diff --git a/swh/search/cli.py b/swh/search/cli.py
--- a/swh/search/cli.py
+++ b/swh/search/cli.py
@@ -113,15 +113,16 @@
 @click.argument("config-path", required=True)
 @click.option("--host", default="0.0.0.0", help="Host to run the server")
 @click.option("--port", default=5010, type=click.INT, help="Binding port of the server")
+@click.option("--index", default="origin", help="The index to use")
 @click.option(
     "--debug/--nodebug",
     default=True,
     help="Indicates if the server should run in debug mode",
 )
-def rpc_server(config_path, host, port, debug):
+def rpc_server(config_path, host, port, index, debug):
     """Starts a Software Heritage Indexer RPC HTTP server."""
     from .api.server import app, load_and_check_config
 
     api_cfg = load_and_check_config(config_path, type="any")
     app.config.update(api_cfg)
-    app.run(host, port=int(port), debug=bool(debug))
+    app.run(host, port=int(port), index=index, debug=bool(debug))
diff --git a/swh/search/elasticsearch.py b/swh/search/elasticsearch.py
--- a/swh/search/elasticsearch.py
+++ b/swh/search/elasticsearch.py
@@ -59,8 +59,9 @@
 
 
 class ElasticSearch:
-    def __init__(self, hosts: List[str]):
+    def __init__(self, hosts: List[str], index):
         self._backend = Elasticsearch(hosts=hosts)
+        self.index = index
 
     def check(self):
         return self._backend.ping()
@@ -71,10 +72,10 @@
 
     def initialize(self) -> None:
         """Declare Elasticsearch indices and mappings"""
-        if not self._backend.indices.exists(index="origin"):
-            self._backend.indices.create(index="origin")
+        if not self._backend.indices.exists(index=self.index):
+            self._backend.indices.create(index=self.index)
         self._backend.indices.put_mapping(
-            index="origin",
+            index=self.index,
             body={
                 "properties": {
                     # sha1 of the URL; used as the document id
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@
         )
 
     def flush(self) -> None:
-        self._backend.indices.refresh(index="_all")
+        self._backend.indices.refresh(index=self.index)
 
     def origin_update(self, documents: Iterable[Dict]) -> None:
         documents = map(_sanitize_origin, documents)
@@ -123,18 +124,20 @@
             {
                 "_op_type": "update",
                 "_id": sha1,
-                "_index": "origin",
+                "_index": self.index,
                 "doc": {**document, "sha1": sha1,},
                 "doc_as_upsert": True,
             }
             for (sha1, document) in documents_with_sha1
         ]
-        bulk(self._backend, actions, index="origin")
+        bulk(self._backend, actions, index=self.index)
 
     def origin_dump(self) -> Iterator[model.Origin]:
-        results = scan(self._backend, index="*")
+        results = scan(self._backend, index=self.index)
         for hit in results:
-            yield self._backend.termvectors(index="origin", id=hit["_id"], fields=["*"])
+            yield self._backend.termvectors(
+                index=self.index, id=hit["_id"], fields=["*"]
+            )
 
     def origin_search(
         self,
@@ -208,7 +211,7 @@
                 page_token_content[b"sha1"].decode("ascii"),
             ]
 
-        res = self._backend.search(index="origin", body=body, size=limit)
+        res = self._backend.search(index=self.index, body=body, size=limit)
 
         hits = res["hits"]["hits"]
 
diff --git a/swh/search/tests/conftest.py b/swh/search/tests/conftest.py
--- a/swh/search/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/swh/search/tests/conftest.py
@@ -123,7 +123,9 @@
 
     """
     logger.debug("swh_search: elasticsearch_host: %s", elasticsearch_host)
-    search = get_search("elasticsearch", hosts=[elasticsearch_host],)
+    search = get_search(
+        "elasticsearch", hosts=[elasticsearch_host], index="origin-test"
+    )
     search.deinitialize()  # To reset internal state from previous runs
     search.initialize()  # install required index
     yield search
diff --git a/swh/search/tests/test_api_client.py b/swh/search/tests/test_api_client.py
--- a/swh/search/tests/test_api_client.py
+++ b/swh/search/tests/test_api_client.py
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
         self.config = {
             "search": {
                 "cls": "elasticsearch",
-                "args": {"hosts": [self._elasticsearch_host],},
+                "args": {"hosts": [self._elasticsearch_host], "index": "origin-test"},
             }
         }
         self.app = app
@@ -32,7 +32,9 @@
         self.search = get_search("remote", url=self.url(),)
 
     def reset(self):
-        search = get_search("elasticsearch", hosts=[self._elasticsearch_host],)
+        search = get_search(
+            "elasticsearch", hosts=[self._elasticsearch_host], index="origin-test"
+        )
         search.deinitialize()
         search.initialize()
 
diff --git a/swh/search/tests/test_cli.py b/swh/search/tests/test_cli.py
--- a/swh/search/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/swh/search/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
     args:
         hosts:
         - '%(elasticsearch_host)s'
+        index: origin-test
 """
 
 JOURNAL_OBJECTS_CONFIG_TEMPLATE = """
diff --git a/swh/search/tests/test_init.py b/swh/search/tests/test_init.py
--- a/swh/search/tests/test_init.py
+++ b/swh/search/tests/test_init.py
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 
 SEARCH_IMPLEMENTATIONS_KWARGS = [
     ("remote", RemoteSearch, {"url": "localhost"}),
-    ("elasticsearch", ElasticSearch, {"hosts": ["localhost"]}),
+    ("elasticsearch", ElasticSearch, {"hosts": ["localhost"], "index": "origin-test"}),
 ]
 
 SEARCH_IMPLEMENTATIONS = SEARCH_IMPLEMENTATIONS_KWARGS + [