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Zvec

Embeddable vector database that runs inside your application process

  • Data and spreadsheets
  • Agent frameworks and tools
View on GitHub
Website

What it is

Zvec is a C++ vector database library that lives in your program's process instead of running as a separate server. It keeps dense and sparse embeddings on disk with write-ahead logging, and a single query can mix similarity search, keyword text matching, and filters on structured fields. Developers building RAG pipelines, agent memory, or local semantic search call it from Python, Node.js, Go, Rust, or Dart without setting up any infrastructure.

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Facts

Stars
16,125 GitHub stars.
16,125

Forks
1,014
Commits
458
Contributors
37
Language
C++
License
Apache-2.0
Last commit
Oct 20, 2026
On GitHub since
December 2025
First release
December 2025
Platforms
macOS, Windows, Linux, library
Self-hostable
No
Alternative to
Pinecone
Tags
  • semantic-search
  • ai-memory
  • embeddings
  • database
  • rag
  • vector-database

Last synced from GitHub on Oct 20, 2026

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What people are saying

Updated Oct 21, 2026
  • Hacker NewsZvec: A lightweight, fast, in-process vector databaseFeb 13, 2026 · 226 points · 45 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsZvec: SQLite-like simplicity in an embedded vector database (By Alibaba)Feb 12, 2026 · 15 points · 2 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsZvec is a lightweight, fast, in-process vector databaseFeb 14, 2026 · 13 points · 0 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsZvec – A lightweight in-process vector databaseMar 21, 2026 · 9 points · 2 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsShow HN: Zvec – The SQLite of Vector DatabasesJan 29, 2026 · 7 points · 0 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“In-process embeddable #vectorDB #Sparse, #Dense, #Multi-Vector #HybridSearch #BM25, #RabitQ Python, Node.JS bindings #OpenSource Apache 2.0 lic”May 3, 2026 · 3 likes · 1 reply (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsFrom Rg to Zg: Local Search Beyond KeywordsSep 3, 2026 · 3 points · 0 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“alibaba/zvec: A lightweight, lightning-fast, in-process vector database #devopsish”Feb 19, 2026 · 2 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“alibaba/zvec A lightweight, lightning-fast, in-process vector database 🚀 Quickstart | 🏠 Home | 📚 Docs | 📊 Benchmarks | 🎮 Discord | 🐦 X (Twitter) Zvec is an…”Feb 16, 2026 · 1 like · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“Interesting...I might consider using it for some of my desktop-AI app experiments:”Feb 15, 2026 · 1 like · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“9. Claude Code Success Rates Vary Less Than 7 Points Across All Occupations LINK 10. Alibaba Releases Lightweight In-Process Vector Database zvec LINK”Jun 17, 2026 · 0 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“Alibaba's in-process vector database that searches billions of vectors in milliseconds - SQLite for embeddings, no servers required #VectorDatabase…”Feb 21, 2026 · 0 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“Zvec: A lightweight, fast, in-process vector database (”Feb 15, 2026 · 0 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“The speed of Alibaba‘s new vector database seems too good to be true: A single-file store running entirely in-memory (similar to SQLite) that outperforms…”Feb 15, 2026 · 0 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“Zvec: A lightweight, fast, in-process vector database (github.com) Discussion | Main Link”Feb 15, 2026 · 0 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“Zvec: A lightweight, fast, in-process vector database”Feb 15, 2026 · 0 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“🔗 alibaba/zvec”Feb 15, 2026 · 0 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)