Vector Databases: Indexes, Retrieval, and Production Trade-offs
A vector database stores vectors alongside identifiers and metadata, indexes them for similarity search, and provides database capabilities such as persistence, filtering, updates, access patterns, and operational management. Its purpose is broader than running a nearest-neighbour algorithm. That distinction separates a database from a library such as FAISS. FAISS provides efficient vector indexing and search primitives. It does not, by itself, provide the complete persistence, multi-tenancy, metadata, authorisation, backup, replication, and service-management layer expected from a production database. ...