# `sqlite-vec`
[](https://discord.gg/VCtQ8cGhUs)
An extremely small, "fast enough" vector search SQLite extension that runs
anywhere! A successor to [sqlite-vss](https://github.com/asg017/sqlite-vss)
> [!IMPORTANT]
> _`sqlite-vec` is a work-in-progress and not ready for general usage! I plan to launch a "beta" version in the next month or so. Watch this repo for updates, and read [this blog post](https://alexgarcia.xyz/blog/2024/building-new-vector-search-sqlite/index.html) for more info._
- Store and query float, int8, and binary vectors in `vec0` virtual tables
- Pre-filter vectors with `rowid IN (...)` subqueries
- Written in pure C, no dependencies, runs anywhere SQLite runs
(Linux/MacOS/Windows, in the browser with WASM, Raspberry Pis, etc.)
## Sample usage
```sql
.load ./vec0
create virtual table vec_examples using vec0(
sample_embedding float[8]
);
-- vectors can be provided as JSON or in a compact binary format
insert into vec_examples(rowid, sample_embedding)
values
(1, '[-0.200, 0.250, 0.341, -0.211, 0.645, 0.935, -0.316, -0.924]'),
(2, '[0.443, -0.501, 0.355, -0.771, 0.707, -0.708, -0.185, 0.362]'),
(3, '[0.716, -0.927, 0.134, 0.052, -0.669, 0.793, -0.634, -0.162]'),
(4, '[-0.710, 0.330, 0.656, 0.041, -0.990, 0.726, 0.385, -0.958]');
-- KNN style query goes brrrr
select
rowid,
distance
from vec_examples
where sample_embedding match '[0.890, 0.544, 0.825, 0.961, 0.358, 0.0196, 0.521, 0.175]'
order by distance
limit 2;
/*
┌───────┬──────────────────┐
│ rowid │ distance │
├───────┼──────────────────┤
│ 2 │ 2.38687372207642 │
│ 1 │ 2.38978505134583 │
└───────┴──────────────────┘
*/
```
## Roadmap
Not currently implemented, but planned in the future (after initial `v0.1.0`
version):
- Approximate nearest neighbors search (DiskANN, IVF, maybe HNSW?)
- Metadata filtering + custom internal partitioning
- More vector types (float16, int16, sparse, etc.) and distance functions
Additionally, there will be pre-compiled and pre-packaged packages of
`sqlite-vec` for the following platforms:
- `pip` for Python
- `npm` for Node.js / Deno / Bun
- `gem` for Ruby
- `cargo` for Rust
- A single `.c` and `.h` amalgammation for C/C++
- Go module for Golang (requires CGO)
- Datasette and sqlite-utils plugins
- Pre-compiled loadable extensions on Github releases
## Sponsors
Development of `sqlite-vec` is supported by multiple generous sponsors! Mozilla
is the main sponsor through the new Builders project.
`sqlite-vec` is also sponsored by the following companies:
As well as multiple individual supporters on
[Github sponsors](https://github.com/sponsors/asg017/)!
If your company interested in sponsoring `sqlite-vec` development, send me an
email to get more info: https://alexgarcia.xyz
## See Also
- [**`sqlite-ecosystem`**](https://github.com/asg017/sqlite-ecosystem), Maybe
more 3rd party SQLite extensions I've developed
- [**`sqlite-rembed`**](https://github.com/asg017/sqlite-rembed), Generate text
embeddings from remote APIs like OpenAI/Nomic/Ollama, meant for testing and
SQL scripts
- [**`sqlite-lembed`**](https://github.com/asg017/sqlite-lembed), Generate text
embeddings locally from embedding models in the `.gguf` format
SQLite Cloud.
See the Sponsors section for more details.
