--- title: "search vs vald" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/kelindar-search-vs-vdaas-vald" tools: ["kelindar-search", "vdaas-vald"] --- # search vs vald *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick search if search is a Go library enabling embedded vector search and semantic embeddings via the llama.cpp framework; pick vald if vald is a distributed vector search engine written in Go, optimized for high performance and scalability, making it suitable for applications such as image search and similarity search. [search](https://github.com/kelindar/search) reports 559 GitHub stars, 24 forks, and 5 open issues, last pushed Sep 19, 2026. [vald](https://vald.vdaas.org) has 1.7k stars, 95 forks, and 147 open issues, last pushed Sep 16, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [search's repository](https://github.com/kelindar/search) and [vald's repository](https://github.com/vdaas/vald). | | [search](/tools/kelindar-search.md) | [vald](/tools/vdaas-vald.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Go library for embedded vector search and semantic embeddings with llamacpp | A Highly Scalable Distributed Vector Search Engine | | Stars | 559 | 1,728 | | Forks | 24 | 95 | | Open issues | 5 | 147 | | Language | Go | Go | | Adopt for | search is a Go library enabling embedded vector search and semantic embeddings via the llama.cpp framework. | Vald is a distributed vector search engine written in Go, optimized for high performance and scalability, making it suitable for applications such as image search and similarity search. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Data & Retrieval, Vector Databases | Data & Retrieval, Vector Databases | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [search](/tools/kelindar-search.md) | [vald](/tools/vdaas-vald.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 0d | 2d | | Open issues (now) | 5 | 147 | | Stars delta | +4 (30d) | +14 (30d) | | Open issues delta | 0 (30d) | +1 (30d) | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/kelindar-search/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/vdaas-vald/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: search - **Adopt for:** search is a Go library enabling embedded vector search and semantic embeddings via the llama.cpp framework. ## Decision facts: vald - **Requirements:** Requires Kubernetes 1.19 or newer.; Hardware must support AVX2 instructions for optimal performance. - **Adopt for:** Vald is a distributed vector search engine written in Go, optimized for high performance and scalability, making it suitable for applications such as image search and similarity search. ## Choose when ### Choose search if… - License: search is MIT, vald is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to search: ai, bert, embeddings, gguf. - Use for projects needing a lightweight, fast integration of semantic search capabilities within applications written in Go ### Choose vald if… - License: vald is Apache-2.0, search is MIT. - Requirements: Requires Kubernetes 1.19 or newer.; Hardware must support AVX2 instructions for optimal performance.. - Tags unique to vald: anng, approximate-nearest-neighbor-search, cloud-native, distributed-systems. - When you need a scalable solution for high-dimensional data search, Vald can handle large volumes of data efficiently. ## When NOT to use search - Avoid if relying on out-of-the-box support beyond Go or requiring heavy customization that is not supported directly by llama.cpp's capabilities - Not suitable when a more comprehensive database service with extensive querying and integration features is desired over an embedded solution ## When NOT to use vald - Avoid Vald if your infrastructure does not support Kubernetes 1.19 or newer, as it is a requirement for Vald's operation. - Do not use Vald if your hardware does not support AVX2 instructions, as this will limit the performance of the Vald Agent NGT component. - If your project requires a non-distributed solution, Vald's distributed architecture might introduce unnecessary complexity. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between search and vald? search: Go library for embedded vector search and semantic embeddings with llamacpp. vald: A Highly Scalable Distributed Vector Search Engine. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose search over vald? Choose search over vald when License: search is MIT, vald is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to search: ai, bert, embeddings, gguf; Use for projects needing a lightweight, fast integration of semantic search capabilities within applications written in Go. ### When should I choose vald over search? Choose vald over search when License: vald is Apache-2.0, search is MIT; Requirements: Requires Kubernetes 1.19 or newer.; Hardware must support AVX2 instructions for optimal performance.; Tags unique to vald: anng, approximate-nearest-neighbor-search, cloud-native, distributed-systems; When you need a scalable solution for high-dimensional data search, Vald can handle large volumes of data efficiently. ### When should I avoid search? Avoid if relying on out-of-the-box support beyond Go or requiring heavy customization that is not supported directly by llama.cpp's capabilities Not suitable when a more comprehensive database service with extensive querying and integration features is desired over an embedded solution ### When should I avoid vald? Avoid Vald if your infrastructure does not support Kubernetes 1.19 or newer, as it is a requirement for Vald's operation. Do not use Vald if your hardware does not support AVX2 instructions, as this will limit the performance of the Vald Agent NGT component. If your project requires a non-distributed solution, Vald's distributed architecture might introduce unnecessary complexity. ### Is search or vald more popular on GitHub? vald has more GitHub stars (1,728 vs 559). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are search and vald open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (search: MIT, vald: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to search or vald? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [search alternatives](/tools/kelindar-search/alternatives) and [vald alternatives](/tools/vdaas-vald/alternatives) ([search markdown twin](/tools/kelindar-search/alternatives.md), [vald markdown twin](/tools/vdaas-vald/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/kelindar-search-vs-vdaas-vald.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, search or vald? search: Very active. vald: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for search and vald? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [search trust report](/tools/kelindar-search/trust); [vald trust report](/tools/vdaas-vald/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=kelindar-search`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=kelindar-search) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_