# Native Vector Search. No Elasticsearch Overhead.

Running Elasticsearch and layering vector search on top? JVM tuning, shard strategy, index templates, re-indexing. LanceDB is an AI-native storage engine with native vector search.

# Read the guide

## Why teams switch

### Compute-storage separation
Storage on object storage. Compute scales independently. No JVM clusters.

### One table, not six systems
Embeddings, metadata, and raw data together. No Elasticsearch cluster plus lake copy.

### Schema evolution without rebuilds
Add columns without re-indexing indexes or rebalancing shards.

### Full-text + hybrid search, native
Vector, full-text, and SQL queries in one system. Not kNN bolted onto Lucene.

## Comparison

| **Feature**  | **Elasticsearch**  | **LanceDB**  |
|--------------|--------------------|--------------|
| **Cost**     | JVM clusters for peak load. 24/7 node costs. | Object storage with compute-storage separation. Up to 100x savings. |
| **Scale**    | Scale by adding nodes. Shard management required. | 20 PB largest table. 20K+ QPS. Billions of vectors. |
| **Search**   | Full-text native. Vector via kNN. | Native vector, full-text, and SQL hybrid search in one query. |
| **Data model** | Index-centric. Vectors inherit cluster behavior. | Raw data, embeddings, and features in one table. |
| **Purpose**  | Text/log search with vector features. | Built for vector and AI workloads. |
| **Best for** | Text search with some vector. | Vector-first workloads at scale. |

## The Power of the Lance Format

### Vector Search
- Fast scans and random access from the same table — no tradeoff
- Zero-copy access for high throughput without serialization overhead

### Multi-Modal
- Raw data, embeddings, and metadata in one table — not pointers to blob storage
- No separate metadata store to keep in sync

## Enterprise-Grade Requirements

### Security
Granular RBAC, SSO integration, and VPC deployment options.

### Governance
Data versioning and time-travel capabilities for auditability.

### Support
Dedicated technical account management and guaranteed SLAs.