Chroma
Open-source embedding database for AI applications.
Open source
Best for local-first RAG prototypes and teams that want a low-friction vector store while validating retrieval quality.
Official resources
Selection advice
Use Chroma to move quickly while retrieval requirements are still changing. Revisit scale and tenancy before production growth.
Best for
- local RAG
- fast prototypes
- embedding collections
Not ideal for
- large multi-tenant production search without an ops plan
- cases requiring managed enterprise controls immediately
Core concepts
collectionsembeddingsmetadataqueries
Minimal implementation shape
Create a collection, store chunks with metadata, query by embedding, and inspect whether the returned context actually answers the task.