diff --git a/3rdParty/CMakeLists.txt b/3rdParty/CMakeLists.txt
index c53873f60c..ade1891f92 100755
--- a/3rdParty/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/3rdParty/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -89,11 +89,6 @@ if (USE_PRECOMPILED_V8)
     FORCE
   )
 else ()
-  # meaningless IResearch circus that makes the windows build fail
-  #if (MSVC AND USE_IRESEARCH)
-  #  set(V8_TARGET_ARCHS "Debug;Release") # need to build both ICU for IResearch otherwise no library to link with
-  #endif ()
-
   add_subdirectory(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/V8)
   set(ICU_DT "${ICU_DT}" PARENT_SCOPE)
   set(ICU_DT_DEST "${ICU_DT_DEST}" PARENT_SCOPE)
@@ -119,89 +114,86 @@ set(BOOST_VERSION ${BOOST_VERSION} PARENT_SCOPE)
 ## IResearch
 ################################################################################
 
-if (USE_IRESEARCH)
-  add_library(boost-static IMPORTED STATIC)
-  set_target_properties(boost-static PROPERTIES
-    INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/boost/${BOOST_VERSION}"
-    IMPORTED_LOCATION "boost_locale;boost_system;boost_thread"
-  )
+add_library(boost-static IMPORTED STATIC)
+set_target_properties(boost-static PROPERTIES
+  INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/boost/${BOOST_VERSION}"
+  IMPORTED_LOCATION "boost_locale;boost_system;boost_thread"
+)
 
-  # explicitly set since suppressing Boost search
-  set(Boost_INCLUDE_DIRS "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/boost/${BOOST_VERSION}")
+# explicitly set since suppressing Boost search
+set(Boost_INCLUDE_DIRS "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/boost/${BOOST_VERSION}")
 
-  # IResearch on MacOS requires a complete build of ICU for encoding conversion
-  if(APPLE)
-    set(ICU_LIBS icu-static CACHE INTERNAL "ICU: Libraries" FORCE) # use complete ICU build
-    set(ICU_ROOT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/V8/${V8_SUB_DIR}/third_party/icu")
-  elseif(MSVC)
-    add_library(icu-shared STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch shared dependencies
-    add_library(icudata-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
-    add_library(icui18n-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
-    add_library(icuuc-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
-    add_library(icu-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL)
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${ICU_INCLUDE_DIR}")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION_DEBUG "${ICU_ROOT}/Debug/lib/icui18n.lib")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION_RELEASE "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icui18n.lib")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION_RELWITHDEBINFO "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icui18n.lib")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION_MINSIZEREL "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icui18n.lib")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES_DEBUG "${ICU_ROOT}/Debug/lib/icuuc.lib")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES_RELEASE "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icuuc.lib")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES_RELWITHDEBINFO "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icuuc.lib")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES_MINSIZEREL "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icuuc.lib")
-    set(ICU_FOUND TRUE) # ICU built from source in 3rdParty directory
-  else()
-    add_library(icu-shared STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch shared dependencies
-    add_library(icudata-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
-    add_library(icui18n-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
-    add_library(icuuc-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
-    add_library(icu-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL)
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${ICU_INCLUDE_DIR}")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION "${ICU_LIBRARY_DIR}/libicui18n.a")
-    set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES "${ICU_LIBRARY_DIR}/libicuuc.a")
-    set(ICU_FOUND TRUE) # ICU built from source in 3rdParty directory
-  endif()
+# IResearch on MacOS requires a complete build of ICU for encoding conversion
+if(APPLE)
+  set(ICU_LIBS icu-static CACHE INTERNAL "ICU: Libraries" FORCE) # use complete ICU build
+  set(ICU_ROOT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/V8/${V8_SUB_DIR}/third_party/icu")
+elseif(MSVC)
+  add_library(icu-shared STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch shared dependencies
+  add_library(icudata-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
+  add_library(icui18n-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
+  add_library(icuuc-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
+  add_library(icu-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL)
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${ICU_INCLUDE_DIR}")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION_DEBUG "${ICU_ROOT}/Debug/lib/icui18n.lib")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION_RELEASE "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icui18n.lib")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION_RELWITHDEBINFO "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icui18n.lib")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION_MINSIZEREL "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icui18n.lib")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES_DEBUG "${ICU_ROOT}/Debug/lib/icuuc.lib")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES_RELEASE "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icuuc.lib")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES_RELWITHDEBINFO "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icuuc.lib")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES_MINSIZEREL "${ICU_ROOT}/Release/lib/icuuc.lib")
+  set(ICU_FOUND TRUE) # ICU built from source in 3rdParty directory
+else()
+  add_library(icu-shared STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch shared dependencies
+  add_library(icudata-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
+  add_library(icui18n-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
+  add_library(icuuc-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL) # empty unused library to satisfy IResearch static dependencies
+  add_library(icu-static STATIC IMPORTED GLOBAL)
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES "${ICU_INCLUDE_DIR}")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY IMPORTED_LOCATION "${ICU_LIBRARY_DIR}/libicui18n.a")
+  set_property(TARGET icu-static PROPERTY INTERFACE_LINK_LIBRARIES "${ICU_LIBRARY_DIR}/libicuuc.a")
+  set(ICU_FOUND TRUE) # ICU built from source in 3rdParty directory
+endif()
 
-  if(NOT PERL_FOUND)
-    set(PERL_FOUND TRUE) # suppress error for Perl not-found
+if(NOT PERL_FOUND)
+  set(PERL_FOUND TRUE) # suppress error for Perl not-found
 
-    # MSVC will execute ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND even though OUTPUT is already present
-    if(MSVC)
-      set(PERL_EXECUTABLE echo)
-    endif()
-  endif()
-
-  set(LZ4_ROOT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lz4")
-  set(SNOWBALL_ROOT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/snowball")
-  set(UNWIND_ROOT "invalid")
-  set(BFD_ROOT "invalid")
-
-  find_package(IResearch REQUIRED) # set IRESEARCH_BUILD_DIR
-
-  set(CMAKE_MACOSX_RPATH ON) # suppress cmake warning (use same value as cmake default)
-  set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH_ORIGINAL ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH}) # remember CMAKE_MODULE_PATH
-  list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH
-    "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake" # cmake overrides (must be first)
-    "${IRESEARCH_ROOT}/cmake" # to find iResearch dependencies
-  )
-
-  # copy pre-built files over to the build directory
-  # this is required to avoid triggering file generation via bison and perl during the build procedure
-  file(GLOB_RECURSE IRESEARCH_PREBUILT RELATIVE "${IRESEARCH_ROOT}.build" FOLLOW_SYMLINKS "${IRESEARCH_ROOT}.build/*")
-  foreach(ELEMENT ${IRESEARCH_PREBUILT})
-    configure_file("${IRESEARCH_ROOT}.build/${ELEMENT}" "${IRESEARCH_BUILD_DIR}/${ELEMENT}" COPYONLY)
-  endforeach()
-
-  add_subdirectory("${IRESEARCH_ROOT}" "${IRESEARCH_BUILD_DIR}" EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL) # do not build unused targets
-  set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH_ORIGINAL}) # restore CMAKE_MODULE_PATH
-  unset(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS) # otherwise ZLib (below) does not build on win32
-  unset(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS CACHE) # otherwise ZLib (below) does not build on win32
-
-  if(APPLE)
-    # cmake does not build ICU without this (cmake does not inherit dependencies)
-    add_dependencies(v8_build icu-build icudata-static icui18n-static icuuc-static)
+  # MSVC will execute ADD_CUSTOM_COMMAND even though OUTPUT is already present
+  if(MSVC)
+    set(PERL_EXECUTABLE echo)
   endif()
 endif()
 
