#1515th of 15 in Vector databases
sqlite-vec
Vector search extension for SQLite, written in pure C
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- Stars
- 8.2k
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Last commit
- May 2026
- Last release
- Mar 2026
- Language
- C
7,272 on 1 Apr 20268,203 on 21 Oct 2026
From GitHub's daily star counts.
Checked on GitHub.
Overview
sqlite-vec adds vec0 virtual tables to SQLite for storing float, int8 and binary vectors and running KNN queries with a MATCH clause. It is pure C with no dependencies and runs wherever SQLite does, including WASM and Raspberry Pi. Metadata, auxiliary and partition key columns keep non-vector data in the same table. It is pre-v1 and succeeds sqlite-vss.
Who it is for: Developers adding local vector search to SQLite-based apps
Strengths
- Pure C with no dependencies; loads as a normal SQLite extension
- Bindings for Python, Node.js, Ruby, Go, Rust, Datasette, rqlite and sqlite-utils
- Supports float, int8 and binary vectors, given as JSON or compact binary
- Runs in the browser via WASM and on small devices like Raspberry Pi
Weaknesses
- Pre-v1, so the README warns to expect breaking changes
- Described as 'fast enough'; README gives no benchmarks or index types
- Does not generate embeddings; separate tools like sqlite-lembed are needed
- Embedded library only; no standalone server mode
What it needs
- no GPU
- Needs SQLite
- Models: float vectors, int8 vectors, binary vectors
Also in Vector databases
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|---|---|---|
| 1 | MilvusDistributed vector database with dense, sparse and hybrid search at scale | 83 out of 100 |
| 2 | MeilisearchRust search engine with typo tolerance, filtering and hybrid semantic search | 75 out of 100 |
| 3 | QdrantRust vector database with payload filtering, REST and gRPC | 73 out of 100 |
| #4 | lancedbEmbedded vector database built on the Lance columnar format | 69 out of 100 |
| #5 | faissC++ library for similarity search and clustering of dense vectors | 67 out of 100 |