Zvec
A lightweight, lightning-fast, in-process vector database
Install / Use
/learn @alibaba/ZvecREADME
Zvec is an open-source, in-process vector database — lightweight, lightning-fast, and designed to embed directly into applications. Built on Proxima (Alibaba's battle-tested vector search engine), it delivers production-grade, low-latency, scalable similarity search with minimal setup.
💫 Features
- Blazing Fast: Searches billions of vectors in milliseconds.
- Simple, Just Works: Install and start searching in seconds. No servers, no config, no fuss.
- Dense + Sparse Vectors: Work with both dense and sparse embeddings, with native support for multi-vector queries in a single call.
- Hybrid Search: Combine semantic similarity with structured filters for precise results.
- Runs Anywhere: As an in-process library, Zvec runs wherever your code runs — notebooks, servers, CLI tools, or even edge devices.
📦 Installation
Python
Requirements: Python 3.10 - 3.14
pip install zvec
Node.js
npm install @zvec/zvec
✅ Supported Platforms
- Linux (x86_64, ARM64)
- macOS (ARM64)
🛠️ Building from Source
If you prefer to build Zvec from source, please check the Building from Source guide.
⚡ One-Minute Example
import zvec
# Define collection schema
schema = zvec.CollectionSchema(
name="example",
vectors=zvec.VectorSchema("embedding", zvec.DataType.VECTOR_FP32, 4),
)
# Create collection
collection = zvec.create_and_open(path="./zvec_example", schema=schema)
# Insert documents
collection.insert([
zvec.Doc(id="doc_1", vectors={"embedding": [0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4]}),
zvec.Doc(id="doc_2", vectors={"embedding": [0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.1]}),
])
# Search by vector similarity
results = collection.query(
zvec.VectorQuery("embedding", vector=[0.4, 0.3, 0.3, 0.1]),
topk=10
)
# Results: list of {'id': str, 'score': float, ...}, sorted by relevance
print(results)
📈 Performance at Scale
Zvec delivers exceptional speed and efficiency, making it ideal for demanding production workloads.
<img src="https://zvec.oss-cn-hongkong.aliyuncs.com/qps_10M.svg" width="800" alt="Zvec Performance Benchmarks" />For detailed benchmark methodology, configurations, and complete results, please see our Benchmarks documentation.
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❤️ Contributing
We welcome and appreciate contributions from the community! Whether you're fixing a bug, adding a feature, or improving documentation, your help makes Zvec better for everyone.
Check out our Contributing Guide to get started!