+set(LZ4_ROOT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/lz4")
+set(SNOWBALL_ROOT "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/snowball")
+set(UNWIND_ROOT "invalid")
+set(BFD_ROOT "invalid")
+
+find_package(IResearch REQUIRED) # set IRESEARCH_BUILD_DIR
+
+set(CMAKE_MACOSX_RPATH ON) # suppress cmake warning (use same value as cmake default)
+set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH_ORIGINAL ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH}) # remember CMAKE_MODULE_PATH
+list(APPEND CMAKE_MODULE_PATH
+  "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake" # cmake overrides (must be first)
+  "${IRESEARCH_ROOT}/cmake" # to find iResearch dependencies
+)
+
+# copy pre-built files over to the build directory
+# this is required to avoid triggering file generation via bison and perl during the build procedure
+file(GLOB_RECURSE IRESEARCH_PREBUILT RELATIVE "${IRESEARCH_ROOT}.build" FOLLOW_SYMLINKS "${IRESEARCH_ROOT}.build/*")
+foreach(ELEMENT ${IRESEARCH_PREBUILT})
+  configure_file("${IRESEARCH_ROOT}.build/${ELEMENT}" "${IRESEARCH_BUILD_DIR}/${ELEMENT}" COPYONLY)
+endforeach()
+
+add_subdirectory("${IRESEARCH_ROOT}" "${IRESEARCH_BUILD_DIR}" EXCLUDE_FROM_ALL) # do not build unused targets
+set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH_ORIGINAL}) # restore CMAKE_MODULE_PATH
+unset(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS) # otherwise ZLib (below) does not build on win32
+unset(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS CACHE) # otherwise ZLib (below) does not build on win32
+
+if(APPLE)
+  # cmake does not build ICU without this (cmake does not inherit dependencies)
+  add_dependencies(v8_build icu-build icudata-static icui18n-static icuuc-static)
+endif()
 
 ################################################################################
 ## cURL
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 795b436ea6..e0ab54df65 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1007,13 +1007,7 @@ endif ()
 # IResearch
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-option(USE_IRESEARCH "enable ArangoSearch views" ON)
-
-if(USE_IRESEARCH)
-  add_definitions("-DUSE_IRESEARCH=1")
-
-  set(LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH arango_iresearch)
-endif()
+set(LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH arango_iresearch)
 
 # 3rdParty exports:
 #
diff --git a/Installation/Jenkins/build.sh b/Installation/Jenkins/build.sh
index 11a107687c..ac631f391f 100755
--- a/Installation/Jenkins/build.sh
+++ b/Installation/Jenkins/build.sh
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ MAKE=make
 PACKAGE_MAKE=make
 MAKE_PARAMS=()
 MAKE_CMD_PREFIX=""
-CONFIGURE_OPTIONS+=("$CMAKE_OPENSSL -DGENERATE_BUILD_DATE=OFF -DUSE_IRESEARCH=On")
+CONFIGURE_OPTIONS+=("$CMAKE_OPENSSL -DGENERATE_BUILD_DATE=OFF")
 INSTALL_PREFIX="/"
 MAINTAINER_MODE="-DUSE_MAINTAINER_MODE=off"
 
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/CollectNode.cpp b/arangod/Aql/CollectNode.cpp
index 91919a42c7..037657ee34 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/CollectNode.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/CollectNode.cpp
@@ -450,9 +450,7 @@ struct UserVarFinder final : public WalkerWorker<ExecutionNode> {
                en->getType() == ExecutionNode::ENUMERATE_LIST ||
                en->getType() == ExecutionNode::TRAVERSAL ||
                en->getType() == ExecutionNode::SHORTEST_PATH ||
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
                en->getType() == ExecutionNode::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW ||
-#endif
                en->getType() == ExecutionNode::COLLECT) {
       depth += 1;
     }
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/ConditionFinder.cpp b/arangod/Aql/ConditionFinder.cpp
index 915f3b05b8..4b82ef4ce5 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/ConditionFinder.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/ConditionFinder.cpp
@@ -43,9 +43,7 @@ bool ConditionFinder::before(ExecutionNode* en) {
     case EN::RETURN:
     case EN::TRAVERSAL:
     case EN::SHORTEST_PATH:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW:
-#endif
     {
       // in these cases we simply ignore the intermediate nodes, note
       // that we have taken care of nodes that could throw exceptions
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/EngineInfoContainerDBServer.cpp b/arangod/Aql/EngineInfoContainerDBServer.cpp
index 397b4141a4..30c2f7785a 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/EngineInfoContainerDBServer.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/EngineInfoContainerDBServer.cpp
@@ -44,9 +44,7 @@
 #include "Utils/CollectionNameResolver.h"
 #include "VocBase/LogicalCollection.h"
 #include "VocBase/ticks.h"
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchViewNode.h"
-#endif
 
 using namespace arangodb;
 using namespace arangodb::aql;
@@ -188,7 +186,6 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::EngineInfo::addNode(ExecutionNode* node) {
       setRestrictedShard(ExecutionNode::castTo<IndexNode*>(node), _source);
       break;
     }
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case ExecutionNode::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW: {
       TRI_ASSERT(EngineType::Collection == type());
       auto& viewNode = *ExecutionNode::castTo<iresearch::IResearchViewNode*>(node);
@@ -201,7 +198,6 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::EngineInfo::addNode(ExecutionNode* node) {
                            findFirstScatter(viewNode));
       break;
     }
-#endif
     case ExecutionNode::INSERT:
     case ExecutionNode::UPDATE:
     case ExecutionNode::REMOVE:
@@ -232,7 +228,6 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::EngineInfo::collection(Collection* col) noexce
   source->collection = col;
 }
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 LogicalView const* EngineInfoContainerDBServer::EngineInfo::view() const noexcept {
   TRI_ASSERT(EngineType::View == type());
   auto* source = boost::get<ViewSource>(&_source);
@@ -257,7 +252,6 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::EngineInfo::addClient(ServerID const& server)
     source->gather->sortMode(GatherNode::evaluateSortMode(++source->numClients));
   }
 }
-#endif
 
