Tagged “performance”
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When your vector database gets slow
A diagnosis order for rising query latency: read the percentile shape first, then memory, filters, segments, tombstones, and search parameters.
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Bulk loading a collection that's already serving
A backfill through the live write path will degrade queries and blow out the segment count. How to stage a large load and cut over without downtime.
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Compaction, and when to force it
Segment count is a direct multiplier on query work. How to tell if background compaction is keeping up, when to trigger it by hand, and what it costs.
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Running a vector index from disk
The index outgrew RAM and buying more isn't an option. What changes when the structure lives on disk, and how to tell if your storage can take it.
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Partitioning by the filter you always use
One collection, one filter on every query, and the filter is doing the work an index boundary should. How to pick a partition key and migrate onto it.
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Warming a vector index after a restart
The first minutes after every restart are the slowest your service ever gets. What is actually cold, and how to warm it before traffic arrives.
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Isolating tenants in one vector store
One large customer's traffic is degrading everyone else's latency, and one tenant's growth is your capacity plan. Isolation options and what each costs.
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Query timeouts and retry storms
A timeout that fires plus a client that retries turns a slow vector index into an unavailable one. How to set both so load is shed, not amplified.
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Load testing a vector database before it matters
A load test with random query vectors measures nothing useful. How to build a realistic query mix, and which failure points a test should actually find.