AlgoVista is a web-based search engine designed to allow applied computer scientists to classify problems and find algorithms and implementations that solve these problems. Unlike other search engines, AlgoVista is not keyword based. Rather, users provide a set of input==>output samples that describe the behavior of the problem they wish to classify. This type of query-by-example requires no knowledge of specialized terminology, only an ability to formalize the problem.

The search mechanism of AlgoVista is based on a novel application of program checking, a technique developed as an alternative to program verification and testing.