Definition
The practice of encrypting stored vector embeddings, document chunks, and agent session logs on persistent storage media to prevent unauthorized access in the event of infrastructure compromise. While essential for protecting proprietary RAG knowledge bases, it introduces architectural trade-offs including minor increases in read/write latency and the operational complexity of managing cryptographic keys (KMS).
Protects data 'sleeping' in your vector store or object storage, rather than data currently moving across the network.
"A locked safe inside a windowless vault where every document is written in a secret code that can only be read with a specific master key."
- Vector Database(Component)
- Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)(Component)
- Encryption in Transit(Related)
- PII Redaction(Prerequisite)
Conceptual Overview
The practice of encrypting stored vector embeddings, document chunks, and agent session logs on persistent storage media to prevent unauthorized access in the event of infrastructure compromise. While essential for protecting proprietary RAG knowledge bases, it introduces architectural trade-offs including minor increases in read/write latency and the operational complexity of managing cryptographic keys (KMS).
Disambiguation
Protects data 'sleeping' in your vector store or object storage, rather than data currently moving across the network.
Visual Analog
A locked safe inside a windowless vault where every document is written in a secret code that can only be read with a specific master key.