What is a vector database
published on 2023/05/05
A vector database uses a combination of different algorithms that all participate in Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) search. These algorithms optimize the search through hashing, quantization, or graph-based search.
These algorithms are assembled into a pipeline that provides fast and accurate retrieval of the neighbors of a queried vector. Since the vector database provides approximate results, the main trade-offs we consider are between accuracy and speed. The more accurate the result, the slower the query will be. However, a good system can provide ultra-fast search with near-perfect accuracy.