Framework
Faiss
Faiss is an open-source AI framework from Meta, launched in 2017, made for developers.
A C++ and Python library for fast similarity search and clustering of dense vectors.
Main jobs: Vector search. It is open source and free to use. You can use it on your own server, offline on your own machine and through an API.
Markdown version of https://godooo.ai/en/framework/faiss. Every page on this site has one: add .md to its address.
At a glance
- Type
- Framework
- Made by
- Meta
- Launched
- 2017
- Galaxy
- Models & APIs
- Open source
- Yes · MIT
- Source code
- github.com/facebookresearch/faiss
- GitHub stars
- 40,969
- How you run it
- Self-host · Runs offline · API
- Made for
- Developers
- Website
- faiss.ai
What it can do
Vector searchmain jobunconfirmed
“Faiss is a library for efficient similarity search and clustering of dense vectors.”— faiss.ai, 2026-09-24
unconfirmedproposed by a machine, awaiting calibration
Alternatives
- ChromaOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- LanceDBOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- MilvusOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- pgvectorOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- QdrantOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- WeaviateOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- Chroma MCP ServerOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- Qdrant MCP ServerOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- LlamaIndexOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- RAGFlowOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- BGEOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
- GraphitiOpen source, freeAlso does: Vector search
Connections
- Applies
- Semantic Search
Questions
What is Faiss?
Faiss is an open-source AI framework from Meta, launched in 2017, made for developers. A C++ and Python library for fast similarity search and clustering of dense vectors.
Is Faiss free?
Yes. Faiss is open source (MIT) and free to use.
Is Faiss open source?
Yes, under the MIT license. The source code is at https://github.com/facebookresearch/faiss.
Can Faiss run locally?
Yes. Faiss can run offline on your own machine. It can also be self-hosted on your own server.
What can Faiss do?
Main jobs: Vector search.
Who makes Faiss?
Faiss is made by Meta.
What are open-source alternatives to Faiss?
Open-source ones: Chroma, LanceDB, Milvus, pgvector, Qdrant, Weaviate, Chroma MCP Server and Qdrant MCP Server.
Sources
- faiss.ai/checked 2026-09-24
- github.com/facebookresearch/faiss