HelixDB
Data
vector graph database
SHOW HN2025
How HN took it
9 positive, 38 neutral or asking, 1 mixed, 8 critical, out of 56 comments about the project. Thread score +0.04.
Performance: 1 for, 2 againstIdea: 1 for, 2 againstDesign: 0 for, 1 againstExecution: 1 for, 0 againstPricing: 0 for, 1 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
Objections
Bespoke query language creates lock-in and learning curve
From 2 comments
> so much easier that it’s worth a bit of a learning curve I think you misspelled "vendor lock in"
mdaniel on HNThis is very cool, and right up my alley. Hesitant to try it out because of the bespoke query language for now. I wonder if you'd like to share your thoughts on GQL becoming an…
bogzz on HN
Benchmark claims were not backed by published numbers
From 2 comments
It sounds very intriguing indeed. However, the README makes some claims. Are there any benchmarks to support them? > Built for performance we're currently 1000x faster than…
Attummm on HNhow did you get it 3 OOMs faster than neo4j?
lennertjansen on HN
Name clashes with the Helix editor and an existing Helix database
From 2 comments
Nice "I'll have this name" when there's already the helix editor :)
lillecarl on HNI don't think `helix-editor` is even on crates.io, just placeholders. https://github.com/helix-editor/helix/discussions/7038 That being said, when I saw `helix-db` I was thrown…
itishappy on HN
Requests
Published benchmarks against other graph and vector databases
From 3 comments
How does it compare with https://kuzudb.com/ ?
esafak on HNHow does it compare to SurrealDB and ChromaDB?
iamdanieljohns on HN"faster than Neo4j" How does it compare to Dgraph?
wiradikusuma on HN
Embedded mode or browser WASM support
From 2 comments
Congrats! Any chance Helixdb can be run in the browser too, maybe via WASM? I'm looking for a vector db that can be pre-populated on the server and then be searched on the client…
hbcondo714 on HNCan I run this as an embedded DB like sqlite? Can I sidestep the DSL? I want my LLMs to generate queries and using a new language is going to make that hard or expensive.
huevosabio on HN
Python SDK with generated types
From 1 comment
Looks very interesting, but I've seen these kind of multi-paradigm databases like Gel, Helix and Surreal and I'm not sure that any of them quite hit the graph spot. Does Helix…
youdont on HN
Questions
How it compares to Kuzu, SurrealDB, ChromaDB, Memgraph and CozoDB
From 4 comments
How does it compare with https://kuzudb.com/ ?
esafak on HNHow does it compare to SurrealDB and ChromaDB?
iamdanieljohns on HNVery interesting project. Would be curious of a comparison with memgraph. Will definitely give it to try for my knowledge graph use case.
ckugblenu on HNCan you do a compare/contrast with CozoDB? https://github.com/cozodb/cozo
michaelsbradley on HN
Whether it can run embedded like SQLite
From 1 comment
Can I run this as an embedded DB like sqlite? Can I sidestep the DSL? I want my LLMs to generate queries and using a new language is going to make that hard or expensive.
huevosabio on HN
Hardware and scaling requirements
From 3 comments
I was thinking about intertwining Vector and Graph, because I have one specific usecase that required this combination. But I am not courageos or competent enough to build such a…
srameshc on HNWhat would be a typical/recommended server setup for using this for RAG? Would you typically have a separate server for the GPUs and the DB itself?
anonymousDan on HNHow scalable is your DB in your tests? Could it be performent on graphs with 1B/10B/100B connections?
riku_iki on HN
Alternatives named
Neo4j
From 1 comment
Neo4j supports vector indexes
UltraSane on HN
Kuzu
From 1 comment
How does it compare with https://kuzudb.com/ ?
esafak on HN
SurrealDB
From 1 comment
why not surrealdb?
basonjourne on HN
Qdrant and Pinecone
From 1 comment