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Milvus

Milvus

Open SourceDistributed

Distributed vector database built for scale

CategoryhybridLanguageGo / C++LicenseApache-2.0Websitemilvus.io

About Milvus

Milvus is an open-source distributed vector database designed to handle large-scale similarity search workloads. It provides high-performance indexing and retrieval capabilities optimized for AI applications such as recommendation systems, semantic search, and retrieval-augmented generation. Milvus supports distributed deployments, enabling horizontal scalability and efficient handling of billions of vectors. Its architecture is designed for reliability, performance, and integration with modern AI pipelines and frameworks.

Key features

Billion-scale vector search
Separated compute & storage
Multiple index types
Strong consistency
GPU acceleration
Multi-language SDKs

Pricing

Open SourceFree
Self-hosted
Zilliz Cloud (Free)$0
5M vectors
Zilliz CloudPay-as-you-go
 

Common use cases

Large-scale similarity search
Recommendation systems
Drug discovery
Image deduplication

Common questions about Milvus

Can I self-host Milvus?

Yes, Milvus offers both self-hosted and managed cloud deployment options. You can start with one model and migrate to the other as your needs evolve.

What's the difference between self-hosted and cloud?

Self-hosted gives you complete control over deployment and data, while the managed cloud service handles infrastructure, scaling, and operations automatically. Both use the same core technology.

What are the main use cases for Milvus?

Milvus is commonly used for large-scale similarity search, recommendation systems, drug discovery, and similar applications requiring semantic similarity search.

Does Milvus integrate with popular AI tools?

Most vector databases integrate with LangChain, LlamaIndex, and popular embedding providers. Check the Milvus documentation for specific integration guides and examples.

Comparisons featuring Milvus

Not sure if Milvus is right for you?

Compare it side-by-side with other vector databases to find the best fit for your project.