 void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::EngineInfo::serializeSnippet(
     ServerID const& serverId, Query& query, std::vector<ShardID> const& shards,
@@ -287,13 +281,10 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::EngineInfo::serializeSnippet(
     // "varUsageComputed" flag below (which will handle the counting)
     plan.increaseCounter(nodeType);
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     if (ExecutionNode::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW == nodeType) {
       auto* viewNode = ExecutionNode::castTo<iresearch::IResearchViewNode*>(clone);
       viewNode->shards() = shards;
-    } else
-#endif
-    if (ExecutionNode::REMOTE == nodeType) {
+    } else if (ExecutionNode::REMOTE == nodeType) {
       auto rem = ExecutionNode::castTo<RemoteNode*>(clone);
       // update the remote node with the information about the query
       rem->server("server:" + arangodb::ServerState::instance()->getId());
@@ -451,7 +442,6 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::addNode(ExecutionNode* node) {
       updateCollection(col);
       break;
     }
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case ExecutionNode::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW: {
       auto& viewNode = *ExecutionNode::castTo<iresearch::IResearchViewNode*>(node);
       auto* view = viewNode.view().get();
@@ -463,7 +453,6 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::addNode(ExecutionNode* node) {
 
       break;
     }
-#endif
     case ExecutionNode::INSERT:
     case ExecutionNode::UPDATE:
     case ExecutionNode::REMOVE:
@@ -508,12 +497,9 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::closeSnippet(QueryId coordinatorEngineId) {
 
   e->connectQueryId(coordinatorEngineId);
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
   if (EngineInfo::EngineType::View == e->type()) {
     _viewInfos[e->view()].engines.emplace_back(std::move(e));
-  } else
-#endif
-  {
+  } else {
     TRI_ASSERT(e->collection() != nullptr);
     auto it = _collectionInfos.find(e->collection());
     // This is not possible we have a snippet where no collection is involved
@@ -644,7 +630,6 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::DBServerInfo::buildMessage(
     EngineInfo& engine = *it.first;
     std::vector<ShardID> const& shards = it.second;
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     // serialize for the list of shards
     if (engine.type() == EngineInfo::EngineType::View) {
       engine.serializeSnippet(serverId, query, shards, infoBuilder);
@@ -652,7 +637,6 @@ void EngineInfoContainerDBServer::DBServerInfo::buildMessage(
 
       continue;
     }
-#endif
 
     bool isResponsibleForInit = true;
     for (auto const& shard : shards) {
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/EngineInfoContainerDBServer.h b/arangod/Aql/EngineInfoContainerDBServer.h
index 71d0120449..8b8621d283 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/EngineInfoContainerDBServer.h
+++ b/arangod/Aql/EngineInfoContainerDBServer.h
@@ -109,10 +109,8 @@ class EngineInfoContainerDBServer {
       return static_cast<EngineType>(_source.which());
     }
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     LogicalView const* view() const noexcept;
     void addClient(ServerID const& server);
-#endif
 
    private:
     struct CollectionSource {
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/ExecutionNode.cpp b/arangod/Aql/ExecutionNode.cpp
index d20b18569f..659fb6e1b2 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/ExecutionNode.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/ExecutionNode.cpp
@@ -58,10 +58,7 @@
 #include "StorageEngine/StorageEngine.h"
 #include "Transaction/Methods.h"
 #include "Utils/OperationCursor.h"
-
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchViewNode.h"
-#endif
 
 #include <velocypack/Iterator.h>
 #include <velocypack/velocypack-aliases.h>
@@ -99,10 +96,8 @@ std::unordered_map<int, std::string const> const typeNames{
     {static_cast<int>(ExecutionNode::SHORTEST_PATH), "ShortestPathNode"},
     {static_cast<int>(ExecutionNode::REMOTESINGLE),
      "SingleRemoteOperationNode"},
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     {static_cast<int>(ExecutionNode::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW),
      "EnumerateViewNode"},
-#endif
 };
 
 // FIXME -- this temporary function should be
@@ -329,10 +324,8 @@ ExecutionNode* ExecutionNode::fromVPackFactory(ExecutionPlan* plan, VPackSlice c
       return new ShortestPathNode(plan, slice);
     case REMOTESINGLE:
       return new SingleRemoteOperationNode(plan, slice);
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW:
       return new iresearch::IResearchViewNode(*plan, slice);
-#endif
     default: {
       // should not reach this point
       TRI_ASSERT(false);
@@ -621,9 +614,7 @@ ExecutionNode const* ExecutionNode::getLoop() const {
 
     if (type == ENUMERATE_COLLECTION || type == INDEX || type == TRAVERSAL ||
         type == ENUMERATE_LIST || type == SHORTEST_PATH
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
         || type == ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW
-#endif
     ) {
       return node;
     }
@@ -1062,7 +1053,6 @@ void ExecutionNode::RegisterPlan::after(ExecutionNode* en) {
       break;
     }
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case ExecutionNode::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW: {
       auto ep = ExecutionNode::castTo<iresearch::IResearchViewNode const*>(en);
       TRI_ASSERT(ep);
@@ -1070,7 +1060,6 @@ void ExecutionNode::RegisterPlan::after(ExecutionNode* en) {
       ep->planNodeRegisters(nrRegsHere, nrRegs, varInfo, totalNrRegs, ++depth);
       break;
     }
-#endif
 
     default: {
       // should not reach this point
@@ -1732,9 +1721,7 @@ bool SubqueryNode::mayAccessCollections() {
   // if the subquery contains any of these nodes, it may access data from
   // a collection
   std::vector<ExecutionNode::NodeType> const types = {
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
       ExecutionNode::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW,
-#endif
       ExecutionNode::ENUMERATE_COLLECTION,
       ExecutionNode::INDEX,
       ExecutionNode::INSERT,
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/ExecutionNode.h b/arangod/Aql/ExecutionNode.h
index ec2bc71e1a..9c17fc9ae1 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/ExecutionNode.h
+++ b/arangod/Aql/ExecutionNode.h
@@ -145,9 +145,7 @@ class ExecutionNode {
     INDEX = 23,
     SHORTEST_PATH = 24,
     REMOTESINGLE = 25,
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW,
-#endif
     MAX_NODE_TYPE_VALUE
   };
 
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/ExecutionPlan.cpp b/arangod/Aql/ExecutionPlan.cpp
index f31ae671a4..7e11e0ecba 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/ExecutionPlan.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/ExecutionPlan.cpp
@@ -47,10 +47,7 @@
 #include "Graph/ShortestPathOptions.h"
 #include "Graph/TraverserOptions.h"
 #include "VocBase/AccessMode.h"
-
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchViewNode.h"
-#endif
 
