Definition
A serverless, high-performance vector database built on the Lance columnar data format, designed to store and query embeddings, metadata, and multi-modal data directly from disk with low latency. It is optimized for RAG pipelines that require persistent local or cloud storage without the overhead of managing a dedicated database cluster.
Not a standard SQL or general-purpose NoSQL database; it is a vector engine that decouples compute from storage via a specialized disk format.
"A portable external hard drive that maintains its own high-speed librarian, allowing you to search millions of books without loading the whole shelf into memory."
- Vector Database(Category)
- Columnar Storage(Prerequisite)
- Disk-based Indexing(Component)
- Serverless Architecture(Architectural Pattern)
Conceptual Overview
A serverless, high-performance vector database built on the Lance columnar data format, designed to store and query embeddings, metadata, and multi-modal data directly from disk with low latency. It is optimized for RAG pipelines that require persistent local or cloud storage without the overhead of managing a dedicated database cluster.
Disambiguation
Not a standard SQL or general-purpose NoSQL database; it is a vector engine that decouples compute from storage via a specialized disk format.
Visual Analog
A portable external hard drive that maintains its own high-speed librarian, allowing you to search millions of books without loading the whole shelf into memory.