---
title: "Vector Database"
description: "A vector database stores embeddings and finds the most similar ones fast, the retrieval engine behind semantic search and RAG."
canonical: "https://www.whatsnext-ai.com/glossary/vector-database"
---

# Vector Database

A vector database stores embeddings and finds the most similar ones fast, the retrieval engine behind semantic search and RAG.

## Definition

When a question comes in, it’s embedded and the database returns the closest passages by meaning, not keywords. Tools like Pinecone, Weaviate and pgvector make this practical at scale, so an AI searches millions of documents in milliseconds and grounds its answer in the right ones.

## Related

- [AI-Ready Data](https://www.whatsnext-ai.com/ai-ready-data)
- [Custom AI Development](https://www.whatsnext-ai.com/custom-ai-development)

## Source

Pinecone — Vector Database documentation (https://www.pinecone.io/learn/vector-database/)