ParadeDB vs Toshi
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted search engines options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | ParadeDB | Toshi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,301 | ★ 4,256 |
| First released | 2023 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Elasticsearch | Elasticsearch |
What are ParadeDB and Toshi?
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
Toshi
Toshi is a self-hosted full-text search server that exposes an Elasticsearch-like JSON REST API on top of the Tantivy search engine. It targets developers who want a simple, fast search service in Rust.
- JSON REST API
- Tantivy-backed indexing
- Fast Rust core
- Simple to run
ParadeDB vs Toshi: key differences
Both projects are written in Rust. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for ParadeDB versus MIT for Toshi. Toshi is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for ParadeDB. Toshi is the more established project (first released 2018), while ParadeDB arrived in 2023. ParadeDB has the considerably larger community, at 9,301 GitHub stars versus 4,256.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Toshi if…
- Lightweight search server
- Familiar API style
Watch out for
- Less mature than ES
- Smaller feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is ParadeDB or Toshi better?
Neither is universally better. ParadeDB has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are ParadeDB and Toshi free and open-source?
Yes. ParadeDB is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Toshi under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run ParadeDB and Toshi with Docker?
ParadeDB: yes. Toshi: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, ParadeDB or Toshi?
Toshi has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for ParadeDB. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.