diff --git a/public/app/core/components/search/search.ts b/public/app/core/components/search/search.ts
index 020a7fe901a..9df363e301b 100644
--- a/public/app/core/components/search/search.ts
+++ b/public/app/core/components/search/search.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import _ from 'lodash';
 import coreModule from '../../core_module';
-import {impressions} from 'app/features/dashboard/impression_store';
+import { SearchSrv } from 'app/core/services/search_srv';
 
 export class SearchCtrl {
   isOpen: boolean;
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export class SearchCtrl {
   openCompleted: boolean;
 
   /** @ngInject */
-  constructor($scope, private $location, private $timeout, private backendSrv, public contextSrv, $rootScope) {
+  constructor($scope, private $location, private $timeout, private searchSrv: SearchSrv, $rootScope) {
     $rootScope.onAppEvent('show-dash-search', this.openSearch.bind(this), $scope);
     $rootScope.onAppEvent('hide-dash-search', this.closeSearch.bind(this), $scope);
   }
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ export class SearchCtrl {
   closeSearch() {
     this.isOpen = this.ignoreClose;
     this.openCompleted = false;
-    this.contextSrv.isSearching = this.isOpen;
   }
 
   openSearch(evt, payload) {
@@ -35,7 +34,6 @@ export class SearchCtrl {
     }
 
     this.isOpen = true;
-    this.contextSrv.isSearching = true;
     this.giveSearchFocus = 0;
     this.selectedIndex = -1;
     this.results = [];
@@ -101,54 +99,9 @@ export class SearchCtrl {
     this.currentSearchId = this.currentSearchId + 1;
     var localSearchId = this.currentSearchId;
 
-    return this.backendSrv.search(this.query).then(results => {
+    return this.searchSrv.search(this.query).then(results => {
       if (localSearchId < this.currentSearchId) { return; }
-
-      let sections: any = {};
-
-      sections["starred"] = {
-        score: 0,
-        icon: 'fa fa-star-o',
-        title: "Starred dashboards",
-        items: [
-          {title: 'Frontend Nginx'},
-          {title: 'Cassandra overview'}
-        ]
-      };
-
-      sections["recent"] = {
-        score: 1,
-        icon: 'fa fa-clock-o',
-        title: "Recent dashboards",
-        items: [
-          {title: 'Frontend Nginx'},
-          {title: 'Cassandra overview'}
-        ]
-      };
-
-      // create folder index
-      for (let hit of results) {
-        let section = sections[hit.folderId];
-        if (!section) {
-          section = {
-            id: hit.folderId,
-            title: hit.folderTitle,
-            items: [],
-            icon: 'fa fa-folder-open'
-          };
-          // handle root
-          if (!hit.folderId) {
-            section.title = "Dashboards";
-            section.icon = "fa fa-circle-o";
-          }
-          sections[hit.folderId] = section;
-        }
-
-        hit.url = 'dashboard/' + hit.uri;
-        section.items.push(hit);
-      }
-
-      this.results = _.sortBy(_.values(sections), 'score');
+      this.results = results;
     });
   }
 
@@ -176,7 +129,7 @@ export class SearchCtrl {
   }
 
   getTags() {
-    return this.backendSrv.get('/api/dashboards/tags').then((results) => {
+    return this.searchSrv.getDashboardTags().then((results) => {
       this.tagsMode = !this.tagsMode;
       this.results = results;
       this.giveSearchFocus = this.giveSearchFocus + 1;
diff --git a/public/app/core/core.ts b/public/app/core/core.ts
index 66d8b8b656d..602cb49cb68 100644
--- a/public/app/core/core.ts
+++ b/public/app/core/core.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import './utils/outline';
 import './components/colorpicker/ColorPicker';
 import './components/colorpicker/SeriesColorPicker';
 import './components/colorpicker/spectrum_picker';
+import './services/search_srv';
 
 import {grafanaAppDirective} from './components/grafana_app';
 import {sideMenuDirective} from './components/sidemenu/sidemenu';
diff --git a/public/app/core/services/search_srv.ts b/public/app/core/services/search_srv.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ecd5268c6cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/app/core/services/search_srv.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+import _ from 'lodash';
+import coreModule from 'app/core/core_module';
+
+export class SearchSrv {
+
+  /** @ngInject */
+  constructor(private backendSrv) {
+  }
+
+  search(query) {
+    return this.backendSrv.search(query).then(results => {
+
+      let sections: any = {};
+
+      // sections["starred"] = {
+      //   score: 0,
+      //   icon: 'fa fa-star-o',
+      //   title: "Starred dashboards",
+      //   items: [
+      //     {title: 'Frontend Nginx'},
+      //     {title: 'Cassandra overview'}
+      //   ]
+      // };
+      //
+      // sections["recent"] = {
+      //   score: 1,
+      //   icon: 'fa fa-clock-o',
+      //   title: "Recent dashboards",
+      //   items: [
+      //     {title: 'Frontend Nginx'},
+      //     {title: 'Cassandra overview'}
+      //   ]
+      // };
+
+     // create folder index
+      for (let hit of results) {
+        let section = sections[hit.folderId];
+        if (!section) {
+          section = {
+            id: hit.folderId,
+            title: hit.folderTitle,
+            items: [],
+            icon: 'fa fa-folder-open'
+          };
+          // handle root
+          if (!hit.folderId) {
+            section.title = "Dashboards";
+            section.icon = "fa fa-circle-o";
+          }
+          sections[hit.folderId] = section;
+        }
+
+        hit.url = 'dashboard/' + hit.uri;
+        section.items.push(hit);
+      }
+
+      return _.sortBy(_.values(sections), 'score');
+    });
+  }
+
+  getDashboardTags() {
+    return this.backendSrv.get('/api/dashboards/tags');
+  }
+}
+
+coreModule.service('searchSrv', SearchSrv);
diff --git a/public/app/core/specs/search_srv.jest.ts b/public/app/core/specs/search_srv.jest.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..44561a7fbc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/app/core/specs/search_srv.jest.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+import { SearchSrv } from 'app/core/services/search_srv';
+import { BackendSrvMock } from 'test/mocks/backend_srv';
+
+describe('SearchSrv', () => {
+  let searchSrv, backendSrvMock;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    backendSrvMock = new BackendSrvMock();
+    searchSrv = new SearchSrv(backendSrvMock);
+  });
+
+  describe("with no query string and dashboards with folders returned", () => {
+    let results;
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      backendSrvMock.search = jest.fn().mockReturnValue(Promise.resolve([
+        {
+          title: 'dash with no folder',
+        },
+        {
+          title: 'dash in folder1 1',
+          folderId: 1,
+          folderTitle: 'folder1'
+        },
+        {
+          title: 'dash in folder1 2',
+          folderId: 1,
+          folderTitle: 'folder1'
+        },
+        {
+          title: 'dahs in folder2 1',
+          folderId: 2,
+          folderTitle: 'folder2'
+        }
+      ]));
+
+      return searchSrv.search({query: ''}).then(res => {
+        results = res;
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("should create sections for each folder and root", () => {
+      expect(results).toHaveLength(3);
+    });
+
+  });
+
+});
diff --git a/public/test/mocks/backend_srv.ts b/public/test/mocks/backend_srv.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..666de593722
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/test/mocks/backend_srv.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+export class BackendSrvMock {
+  search: any;
+
+  constructor() {
+  }
+
+}
+