bleve vs ParadeDB
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | bleve | ParadeDB |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | source, binary | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,228 | ★ 9,301 |
| First released | 2014 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Elasticsearch, Algolia | Elasticsearch |
What are bleve and ParadeDB?
bleve
An embeddable modern full-text search and indexing library that lets developers add search to applications without running a separate server. It supports analyzers, faceting, and scoring out of the box.
- Embeddable index
- Text analyzers
- Faceted search
- Pluggable storage
ParadeDB
ParadeDB is an open-source PostgreSQL-based platform that adds Elasticsearch-grade full-text search and analytics directly inside the database. It uses BM25 indexing so search can run alongside existing relational data.
- Search inside Postgres
- BM25 full-text indexing
- Analytical queries
- No separate search cluster
bleve vs ParadeDB: key differences
Bleve is written in Go, while ParadeDB is built with Rust. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for bleve versus AGPL-3.0 for ParadeDB. Bleve is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for ParadeDB. Bleve is the more established project (first released 2014), while ParadeDB arrived in 2023. ParadeDB lists first-class Docker deployment; bleve does not.
Why pick each one
Choose bleve if…
- No separate server
- Pure Go integration
Watch out for
- Library not turnkey app
- Manual scaling
Choose ParadeDB if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Frequently asked questions
Is bleve or ParadeDB better?
Neither is universally better. bleve has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are bleve and ParadeDB free and open-source?
Yes. bleve is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ParadeDB under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run bleve and ParadeDB with Docker?
bleve: check the project docs for container support. ParadeDB: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, bleve or ParadeDB?
bleve has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for ParadeDB. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.