 #include <velocypack/Iterator.h>
 #include <velocypack/Options.h>
@@ -865,7 +862,6 @@ ExecutionNode* ExecutionPlan::fromNodeFor(ExecutionNode* previous, AstNode const
                                      "no collection for EnumerateCollection");
     }
     en = registerNode(new EnumerateCollectionNode(this, nextId(), collection, v, false, hint));
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
   } else if (expression->type == NODE_TYPE_VIEW) {
     // second operand is a view
     std::string const viewName = expression->getString();
@@ -893,7 +889,6 @@ ExecutionNode* ExecutionPlan::fromNodeFor(ExecutionNode* previous, AstNode const
 
     en = registerNode(new iresearch::IResearchViewNode(*this, nextId(), vocbase, view,
                                                        *v, nullptr, options, {}));
-#endif
   } else if (expression->type == NODE_TYPE_REFERENCE) {
     // second operand is already a variable
     auto inVariable = static_cast<Variable*>(expression->getData());
@@ -945,7 +940,6 @@ ExecutionNode* ExecutionPlan::fromNodeForView(ExecutionNode* previous, AstNode c
 
   TRI_ASSERT(expression->type == NODE_TYPE_VIEW);
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
   std::string const viewName = expression->getString();
   auto& vocbase = _ast->query()->vocbase();
 
@@ -978,9 +972,6 @@ ExecutionNode* ExecutionPlan::fromNodeForView(ExecutionNode* previous, AstNode c
 
   en = registerNode(new iresearch::IResearchViewNode(*this, nextId(), vocbase, view, *v,
                                                      search->getMember(0), options, {}));
-#else
-  THROW_ARANGO_EXCEPTION(TRI_ERROR_NOT_IMPLEMENTED);
-#endif
 
   TRI_ASSERT(en != nullptr);
 
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRule.h b/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRule.h
index ce819b3a27..00e7ea669c 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRule.h
+++ b/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRule.h
@@ -166,10 +166,8 @@ struct OptimizerRule {
     // remove redundant filters statements
     removeFiltersCoveredByTraversal,
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     // move filters and sort conditions into views and remove them
     handleArangoSearchViewsRule,
-#endif
 
     // remove calculations that are redundant
     // needs to run after filter removal
@@ -211,11 +209,9 @@ struct OptimizerRule {
     // make operations on sharded collections use scatter / gather / remote
     scatterInClusterRule,
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     // FIXME order-???
     // make operations on sharded IResearch views use scatter / gather / remote
     scatterIResearchViewInClusterRule,
-#endif
 
     // move FilterNodes & Calculation nodes in between
     // scatter(remote) <-> gather(remote) so they're
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRules.cpp b/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRules.cpp
index 1a386eb161..ab01076a44 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRules.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRules.cpp
@@ -61,9 +61,7 @@
 #include "Utils/CollectionNameResolver.h"
 #include "VocBase/Methods/Collections.h"
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchViewNode.h"
-#endif
 
 #include <boost/optional.hpp>
 #include <tuple>
@@ -83,9 +81,7 @@ bool accessesCollectionVariable(arangodb::aql::ExecutionPlan const* plan,
       continue;
     }
     if (setter->getType() == EN::INDEX || setter->getType() == EN::ENUMERATE_COLLECTION ||
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
         setter->getType() == EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW ||
-#endif
         setter->getType() == EN::SUBQUERY || setter->getType() == EN::TRAVERSAL ||
         setter->getType() == EN::SHORTEST_PATH) {
       return true;
@@ -1666,9 +1662,7 @@ void arangodb::aql::moveCalculationsDownRule(Optimizer* opt,
           lastNode = current;
         }
       } else if (currentType == EN::INDEX || currentType == EN::ENUMERATE_COLLECTION ||
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
                  currentType == EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW ||
-#endif
                  currentType == EN::ENUMERATE_LIST ||
                  currentType == EN::TRAVERSAL || currentType == EN::SHORTEST_PATH ||
                  currentType == EN::COLLECT || currentType == EN::NORESULTS) {
@@ -2028,7 +2022,6 @@ class arangodb::aql::RedundantCalculationsReplacer final
     }
   }
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
   void replaceInView(ExecutionNode* en) {
     auto view = ExecutionNode::castTo<arangodb::iresearch::IResearchViewNode*>(en);
     if (view->filterConditionIsEmpty()) {
@@ -2058,7 +2051,6 @@ class arangodb::aql::RedundantCalculationsReplacer final
       view->filterCondition(cloned);
     }
   }
-#endif
 
   bool before(ExecutionNode* en) override final {
     switch (en->getType()) {
@@ -2067,12 +2059,10 @@ class arangodb::aql::RedundantCalculationsReplacer final
         break;
       }
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
       case EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW: {
         replaceInView(en);
         break;
       }
-#endif
 
       case EN::RETURN: {
         replaceInVariable<ReturnNode>(en);
@@ -3130,9 +3120,7 @@ struct SortToIndexNode final : public WalkerWorker<ExecutionNode> {
       case EN::TRAVERSAL:
       case EN::SHORTEST_PATH:
       case EN::ENUMERATE_LIST:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
       case EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW:
-#endif
         // found some other FOR loop
         return true;
 
@@ -4348,9 +4336,7 @@ void arangodb::aql::distributeFilternCalcToClusterRule(Optimizer* opt,
         case EN::TRAVERSAL:
         case EN::SHORTEST_PATH:
         case EN::SUBQUERY:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
         case EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW:
-#endif
           // do break
           stopSearching = true;
           break;
@@ -4484,9 +4470,7 @@ void arangodb::aql::distributeSortToClusterRule(Optimizer* opt,
         case EN::TRAVERSAL:
         case EN::SHORTEST_PATH:
         case EN::REMOTESINGLE:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
         case EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW:
-#endif
 
           // For all these, we do not want to pull a SortNode further down
           // out to the DBservers, note that potential FilterNodes and
@@ -5001,9 +4985,7 @@ class RemoveToEnumCollFinder final : public WalkerWorker<ExecutionNode> {
       }
       case EN::SINGLETON:
       case EN::ENUMERATE_LIST:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
       case EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW:
-#endif
       case EN::SUBQUERY:
       case EN::COLLECT:
       case EN::INSERT:
@@ -5674,9 +5656,7 @@ void arangodb::aql::patchUpdateStatementsRule(Optimizer* opt,
       auto const type = dep->getType();
 
       if (type == EN::ENUMERATE_LIST ||
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
           type == EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW ||
-#endif
           type == EN::SUBQUERY) {
         // not suitable
         modified = false;
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRulesFeature.cpp b/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRulesFeature.cpp
index 405bae2a50..e8eb1c6aff 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRulesFeature.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/OptimizerRulesFeature.cpp
@@ -27,10 +27,7 @@
 #include "OptimizerRulesFeature.h"
 #include "StorageEngine/EngineSelectorFeature.h"
 #include "StorageEngine/StorageEngine.h"
-
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchViewOptimizerRules.h"
-#endif
 
