some additional items will appear in the Content Browser.
> To retrieve user profiles, Coveo must crawl your SharePoint Online instance, including your host site collection and the documents it contains.
> Items encountered during this process are also retrieved and therefore appear in the Content Browser.

### Index metadata

To use [metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/218/) values in [search interface](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2741/) [facets](https://docs.coveo.com/en/198/) or result templates, the metadata must be [mapped](https://docs.coveo.com/en/217/) to [fields](https://docs.coveo.com/en/200/).
Coveo automatically [maps](https://docs.coveo.com/en/217/) only a subset of the metadata it extracts.
You must map any additional metadata to fields manually.

> **Note**
>
> Not clear on the purpose of indexing metadata?
> Watch [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmmmVJ3AWi0).

. On the [**Sources**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/)) page, click your source, and then click **More** > **View and map metadata** in the Action bar.

. Review the default [metadata](https://docs.coveo.com/en/218/) that your source is extracting from your content.

. Map any currently _not indexed_ metadata that you want to use in facets or result templates to fields.

.. Click the metadata and then, at the top right, click **Add to Index**.

.. In the **Apply a mapping on all item types of a source** panel, select the field you want to map the metadata to, or [add a new field](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1833#add-a-field) if none of the existing fields are appropriate.

> **Note**
>
> For advanced mapping configurations, like applying a mapping to a specific item type, see [Manage mappings](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1640#manage-mappings).

.. Click **Apply mapping**.

. Return to the [**Sources**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/)) page.

. To reindex your source with your new mappings, click your source, and then click **More** > **Rebuild** in the Action bar.

. Once the source is rebuilt, review your item field values.
They should now include the values of the metadata you selected to index.

.. On the [**Sources**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/)) page, click your source, and then click **More** > **Open in Content Browser** in the Action bar.

.. Select the card of the item for which you want to inspect properties, and then click **Properties** in the Action bar.

.. In the panel that appears, select the **Fields** tab.

## Required privileges

You can assign privileges to allow access to specific tools in the [Coveo Administration Console](https://docs.coveo.com/en/183/).
The following table indicates the privileges required to view or edit elements of the [**Sources**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/content/sources/)) page and associated panels.
See [Manage privileges](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3151/) and [Privilege reference](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1707/) for more information.

> **Note**
>
> The **Edit all** privilege isn't required to create sources.
> When granting privileges for the [Sources](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1707#sources-domain) domain, you can grant a group or API key the **View all** or [**Custom**](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3151#custom-access-level) access level, instead of **Edit all**, and then select the **Can Create** checkbox to allow users to create sources.
> See [Can Create ability dependence](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3151#can-create-ability-dependence) for more information.

## What's next?

* [Schedule source updates](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1933/).
[Schedule source updates](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1933/).