HNSWlib vs Voyager: Choosing the Right Vector Search Tool for Your GenAI Application

HNSWlib and Voyager are both libraries designed to efficiently perform nearest-neighbor searches in high-dimensional spaces, a key component of many AI applications. While HNSWlib is known for its speed and accuracy, Spotify's Voyager addresses some limitations of HNSWlib and offers additional features such as multithreading and support for both Python and Java. The choice between the two depends on factors like data size, infrastructure requirements, and desired level of customization. Additionally, purpose-built vector databases like Milvus offer comprehensive solutions for large-scale vector data management, including persistent storage, real-time updates, and advanced querying capabilities. Benchmarking tools such as ANN benchmarks and VectorDBBench can help evaluate the effectiveness of different ANN algorithms and vector database systems.