elips/docs
Project

Frequently asked

Answers to the questions that come up most often — pulled from the code, not the marketing.

Is ELIPS a database server?+

No. ELIPS is embedded. A database is a directory on disk and an open handle in your process. There is no daemon to install and no network port to open.

Can multiple processes share a database?+

One writer at a time, many readers. The writer takes an exclusive advisory file lock; readers take shared locks via access_mode="read_only".

What embeddings does ELIPS use?+

New databases attach a built-in local text embedder automatically. You can attach a rehydratable local embedder, a custom Python callable, or disable auto-attach entirely.

What happens on a crash?+

The WAL is replayed on the next open. Each record is CRC32C-framed; replay truncates at the first invalid record and preserves the valid prefix.

How big can a vault get?+

ELIPS is designed for the embedded scale — millions of vectors comfortably, larger with segmented storage and HNSW tuned for memory budget. There is no hard ceiling baked into the format.

Does ELIPS require a GPU?+

No. The default build is CPU-only. Compile with -DELIPS_GPU_ENABLED=ON to opt in to the GPU index family.

Why C++23?+

ADR-0001. std::span, concepts, designated initialisers, and structured bindings let the public surface stay precisely typed without overhead.

Where can I report a bug?+

Open an issue on the GitHub tracker. Include the output of elips info and elips verify when relevant.