What it does
AI models can turn text, images and other data into lists of numbers called vectors or embeddings, which capture meaning. Things with similar meanings get similar numbers. Qdrant is a vector database: it stores these numbers and quickly finds the closest matches.
That makes it a common building block for semantic search (search by meaning rather than exact words), image search, recommendations and letting chatbots look things up in your documents. You can attach extra information to each item and filter on it, combine keyword and meaning-based search, and spread data across many servers.
You can run it yourself or use the managed Qdrant Cloud, which has a free tier. It also offers skills for AI coding assistants.
Who it's for
Developers and companies building AI search, recommendation or document-chat features.
Can I use it without coding?
Developers only. Runs as a server (for example with Docker) that programs connect to. New to this? Start here.
Can I run it?
- Cost
- Free, with optional paid extrasThe open-source version is free; the makers also sell a hosted or pro version.
- Runs on
- Server, Cloud
- Privacy
- Your choice: run it on your device or use an online service
- API key
- Not needed
Try it
Using Claude Code, Cursor or another AI coding assistant? Paste the prompt and it will walk you through the setup.New to this?
Before you install
- Only download from the official GitHub page. Copies with similar names exist for many popular projects.
- License (Apache-2.0): Permissive: free to use, change and share, including for business.
- More on staying safe
Where people are talking about it
- Qdrant: Vector Database for the next generation of AI applicationsHacker News · May 2023