pgvector
Also called Postgres Vector Extension
A Postgres extension that lets your regular database do vector search, no separate system needed.
Think of it like
Adding a spice rack to the kitchen you already have instead of building a second kitchen.
Example
A team stores embeddings in a new column and runs similarity queries with SQL, keeping vectors right next to their relational data.
How it actually works
pgvector adds a vector column type and similarity operators to PostgreSQL, with HNSW and IVFFlat indexing. Its big appeal is operational simplicity: one database for both structured data and embeddings, with familiar SQL, transactions, and joins. At very large scale or extreme QPS a dedicated vector DB may pull ahead, but for many apps pgvector is more than enough.
For product teams
Often the pragmatic choice — one fewer system to run when you already use Postgres.
For engineers
Vector type + HNSW/IVFFlat operators in Postgres; unifies relational and similarity queries at the cost of specialized scale.
Related
- Vector database — Turns Postgres into a vector database.
- HNSW — Supports HNSW and IVF indexes.
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