Best Vector Databases for Kubernetes
Kubernetes is the standard for orchestrating production workloads, and deploying vector databases on K8s gives you auto-scaling, high availability, and infrastructure-as-code. The databases below offer official Helm charts, Kubernetes operators, or are Kubernetes-native by design. Whether you're running on EKS, GKE, AKS, or bare-metal, these options provide the reliability and scalability needed for production vector search.
8 databases compatible with Kubernetes
Why use Kubernetes with a vector database?
Kubernetes is the standard for orchestrating production workloads, and deploying vector databases on K8s gives you auto-scaling, high availability, and infrastructure-as-code. The databases below offer official Helm charts, Kubernetes operators, or are Kubernetes-native by design. Whether you're running on EKS, GKE, AKS, or bare-metal, these options provide the reliability and scalability needed for production vector search.
How to get started with Kubernetes
- 1Add the database's Helm repository: helm repo add qdrant https://qdrant.github.io/qdrant-helm
- 2Install with Helm: helm install my-vectordb qdrant/qdrant --set replicaCount=3
- 3Configure persistent volume claims, resource limits, and horizontal pod autoscaling
- 4Expose the service via Ingress or LoadBalancer and connect your application
FAQ — Kubernetes & Vector Databases
Which vector database is Kubernetes-native?
Vald is built from the ground up for Kubernetes with native auto-scaling and distributed indexing. Milvus also has a strong Kubernetes architecture with its distributed components running as separate pods.
Do vector databases have Helm charts?
Yes. Qdrant, Milvus, Weaviate, Vald, Elasticsearch, and OpenSearch all provide official Helm charts for Kubernetes deployment. Most also offer Kubernetes operators for advanced management.
How do I scale vector databases on Kubernetes?
Use Horizontal Pod Autoscalers (HPA) for read replicas and configure persistent volume claims for storage. Milvus, Qdrant, and Weaviate support horizontal scaling across multiple pods.