Vector Databases
🗄️

Milvus

Self-host Milvus for AI experimentation

open-source self-hosted

Alternative To

  • • Pinecone
  • • Weaviate Cloud

Difficulty Level

Beginner

Suitable for users with basic technical knowledge. Easy to set up and use.

Overview

Milvus is an open-source tool for AI experimentation and development.

System Requirements

  • CPU: 4+ cores
  • RAM: 8GB+
  • GPU:
  • Storage: 10GB+

Installation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Basic knowledge of command line interfaces
  • Git installed on your system
  • Docker and Docker Compose (recommended for easy setup)
  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/milvus-io/milvus.git
    
  2. Navigate to the project directory:

    cd milvus
    
  3. Start the Docker containers:

    docker-compose up -d
    
  4. Access the application:

    Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000 (port may vary based on the project)

Option 2: Manual Installation

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/milvus-io/milvus.git
    
  2. Navigate to the project directory:

    cd milvus
    
  3. Install dependencies:

    pip install -r requirements.txt
    
  4. Run the application:

    python app.py
    
  5. Access the application:

    Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000 (port may vary based on the project)

Note: For detailed installation instructions specific to your operating system and environment, please refer to the official documentation on the project’s GitHub repository.

Practical Exercise: Getting Started with Milvus

Now that you have Milvus installed, let’s walk through a simple exercise to help you get familiar with the basics.

Step 1: Basic Configuration

After installation, you’ll need to configure some basic settings to get started.

# Example configuration steps cd milvuscp config.example.yml config.yml # Edit the config.yml file with your preferred settings

Step 2: Your First Project

Let’s create a simple project to test that everything is working correctly.

Example Task:

Create a simple document retrieval system using vector embeddings.

Step 3: Exploring Advanced Features

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, try exploring some of the more advanced features:

  • Customize the model parameters to improve performance
  • Integrate with other tools or services
  • Optimize for your specific hardware configuration
  • Explore the API documentation to build custom applications

Resources

Official Documentation

The official documentation is the best place to find detailed information about Milvus.

Read the Documentation

Community Support

Join the community to get help, share your experiences, and contribute to the project.

GitHub Issues

Tutorials and Guides

Explore tutorials and guides created by the community to learn more about Milvus.

Find Tutorials on GitHub