zilliztech/knowhere
Vector search engine inside Milvus, integrating FAISS, HNSW, DiskANN.
⚡ Executive Summary & Quick Facts
Authoritative Sourceknowhere is knowhere is an open-source project written in C++: Vector search engine inside Milvus, integrating FAISS, HNSW, DiskANN..
| Repository | zilliztech/knowhere ↗ |
|---|---|
| Primary Category | faiss |
| Language & Stack | C++ |
| Software License | Apache-2.0 |
| Community Traction | ★ 388 stars · ⑂ 173 forks · #10,369 globally |
| Maintenance | ● Active (Last commit: Oct 19, 2026) · 39 open issues |
| Target Audience | Developers and engineering teams building with C++, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads. |
Star History
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+10
STARS · LAST 30 DAYS
1
PER DAY
#803
MOST-STARRED C++
| Window | 7 days | 30 days | 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars gained | +1 | +10 | +90 |
| Per day | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Forks gained | +5 | +3 | +10 |
knowhere gained 10 stars in the last 30 days, about 1 a day, and now has 388. It is about 3 years old and has averaged roughly 129 stars a year. It ranks #803 among C++ repositories and #10,369 across all languages on GitHubRepo.
Trending Record
8
DAYS ON TRENDING
#9146
BEST RANK
Oct 13, 2026
FIRST APPEARANCE
Active
STATUS TODAY
knowhere has maintained a continuous presence across global trending indexes, peaking at #9146. Below is the 30-day activity profile:
💡 Overview
knowhere is an open-source project written in C++: Vector search engine inside Milvus, integrating FAISS, HNSW, DiskANN.
Engineered for speed, consistency, and developer ease, it solves common hurdles in faiss, gpu, hnsw. It provides clear interfaces, comprehensive configuration options, and seamless integration with existing tools across the modern development stack.
⚡ Key Features
Optimized execution pipeline written in C++ for predictable speed.
Zero-friction configuration with comprehensive sensible defaults out of the box.
Cross-platform runtime support across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.
Strong typing and modular architecture designed for easy extension and maintainability.
Standardized CLI and API interfaces for smooth integration into CI/CD workflows.
Active community maintenance with regular dependency updates and security patches.
📥 Installation
$ git clone https://github.com/zilliztech/knowhere.git
cd knowhere⚙ System Requirements
Platforms
- • macOS
- • Linux
- • Windows
Runtime & Dependencies
C++20 compliant compiler (GCC 11+, Clang 13+, MSVC)
Architecture
x86_64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon & Graviton)
🧠 How It Works
knowhere coordinates its core functionality through a modular C++ pipeline. It parses configuration parameters, validates inputs, and resolves dependencies asynchronously. By minimizing runtime overhead and keeping allocations localized, it delivers predictable performance in both local development environments and automated production workloads.
🎯 Production Use Cases
Autonomous AI Agents
Orchestrate intelligent workflows and tool-calling routines with knowhere.
Model Inference & Prompting
Integrate fast, local or cloud-hosted generative AI models directly into production code.
Context Memory & RAG
Augment language models with dynamic vector retrieval and structured project memory.
Developer Productivity
Automate repetitive engineering tasks, code generation, and test creation using AI agents.
🚀 Getting Started
Install knowhere using your package manager: `git clone https://github.com/zilliztech/knowhere.git`
Initialize your project workspace or configuration file for knowhere.
Import knowhere into your codebase or invoke it directly from your terminal.
Execute your test suite or run `knowhere --help` to verify successful setup.
👍 Strengths
⚠️ Considerations
⇄ Alternatives & Direct Competitors
👥 Who Should Use This
Developers and engineering teams building with C++, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.
🏆 Nearby in the Rankings
zilliztech/knowhere is currently ranked #10,369 by stars across every repository tracked on GitHubRepo. These are adjacent projects:
| Rank | Repository | Language | Stars | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #10,360 | Raytwo/ARCropolis | Rust | ★ 389 | Compare ↗ |
| #10,360 | swc-project/plugins | Rust | ★ 389 | Compare ↗ |
| #10,360 | Gh61/lovelace-hue-like-light-card | TypeScript | ★ 389 | Compare ↗ |
| #10,360 | epilande/Annotate | Swift | ★ 389 | Compare ↗ |
| #10,360 | WenyuChiou/ai-research-skills | Python | ★ 389 | Compare ↗ |
| #10,369 | zilliztech/knowhere This Project | C++ | ★ 388 | |
| #10,369 | rvirding/erlog | Erlang | ★ 388 | Compare ↗ |
| #10,369 | kupferlauncher/kupfer | Python | ★ 388 | Compare ↗ |
| #10,369 | rhavyn/norbert | Scala | ★ 388 | Compare ↗ |
| #10,369 | googleapis/signet | Ruby | ★ 388 | Compare ↗ |
| #10,369 | BaseSecrete/rorvswild | Ruby | ★ 388 | Compare ↗ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does knowhere do? +
Vector search engine inside Milvus, integrating FAISS, HNSW, DiskANN.
What language is knowhere written in? +
The primary language is C++. Topics include: faiss, gpu, hnsw, nearest-neighbor-search, search.
Is knowhere actively maintained? +
Yes, the last recorded push was on Oct 19, 2026 with 39 open issues being tracked.
How many stars does knowhere have? +
knowhere has 388 stars and 173 forks on GitHub.
How does knowhere rank among GitHub repositories? +
With 388 stars, zilliztech/knowhere is ranked #10,369 globally across all repositories tracked on GitHubRepo and #803 among C++ projects.
What license is knowhere distributed under? +
The repository reports a Apache-2.0 license. Always verify the repository LICENSE file for legal terms.
