Apache Solr vs Weaviate
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Weaviate
Open-source vector database for semantic and AI search
| Feature | Apache Solr | Weaviate |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 81 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, bare-metal | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,674 | ★ 16,841 |
| First released | 2006 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Elasticsearch, Algolia | Pinecone, Algolia |
What are Apache Solr and Weaviate?
Apache Solr
Apache Solr is a highly reliable, scalable and fault-tolerant open-source search platform built on Apache Lucene. It powers full-text search, faceting and analytics for many large websites and applications.
- Lucene-powered full-text search
- Faceting and rich querying
- Distributed SolrCloud mode
- Extensive plugin ecosystem
Weaviate
Weaviate is an open-source vector database that stores objects and their vector embeddings for semantic search. It enables AI-powered similarity search, retrieval-augmented generation and hybrid queries.
- Vector and hybrid search
- Built-in vectorization modules
- GraphQL and REST APIs
- Horizontal scaling
Apache Solr vs Weaviate: key differences
Apache Solr is written in Java, while Weaviate is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Apache Solr versus BSD-3-Clause for Weaviate. Apache Solr is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Weaviate. Apache Solr is the more established project (first released 2006), while Weaviate arrived in 2019. Weaviate has the considerably larger community, at 16,841 GitHub stars versus 1,674.
Why pick each one
Choose Apache Solr if…
- Mature and battle-tested
- Powerful faceting
Watch out for
- Configuration is complex
Choose Weaviate if…
- Great for AI semantic search
- Easy to start
Watch out for
- Memory hungry with large datasets
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Solr or Weaviate better?
Weaviate is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Apache Solr if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Apache Solr and Weaviate free and open-source?
Yes. Apache Solr is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Weaviate under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache Solr and Weaviate with Docker?
Apache Solr: yes. Weaviate: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Apache Solr or Weaviate?
Apache Solr has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Weaviate. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.