RediSearch 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 | RediSearch | Toshi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 90 · Excellent | 79 · Good |
| Category | Search Engines | Search Engines |
| License | RSALv2 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,242 | ★ 4,256 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Elasticsearch, Algolia | Elasticsearch |
What are RediSearch and Toshi?
RediSearch
RediSearch, part of the Redis Query Engine, adds full-text search, secondary indexing and vector search capabilities to Redis. It enables fast querying over data already stored in Redis.
- Full-text search inside Redis
- Secondary indexing of Redis data
- Vector similarity search
- Aggregations and queries
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
RediSearch vs Toshi: key differences
Both projects are written in Rust. Licensing differs — RSALv2 for RediSearch versus MIT for Toshi. Toshi is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for RediSearch.
Why pick each one
Choose RediSearch if…
- Very fast, in-memory
- Reuses existing Redis
Watch out for
- Source-available, not OSI licensed
Choose Toshi if…
- Lightweight search server
- Familiar API style
Watch out for
- Less mature than ES
- Smaller feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is RediSearch or Toshi better?
Neither is universally better. RediSearch has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are RediSearch and Toshi free and open-source?
Yes. RediSearch is licensed under RSALv2 and Toshi under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run RediSearch and Toshi with Docker?
RediSearch: yes. Toshi: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, RediSearch or Toshi?
Toshi has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for RediSearch. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.