Alopex DB¶

Silent. Adaptive. Unbreakable.¶

The unified database engine that scales from a single embedded file to a globally distributed cluster.

Native SQL, Vector Search, and Graph capabilities in one Rust-based engine.

Current Status¶

v0.1 Embedded KV Core — Complete

Alopex DB v0.1 is ready! The embedded foundation with ACID transactions, WAL durability, and MVCC isolation is complete. Start building today with our Key-Value API.

The Problem¶

Modern AI applications require multiple database technologies—creating complexity, inconsistency, and operational overhead.

Traditional Approach
- SQLite for local storage
- Vector DB for embeddings
- Graph DB for relationships
- Distributed SQL for scale
4+ systems to manage, sync, and maintain
The Alopex Way
- One unified engine
- Seamless topology migration
- Single API everywhere
- Native multi-model support
One engine that adapts to your scale

Key Features¶

Native Vector Support

VECTOR(N) is a first-class data type with ACID transactions. Run hybrid queries combining SQL filters with vector similarity search.
Graph-Ready Storage

Optimized for Knowledge Graph storage with nodes, edges, and embeddings. Perfect for RAG applications requiring relationship traversal.
Lake-Link Architecture

Zero-ETL Parquet import directly into indexed vectors and graphs. Cold/hot data tiering with instant re-hydration.
Pure Rust Engine

Memory-safe, high-performance, and portable. Custom LSM-Tree storage optimized for vector workloads.
ACID Transactions

Full transactional guarantees across SQL, vector, and graph operations. MVCC with Snapshot Isolation for concurrent access.
Chirps Mesh Network

QUIC-based cluster communication with SWIM protocol for membership. Three message profiles for Raft, gossip, and event streaming.

Any Scale, One Engine¶

Start small, scale infinitely—without changing your data model or application code.

Mode	Use Case	Architecture
WASM Viewer	Browser Data Exploration	Read-only viewer with IndexedDB caching
Embedded	Mobile Apps, Local RAG, Edge Devices	Single Binary / Library (like SQLite)
Single-Node	Microservices, Dev/Test Environments	Standalone Server (Postgres-compatible*)
Replicated	High Availability, Read-heavy Workloads	Primary-Replica with automatic failover
Distributed	Large-Scale Production	Multi-Raft Cluster (Range Sharding)

Learn more about deployment modes

SQL + Vector in Action¶

Hybrid SearchLake-Link Import

-- Create a table with mixed data types
CREATE TABLE knowledge_chunks (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY,
    content TEXT,
    embedding VECTOR(1536), -- OpenAI compatible
    created_at TIMESTAMP
);

-- Hybrid Search: SQL Filter + Vector Similarity
SELECT content,
       cosine_similarity(embedding, [0.1, 0.5, ...]) AS score
FROM knowledge_chunks
WHERE created_at > '2024-01-01'
ORDER BY score DESC
LIMIT 5;

-- Turn raw Parquet data into a queryable Knowledge Graph
COPY FROM 's3://datalake/wiki_dump.parquet'
INTO GRAPH wiki_graph
MAP COLUMNS (
    id => node_id,
    vector_col => embedding,
    links => edges  -- Auto-generate graph edges
);

View SQL + Vector guide

Roadmap¶

gantt
    title Alopex DB Development Timeline
    dateFormat  YYYY-MM
    axisFormat  %Y-%m

    section Foundation
    v0.1 Embedded Core       :done, 2025-01, 2025-11
    v0.2 Vector Core (Flat)  :active, 2025-11, 2026-01

    section SQL & Server
    v0.3 SQL Frontend        :2026-01, 2026-02
    v0.4 Server + HNSW       :2026-02, 2026-04

    section Distributed
    v0.7 Cluster-aware       :2026-06, 2026-08
    v0.9 Multi-Raft          :2026-10, 2026-12

    section Production
    v1.0 GA                  :milestone, 2027-03, 0d

What's Complete¶

Version	Features	Status
v0.1	Embedded KV, WAL, MVCC, Transactions	Complete
Chirps v0.3	Gossip, SWIM, Membership API	Complete

What's Next¶

Version	Features	Target
v0.2	Vector Type, Flat Search, Columnar Compression	Jan 2026
v0.3	SQL Parser, DDL/DML, Embedded SQL	Feb 2026
v0.4	Server Mode, REST/gRPC, HNSW Index	Apr 2026

View detailed roadmap

Chirps — Cluster Foundation¶

Alopex Chirps is the control plane for distributed Alopex DB clusters.

:satellite_antenna:{ .lg .middle } SWIM Protocol

Failure detection via ping/ack/ping-req with configurable timeouts. Scalable membership management.
QUIC Transport

TLS 1.3, 0-RTT resumption, multiplexed streams. Priority channels for Raft consensus.
Message Profiles

Control (Raft), Ephemeral (Gossip), Durable (Event Streams). Route by reliability needs.

Learn about Chirps architecture

Join the Pack¶

Alopex DB is open-source under the Apache 2.0 License.

We welcome contributions from engineers passionate about Rust, Distributed Systems, and Vector Search.

Contributing Guide GitHub Discussions