 #include <velocypack/StringRef.h>
 
@@ -273,12 +270,10 @@ void OptimizerRulesFeature::addRules() {
   registerRule("replace-function-with-index", replaceNearWithinFulltext,
                OptimizerRule::replaceNearWithinFulltext,
                DoesNotCreateAdditionalPlans, CanNotBeDisabled);
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
   // move filters and sort conditions into views
   registerRule("handle-arangosearch-views", arangodb::iresearch::handleViewsRule,
                OptimizerRule::handleArangoSearchViewsRule,
                DoesNotCreateAdditionalPlans, CanNotBeDisabled);
-#endif
 
   // remove FILTER DISTANCE(...) and SORT DISTANCE(...)
   OptimizerRulesFeature::registerRule("geo-index-optimizer", geoIndexRule,
@@ -339,13 +334,11 @@ void OptimizerRulesFeature::addRules() {
                  DoesNotCreateAdditionalPlans, CanBeDisabled);
 #endif
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     // distribute view queries in cluster
     registerRule("scatter-arangosearch-view-in-cluster",
                  arangodb::iresearch::scatterViewInClusterRule,
                  OptimizerRule::scatterIResearchViewInClusterRule,
                  DoesNotCreateAdditionalPlans, CanNotBeDisabled);
-#endif
 
     registerRule("restrict-to-single-shard", restrictToSingleShardRule,
                  OptimizerRule::restrictToSingleShardRule,
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/SortNode.cpp b/arangod/Aql/SortNode.cpp
index 7aad3cd316..298834549d 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/SortNode.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/SortNode.cpp
@@ -38,10 +38,8 @@ std::string const ConstrainedHeap = "constrained-heap";
 std::string const Standard = "standard";
 }  // namespace
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchViewNode.h"
 #include "IResearch/IResearchOrderFactory.h"
-#endif
 
 using namespace arangodb::basics;
 using namespace arangodb::aql;
diff --git a/arangod/Aql/TraversalConditionFinder.cpp b/arangod/Aql/TraversalConditionFinder.cpp
index 8b396173bf..752298f356 100644
--- a/arangod/Aql/TraversalConditionFinder.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Aql/TraversalConditionFinder.cpp
@@ -513,9 +513,7 @@ bool TraversalConditionFinder::before(ExecutionNode* en) {
     case EN::ENUMERATE_COLLECTION:
     case EN::LIMIT:
     case EN::SHORTEST_PATH:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW:
-#endif
     {
       // in these cases we simply ignore the intermediate nodes, note
       // that we have taken care of nodes that could throw exceptions
diff --git a/arangod/CMakeLists.txt b/arangod/CMakeLists.txt
index bdf011e4ae..75be4e9305 100644
--- a/arangod/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/arangod/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -45,74 +45,70 @@ endif ()
 ## IResearch
 ################################################################################
 
-if (USE_IRESEARCH)
-  find_package(IResearch REQUIRED)
+find_package(IResearch REQUIRED)
 
-  add_library(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
-    STATIC
-    IResearch/ApplicationServerHelper.h IResearch/ApplicationServerHelper.cpp
-    IResearch/Containers.cpp IResearch/Containers.h
-    IResearch/IResearchAnalyzerFeature.cpp IResearch/IResearchAnalyzerFeature.h
-    IResearch/IResearchCommon.cpp IResearch/IResearchCommon.h
-    IResearch/IResearchKludge.cpp IResearch/IResearchKludge.h
-    IResearch/IResearchLink.cpp IResearch/IResearchLink.h
-    IResearch/IResearchLinkCoordinator.cpp IResearch/IResearchLinkCoordinator.h
-    IResearch/IResearchLinkHelper.cpp IResearch/IResearchLinkHelper.h
-    IResearch/IResearchLinkMeta.cpp IResearch/IResearchLinkMeta.h
-    IResearch/IResearchMMFilesLink.cpp IResearch/IResearchMMFilesLink.h
-    IResearch/IResearchRocksDBLink.cpp IResearch/IResearchRocksDBLink.h
-    IResearch/IResearchRocksDBRecoveryHelper.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchRocksDBRecoveryHelper.h
-    IResearch/IResearchView.cpp IResearch/IResearchView.h
-    IResearch/IResearchViewCoordinator.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewCoordinator.h
-    IResearch/IResearchViewOptimizerRules.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewOptimizerRules.h
-    IResearch/IResearchViewNode.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewNode.h
-    IResearch/IResearchViewBlock.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewBlock.h
-    IResearch/IResearchExpressionContext.cpp IResearch/IResearchExpressionContext.h
-    IResearch/IResearchViewMeta.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewMeta.h
-    IResearch/IResearchFeature.cpp IResearch/IResearchFeature.h
-    IResearch/IResearchDocument.cpp IResearch/IResearchDocument.h
-    IResearch/IResearchPrimaryKeyFilter.cpp IResearch/IResearchPrimaryKeyFilter.h
-    IResearch/IResearchFilterFactory.cpp IResearch/IResearchFilterFactory.h
-    IResearch/IResearchOrderFactory.cpp IResearch/IResearchOrderFactory.h
-    IResearch/VelocyPackHelper.cpp IResearch/VelocyPackHelper.h
-    IResearch/ExpressionFilter.cpp IResearch/ExpressionFilter.h
-    IResearch/AqlHelper.cpp IResearch/AqlHelper.h
-  )
+add_library(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
+  STATIC
+  IResearch/ApplicationServerHelper.h IResearch/ApplicationServerHelper.cpp
+  IResearch/Containers.cpp IResearch/Containers.h
+  IResearch/IResearchAnalyzerFeature.cpp IResearch/IResearchAnalyzerFeature.h
+  IResearch/IResearchCommon.cpp IResearch/IResearchCommon.h
+  IResearch/IResearchKludge.cpp IResearch/IResearchKludge.h
+  IResearch/IResearchLink.cpp IResearch/IResearchLink.h
+  IResearch/IResearchLinkCoordinator.cpp IResearch/IResearchLinkCoordinator.h
+  IResearch/IResearchLinkHelper.cpp IResearch/IResearchLinkHelper.h
+  IResearch/IResearchLinkMeta.cpp IResearch/IResearchLinkMeta.h
+  IResearch/IResearchMMFilesLink.cpp IResearch/IResearchMMFilesLink.h
+  IResearch/IResearchRocksDBLink.cpp IResearch/IResearchRocksDBLink.h
+  IResearch/IResearchRocksDBRecoveryHelper.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchRocksDBRecoveryHelper.h
+  IResearch/IResearchView.cpp IResearch/IResearchView.h
+  IResearch/IResearchViewCoordinator.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewCoordinator.h
+  IResearch/IResearchViewOptimizerRules.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewOptimizerRules.h
+  IResearch/IResearchViewNode.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewNode.h
+  IResearch/IResearchViewBlock.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewBlock.h
+  IResearch/IResearchExpressionContext.cpp IResearch/IResearchExpressionContext.h
+  IResearch/IResearchViewMeta.cpp IResearch/IResearchViewMeta.h
+  IResearch/IResearchFeature.cpp IResearch/IResearchFeature.h
+  IResearch/IResearchDocument.cpp IResearch/IResearchDocument.h
+  IResearch/IResearchPrimaryKeyFilter.cpp IResearch/IResearchPrimaryKeyFilter.h
+  IResearch/IResearchFilterFactory.cpp IResearch/IResearchFilterFactory.h
+  IResearch/IResearchOrderFactory.cpp IResearch/IResearchOrderFactory.h
+  IResearch/VelocyPackHelper.cpp IResearch/VelocyPackHelper.h
+  IResearch/ExpressionFilter.cpp IResearch/ExpressionFilter.h
+  IResearch/AqlHelper.cpp IResearch/AqlHelper.h
+)
 
