Open-source 3D tool shows how HNSW vector search works
VectorLens is a learning tool that shows HNSW step by step in a 3D view. HNSW is a search method used in such as Pinecone, Qdrant, and Weaviate.
The tool shows how the search moves through connected points, narrows down candidates, and calculates similarity. It also lets people compare HNSW with brute-force .
The HNSW engine was built directly in plain JavaScript, and the 3D display was drawn with instead of Three.js or WebGL. It is best understood as an demo and codebase for learning how works, not as a production service.
Key points
- HNSW can be viewed step by step in 3D.
- The topic connects to such as Pinecone, Qdrant, and Weaviate.
- The visualizer shows and similarity calculations.
- HNSW can be compared with brute-force .
- The demo is and built with plain JavaScript and .