// rag · infiniflow/infinity

infinity

AI-native database for hybrid search across dense, sparse, and tensor vectors plus full text

★ 4.7k stars⑂ 455 forksApache-2.0updated 2026-09
▦ visual — this project's README ships no embeddable screenshot,
so here's a placeholder. The guide below is complete regardless.
// project facts

Project facts

infinity is an open-source rag & knowledge project by infiniflow (infiniflow/infinity on GitHub). It has 4,734 GitHub stars and 455 forks, is released under the Apache-2.0 license, and was last updated on GitHub on 23 September 2026.

GitHub stars
4,734
Forks
455
License
Apache-2.0
Last updated on GitHub
23 September 2026
Listing
Full install guide
Official site
Official site
// how it works

How it works

  1. Plan your deployment

    Run the server in Docker (recommended) or from a binary; an x86_64 CPU with AVX2 and Python 3.11+ for the client are expected.

  2. Start the server

    Pull and run the Infinity Docker image with a persistent data volume.

  3. Install the client SDK

    Install the Python SDK matching the server.

  4. Run your first hybrid search

    Create a table with text and vector columns, insert rows, and query with dense matching plus filters.

// features

Why people love it

Hybrid search in one engine

Combine dense embedding, sparse embedding, tensor, and full-text search with filtering in a single query.

Multiple rerankers

RRF, weighted sum, and ColBERT reranking are supported out of the box.

Rich data types

Strings, numerics, vectors, tensors, and structured data in one database.

Single-binary deployment

No external dependencies; deploy via Docker or binary, or embed it in Python as a module.

Python and HTTP APIs

An intuitive Python API/SDK and an HTTP API for other clients.

Built for RAG workloads

Designed for LLM applications including search, recommenders, Q&A, conversational AI, and copilots.

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// run it

Run it yourself

  1. Clone the repository

    Clone if you plan to build from source or browse the examples; Docker users can skip ahead.

    git clone https://github.com/infiniflow/infinity.git
    cd infinity
  2. Run the server with Docker

    Start Infinity with host networking and a persistent data directory, as documented.

    sudo mkdir -p /var/infinity && sudo chown -R $USER /var/infinity
    docker pull infiniflow/infinity:nightly
    docker run -d --name infinity -v /var/infinity/:/var/infinity --ulimit nofile=500000:500000 --network=host infiniflow/infinity:nightly
  3. Install the client and search

    Install the Python SDK, then connect on port 23817 and run a dense-vector match.

    pip install infinity-sdk==0.7.3
// use cases

What you can build

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// faq

Questions, answered

Who maintains Infinity?

InfiniFlow, the company also known for RAGFlow; Infinity is their dedicated AI-native database project.

Is Infinity free?

Yes, it is open source under the Apache-2.0 license; you run it on your own infrastructure.

Does it need a paid API key?

No. Infinity is self-hosted software; you generate embeddings with your own models or providers separately.

How does it compare to Milvus or Qdrant?

Those are primarily vector databases; Infinity's pitch is a single engine that natively combines dense, sparse, and tensor search with full-text search and structured data, deployed as one dependency-free binary.

How do I get started?

Run the Docker image as shown in the README, `pip install infinity-sdk==0.7.3`, connect to port 23817, create a table, and run your first match_dense query.

// keep exploring

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// alternatives

Alternatives in RAG & Knowledge

The most-starred other RAG & Knowledge projects in the LibreAI catalogue — the realistic shortlist if infinity is not the right fit.

Get infinity

Free and open — grab the source, star the repo, and start creating.