-  target_compile_definitions(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
-    PUBLIC "$<$<CONFIG:Debug>:IRESEARCH_DEBUG=1>"
-  )
+target_compile_definitions(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
+  PUBLIC "$<$<CONFIG:Debug>:IRESEARCH_DEBUG=1>"
+)
 
+target_include_directories(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
+  PUBLIC ${IRESEARCH_INCLUDE}
+)
+
+if (USE_ENTERPRISE)
   target_include_directories(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
-    PUBLIC ${IRESEARCH_INCLUDE}
+    PUBLIC "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/${ENTERPRISE_INCLUDE_DIR}"
   )
+endif()
 
-  if (USE_ENTERPRISE)
-    target_include_directories(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
-      PUBLIC "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/${ENTERPRISE_INCLUDE_DIR}"
-    )
-  endif()
-
-  if(MSVC)
-    set(IRESEARCH_TARGET_DEPENDENCY iresearch-static-scrt) # use static + staticCRT to match ArangoDB
-  else()
-    set(IRESEARCH_TARGET_DEPENDENCY iresearch-static) # use static to match ArangoDB
-  endif()
-
-  target_link_libraries(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
-    ${IRESEARCH_TARGET_DEPENDENCY}
-    s2 # needed for some includes
-    boost_locale # required by iResearch
-  )
-
-  add_dependencies(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
-    ${IRESEARCH_TARGET_DEPENDENCY}
-    v8_build # for ICU required by iResearch
-  )
+if(MSVC)
+  set(IRESEARCH_TARGET_DEPENDENCY iresearch-static-scrt) # use static + staticCRT to match ArangoDB
 else()
-  set(LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH "")
-endif ()
+  set(IRESEARCH_TARGET_DEPENDENCY iresearch-static) # use static to match ArangoDB
+endif()
+
+target_link_libraries(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
+  ${IRESEARCH_TARGET_DEPENDENCY}
+  s2 # needed for some includes
+  boost_locale # required by iResearch
+)
+
+add_dependencies(${LIB_ARANGO_IRESEARCH}
+  ${IRESEARCH_TARGET_DEPENDENCY}
+  v8_build # for ICU required by iResearch
+)
 
 ################################################################################
 ## arangod
diff --git a/arangod/ClusterEngine/ClusterIndex.cpp b/arangod/ClusterEngine/ClusterIndex.cpp
index 9a62e079d0..f845455d41 100644
--- a/arangod/ClusterEngine/ClusterIndex.cpp
+++ b/arangod/ClusterEngine/ClusterIndex.cpp
@@ -243,9 +243,7 @@ bool ClusterIndex::supportsFilterCondition(
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_GEO1_INDEX:
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_GEO2_INDEX:
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_FULLTEXT_INDEX:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_IRESEARCH_LINK:
-#endif
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_NO_ACCESS_INDEX: {
       // should not be called for these indexes
       return Index::supportsFilterCondition(allIndexes, node, reference, itemsInIndex,
@@ -315,9 +313,7 @@ bool ClusterIndex::supportsSortCondition(arangodb::aql::SortCondition const* sor
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_GEO1_INDEX:
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_GEO2_INDEX:
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_FULLTEXT_INDEX:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_IRESEARCH_LINK:
-#endif
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_NO_ACCESS_INDEX:
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_EDGE_INDEX: {
       return Index::supportsSortCondition(sortCondition, reference, itemsInIndex,
@@ -365,9 +361,7 @@ aql::AstNode* ClusterIndex::specializeCondition(aql::AstNode* node,
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_GEO1_INDEX:
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_GEO2_INDEX:
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_FULLTEXT_INDEX:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_IRESEARCH_LINK:
-#endif
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_NO_ACCESS_INDEX: {
       return Index::specializeCondition(node, reference);  // unsupported
     }
diff --git a/arangod/Indexes/Index.cpp b/arangod/Indexes/Index.cpp
index 583b27e933..0806724e99 100644
--- a/arangod/Indexes/Index.cpp
+++ b/arangod/Indexes/Index.cpp
@@ -32,11 +32,7 @@
 #include "Basics/datetime.h"
 #include "Cluster/ServerState.h"
 #include "Index.h"
-
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchCommon.h"
-#endif
-
 #include "StorageEngine/EngineSelectorFeature.h"
 #include "StorageEngine/StorageEngine.h"
 #include "VocBase/LogicalCollection.h"
@@ -297,12 +293,10 @@ Index::IndexType Index::type(char const* type, size_t len) {
   if (::typeMatch(type, len, "geo2")) {
     return TRI_IDX_TYPE_GEO2_INDEX;
   }
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
   std::string const& tmp = arangodb::iresearch::DATA_SOURCE_TYPE.name();
   if (::typeMatch(type, len, tmp.c_str())) {
     return TRI_IDX_TYPE_IRESEARCH_LINK;
   }
-#endif
   if (::typeMatch(type, len, "noaccess")) {
     return TRI_IDX_TYPE_NO_ACCESS_INDEX;
   }
@@ -337,10 +331,8 @@ char const* Index::oldtypeName(Index::IndexType type) {
       return "geo2";
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_GEO_INDEX:
       return "geo";
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_IRESEARCH_LINK:
       return arangodb::iresearch::DATA_SOURCE_TYPE.name().c_str();
-#endif
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_NO_ACCESS_INDEX:
       return "noaccess";
     case TRI_IDX_TYPE_UNKNOWN: {
diff --git a/arangod/Indexes/Index.h b/arangod/Indexes/Index.h
index 8213262369..7e1c46a7da 100644
--- a/arangod/Indexes/Index.h
+++ b/arangod/Indexes/Index.h
@@ -100,9 +100,7 @@ class Index {
     TRI_IDX_TYPE_SKIPLIST_INDEX,
     TRI_IDX_TYPE_TTL_INDEX,
     TRI_IDX_TYPE_PERSISTENT_INDEX,
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     TRI_IDX_TYPE_IRESEARCH_LINK,
-#endif
     TRI_IDX_TYPE_NO_ACCESS_INDEX
   };
 
