Vector database
Expanded definition
Vector databases store high-dimensional embeddings (e.g. 1536-d text vectors) and use approximate nearest-neighbor indexes (HNSW, IVF, etc.) for low-latency search. Operators care about hybrid search, multi-tenant isolation, replication, backup, and cost curves at billions of vectors. Choices range from fully managed SaaS to self-hosted engines and Postgres pgvector; benchmark recall@k on your corpus before committing.
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Vector database FAQ
What is Vector database?
A database or engine optimized for similarity search over embedding vectors, typically with metadata filters and hybrid lexical+vector queries for production RAG.
How is Vector database used in AI systems?
Vector databases store high-dimensional embeddings (e.g. 1536-d text vectors) and use approximate nearest-neighbor indexes (HNSW, IVF, etc.) for low-latency search. Operators care about hybrid search, multi-tenant isolation, replication, backup, and cost curves at billions of vectors. Choices range from fully managed SaaS to self-hosted engines and Postgres pgvector; benchmark recall@k on your co...
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