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vector database

Elasticsearch / OpenSearch

Search platforms that can combine keyword, vector, and hybrid search patterns for RAG retrieval.

Main use case
Hybrid retrieval when teams already use search infrastructure.
Open source
Partly open source
Self-hosting
Yes
Cloud
Yes
Pricing note
Verify product-specific pricing and licensing from official sources.
Target users
search teams, enterprises, developers

Strengths

  • Strong keyword and filtering capabilities
  • Hybrid search patterns
  • Enterprise search familiarity

Limitations

  • Vector search setup requires careful tuning
  • Licensing and product differences must be verified

How to evaluate this tool

  1. Test Elasticsearch / OpenSearch with a small representative corpus.
  2. Verify official documentation, pricing, licensing, and deployment options.
  3. Measure retrieval quality, latency, and operational complexity.
  4. Check whether the team can maintain ingestion, updates, logs, and evaluation.