diff --git a/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesIndexFactory.cpp b/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesIndexFactory.cpp
index 1d321fb0f4..92a62d3f9c 100644
--- a/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesIndexFactory.cpp
+++ b/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesIndexFactory.cpp
@@ -46,9 +46,7 @@
 #include <velocypack/StringRef.h>
 #include <velocypack/velocypack-aliases.h>
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchMMFilesLink.h"
-#endif
 
 using namespace arangodb;
 
diff --git a/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesOptimizerRules.cpp b/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesOptimizerRules.cpp
index ebfbaddd7f..d58be82934 100644
--- a/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesOptimizerRules.cpp
+++ b/arangod/MMFiles/MMFilesOptimizerRules.cpp
@@ -113,9 +113,7 @@ void MMFilesOptimizerRules::removeSortRandRule(Optimizer* opt,
         case EN::TRAVERSAL:
         case EN::SHORTEST_PATH:
         case EN::INDEX:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
         case EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW:
-#endif
         {
           // if we found another SortNode, a CollectNode, FilterNode, a
           // SubqueryNode, an EnumerateListNode, a TraversalNode or an IndexNode
diff --git a/arangod/RestServer/arangod.cpp b/arangod/RestServer/arangod.cpp
index 577a73e56f..e60e8502a8 100644
--- a/arangod/RestServer/arangod.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RestServer/arangod.cpp
@@ -112,10 +112,8 @@
 #include "Enterprise/RestServer/arangodEE.h"
 #endif
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchAnalyzerFeature.h"
 #include "IResearch/IResearchFeature.h"
-#endif
 
 // storage engines
 #include "ClusterEngine/ClusterEngine.h"
@@ -240,10 +238,8 @@ static int runServer(int argc, char** argv, ArangoGlobalContext& context) {
     server.addFeature(new SslServerFeature(server));
 #endif
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     server.addFeature(new arangodb::iresearch::IResearchAnalyzerFeature(server));
     server.addFeature(new arangodb::iresearch::IResearchFeature(server));
-#endif
 
     // storage engines
     server.addFeature(new ClusterEngine(server));
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBIndex.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBIndex.cpp
index 79bb284489..ff3ebd0e83 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBIndex.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBIndex.cpp
@@ -324,10 +324,8 @@ RocksDBKeyBounds RocksDBIndex::getBounds(Index::IndexType type, uint64_t objectI
       return RocksDBKeyBounds::LegacyGeoIndex(objectId);
     case RocksDBIndex::TRI_IDX_TYPE_GEO_INDEX:
       return RocksDBKeyBounds::GeoIndex(objectId);
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
     case RocksDBIndex::TRI_IDX_TYPE_IRESEARCH_LINK:
       return RocksDBKeyBounds::DatabaseViews(objectId);
-#endif
     case RocksDBIndex::TRI_IDX_TYPE_UNKNOWN:
     default:
       THROW_ARANGO_EXCEPTION(TRI_ERROR_NOT_IMPLEMENTED);
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBIndexFactory.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBIndexFactory.cpp
index bbe5ca0ec5..801b4a5379 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBIndexFactory.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBIndexFactory.cpp
@@ -45,9 +45,7 @@
 #include <velocypack/Slice.h>
 #include <velocypack/velocypack-aliases.h>
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "IResearch/IResearchRocksDBLink.h"
-#endif
 
 using namespace arangodb;
 
@@ -556,4 +554,4 @@ void RocksDBIndexFactory::prepareIndexes(
 
 // -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // --SECTION--                                                       END-OF-FILE
-// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
\ No newline at end of file
+// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBOptimizerRules.cpp b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBOptimizerRules.cpp
index 0790faae10..6049d7c9b3 100644
--- a/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBOptimizerRules.cpp
+++ b/arangod/RocksDBEngine/RocksDBOptimizerRules.cpp
@@ -321,9 +321,7 @@ void RocksDBOptimizerRules::removeSortRandRule(Optimizer* opt,
         case EN::TRAVERSAL:
         case EN::SHORTEST_PATH:
         case EN::INDEX:
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
         case EN::ENUMERATE_IRESEARCH_VIEW:
-#endif
         {
           // if we found another SortNode, a CollectNode, FilterNode, a
           // SubqueryNode, an EnumerateListNode, a TraversalNode or an IndexNode
diff --git a/lib/Rest/Version.cpp b/lib/Rest/Version.cpp
index 0eb8729575..38e0ef31cd 100644
--- a/lib/Rest/Version.cpp
+++ b/lib/Rest/Version.cpp
@@ -46,9 +46,7 @@
 #include "Basics/build-repository.h"
 #include "Basics/conversions.h"
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
 #include "3rdParty/iresearch/core/utils/version_defines.hpp"
-#endif
 
 using namespace arangodb::rest;
 
@@ -212,9 +210,7 @@ void Version::initialize() {
   Values["fd-client-event-handler"] = "select";
 #endif
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
   Values["iresearch-version"] = getIResearchVersion();
-#endif
 
   for (auto& it : Values) {
     arangodb::basics::StringUtils::trimInPlace(it.second);
@@ -350,13 +346,9 @@ std::string Version::getICUVersion() {
   return icuVersionString;
 }
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
-
 /// @brief get IResearch version
 std::string Version::getIResearchVersion() { return IResearch_version; }
 
-#endif
-
 /// @brief get compiler
 std::string Version::getCompiler() {
 #if defined(__clang__)
diff --git a/lib/Rest/Version.h b/lib/Rest/Version.h
index 3a685c0520..ba1f4cf840 100644
--- a/lib/Rest/Version.h
+++ b/lib/Rest/Version.h
@@ -119,10 +119,8 @@ class Version {
   /// @brief get ICU version
   static std::string getICUVersion();
 
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
   /// @brief get IResearch version
   static std::string getIResearchVersion();
-#endif
 
   /// @brief get compiler
   static std::string getCompiler();
diff --git a/tests/Aql/SortExecutorTest.cpp b/tests/Aql/SortExecutorTest.cpp
index 4bdd7a2f80..cfc0ecf809 100644
--- a/tests/Aql/SortExecutorTest.cpp
+++ b/tests/Aql/SortExecutorTest.cpp
@@ -82,11 +82,7 @@ SCENARIO("SortExecutor", "[AQL][EXECUTOR]") {
   std::vector<SortRegister> sortRegisters;
   SortElement sl{&sortVar, true};
 
-#if 0  // #ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
-  SortRegister sortReg(0, sl, &compareAqlValues);
-#else
   SortRegister sortReg(0, sl);
-#endif
 
   sortRegisters.emplace_back(std::move(sortReg));
 
diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index d0fd20311b..44c00fc15f 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -8,72 +8,70 @@ endforeach()
 ## IResearch
 ################################################################################
 
-if (USE_IRESEARCH)
-  set(IRESEARCH_TESTS_SOURCES
-    Cluster/ClusterInfo-test.cpp
-    IResearch/common.cpp
-    IResearch/AgencyMock.cpp
-    IResearch/AgencyCommManagerMock.cpp
-    IResearch/ClusterCommMock.cpp IResearch/ClusterCommMock.h
-    IResearch/Containers-test.cpp
-    IResearch/ExpressionFilter-test.cpp
-    IResearch/ExecutionBlockMock.cpp
-    IResearch/ExecutionBlockMock-test.cpp
-    IResearch/ExpressionContextMock.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchAnalyzerFeature-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchFeature-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchOrder-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchView-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchViewCoordinator-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchViewDBServer-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchViewMeta-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchDocument-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchFilter-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchFilterFunction-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchFilterBoolean-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchFilterCompare-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchFilterIn-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchIndex-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchLink-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchLinkCoordinator-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchLinkHelper-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchLinkMeta-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQuery-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryAnd-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryBooleanTerm-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryComplexBoolean-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryExists-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryIn-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryNullTerm-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryNumericTerm-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryOr-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryOptimization-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryPhrase-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryScorer-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQuerySelectAll-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryStartsWith-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryInRange-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryStringTerm-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryTokens-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryValue-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryJoin-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryAggregate-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryTraversal-test.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchQueryOptions-test.cpp
-    IResearch/RestHandlerMock.cpp
-    IResearch/IResearchViewNode-test.cpp
-    IResearch/VelocyPackHelper-test.cpp
-    RestHandler/RestUsersHandler-test.cpp
-    RestHandler/RestViewHandler-test.cpp
-    RestServer/FlushFeature-test.cpp
-    Utils/CollectionNameResolver-test.cpp
-    V8Server/v8-users-test.cpp
-    V8Server/v8-views-test.cpp
-    VocBase/LogicalDataSource-test.cpp
-    VocBase/LogicalView-test.cpp
-    VocBase/vocbase-test.cpp
-  )
-endif ()
+set(IRESEARCH_TESTS_SOURCES
+  Cluster/ClusterInfo-test.cpp
+  IResearch/common.cpp
+  IResearch/AgencyMock.cpp
+  IResearch/AgencyCommManagerMock.cpp
+  IResearch/ClusterCommMock.cpp IResearch/ClusterCommMock.h
+  IResearch/Containers-test.cpp
+  IResearch/ExpressionFilter-test.cpp
+  IResearch/ExecutionBlockMock.cpp
+  IResearch/ExecutionBlockMock-test.cpp
+  IResearch/ExpressionContextMock.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchAnalyzerFeature-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchFeature-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchOrder-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchView-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchViewCoordinator-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchViewDBServer-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchViewMeta-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchDocument-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchFilter-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchFilterFunction-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchFilterBoolean-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchFilterCompare-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchFilterIn-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchIndex-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchLink-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchLinkCoordinator-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchLinkHelper-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchLinkMeta-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQuery-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryAnd-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryBooleanTerm-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryComplexBoolean-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryExists-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryIn-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryNullTerm-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryNumericTerm-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryOr-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryOptimization-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryPhrase-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryScorer-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQuerySelectAll-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryStartsWith-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryInRange-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryStringTerm-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryTokens-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryValue-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryJoin-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryAggregate-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryTraversal-test.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchQueryOptions-test.cpp
+  IResearch/RestHandlerMock.cpp
+  IResearch/IResearchViewNode-test.cpp
+  IResearch/VelocyPackHelper-test.cpp
+  RestHandler/RestUsersHandler-test.cpp
+  RestHandler/RestViewHandler-test.cpp
+  RestServer/FlushFeature-test.cpp
+  Utils/CollectionNameResolver-test.cpp
+  V8Server/v8-users-test.cpp
+  V8Server/v8-views-test.cpp
+  VocBase/LogicalDataSource-test.cpp
+  VocBase/LogicalView-test.cpp
+  VocBase/vocbase-test.cpp
+)
 
 set(ARANGODB_TESTS_SOURCES
   Agency/ActiveFailoverTest.cpp
@@ -234,20 +232,18 @@ target_include_directories(arangodbtests SYSTEM PRIVATE
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/3rdParty/fakeit
 )
 
-if (USE_IRESEARCH)
-  find_package(OpenSSL REQUIRED)
-  list(APPEND IRESEARCH_LIB_RESOURCES
-    "${LIB_EAY_DEBUG_DLL}"
-    "${SSL_EAY_DEBUG_DLL}"
-    "${LIB_EAY_RELEASE_DLL}"
-    "${SSL_EAY_RELEASE_DLL}"
-  )
+find_package(OpenSSL REQUIRED)
+list(APPEND IRESEARCH_LIB_RESOURCES
+  "${LIB_EAY_DEBUG_DLL}"
+  "${SSL_EAY_DEBUG_DLL}"
+  "${LIB_EAY_RELEASE_DLL}"
+  "${SSL_EAY_RELEASE_DLL}"
+)
 
-  foreach(ELEMENT ${IRESEARCH_LIB_RESOURCES})
-    add_custom_command(
-      TARGET arangodbtests POST_BUILD
-      COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "copying library resource:" "${ELEMENT}" " -> " "$<TARGET_FILE_DIR:arangodbtests>"
-      COMMAND cp -lf ${ELEMENT} $<TARGET_FILE_DIR:arangodbtests> || ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy ${ELEMENT} $<TARGET_FILE_DIR:arangodbtests>
-    )
-  endforeach()
-endif()
+foreach(ELEMENT ${IRESEARCH_LIB_RESOURCES})
+  add_custom_command(
+    TARGET arangodbtests POST_BUILD
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "copying library resource:" "${ELEMENT}" " -> " "$<TARGET_FILE_DIR:arangodbtests>"
+    COMMAND cp -lf ${ELEMENT} $<TARGET_FILE_DIR:arangodbtests> || ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy ${ELEMENT} $<TARGET_FILE_DIR:arangodbtests>
+  )
+endforeach()
diff --git a/tests/Mocks/StorageEngineMock.cpp b/tests/Mocks/StorageEngineMock.cpp
index 40736f0084..f2cd9b4433 100644
--- a/tests/Mocks/StorageEngineMock.cpp
+++ b/tests/Mocks/StorageEngineMock.cpp
@@ -484,7 +484,6 @@ std::shared_ptr<arangodb::Index> PhysicalCollectionMock::createIndex(
 
   if (0 == type.compare("edge")) {
     index = EdgeIndexMock::make(id, _logicalCollection, info);
-#ifdef USE_IRESEARCH
   } else if (0 == type.compare(arangodb::iresearch::DATA_SOURCE_TYPE.name())) {
     if (arangodb::ServerState::instance()->isCoordinator()) {
       arangodb::iresearch::IResearchLinkCoordinator::factory().instantiate(index, _logicalCollection,
@@ -493,7 +492,6 @@ std::shared_ptr<arangodb::Index> PhysicalCollectionMock::createIndex(
       arangodb::iresearch::IResearchMMFilesLink::factory().instantiate(index, _logicalCollection,
                                                                        info, id, false);
     }
-#endif
   }
 
   if (!index) {