---
title: "ZeroDB Overview"
description: "ZeroDB vector database for AI agent memory — persistent knowledge layer with vector search, file storage, NoSQL tables, event streaming, and free embeddings included."
canonical: "https://docs.ainative.studio/docs/zerodb/overview"
last-updated: "2026-10-03T21:47:10.764Z"
---

# ZeroDB Overview

Source: https://docs.ainative.studio/docs/zerodb/overview

> ZeroDB vector database for AI agent memory — persistent knowledge layer with vector search, file storage, NoSQL tables, event streaming, and free embeddings included.

## ZeroDB

ZeroDB is the persistent knowledge layer for AI agents. One API for vector search, agent memory, file storage, NoSQL tables, and event streaming — with free embeddings.

## Why ZeroDB

- **Vector Search** — Sub-millisecond semantic search with pgvector HNSW indexes
- **Agent Memory** — Multi-tier cognitive memory (working, episodic, semantic) via ZeroMemory
- **File Storage** — S3-compatible object storage with multi-tenant scoping
- **NoSQL Tables** — Schema-free document tables for structured data
- **Event Streaming** — Real-time event streams for agent workflows
- **Functions** — Event-triggered hooks that fire on data changes (auto-embed, auto-summarize, auto-graph)
- **Free Embeddings** — TEI-powered (BAAI/bge models), no OpenAI key required
- **GraphRAG** — Hybrid vector + knowledge graph search
- **Knowledge Graph** — W3C RDF graph you query with [SPARQL 1.1](/docs/zeromemory/knowledge-graph), validate with SHACL, and dereference at stable IRIs (bi-temporal, PROV-O provenance)
- **MCP Servers** — 10-tool memory server, 3-tool sequential thinking server, 69-tool full database server
- **Plan Artifacts** — Versioned structured documents (PRDs, plans, task lists) with full diff history

## Quick Start

### 1. Get a database instantly

```bash
## No signup required — 72-hour trial
curl -X POST https://api.ainative.studio/api/v1/public/instant-db
```

Response:
```json
{
  "api_key": "tmp_xxx...",
  "project_id": "uuid",
  "base_url": "https://api.ainative.studio",
  "expires_at": "72 hours from now"
}
```

:::tip Authenticated Users
If you include an `Authorization` header with a valid JWT, the returned key uses the `sk_` prefix (permanent) instead of `tmp_` (72-hour expiry), and the project is auto-assigned to your Default Workspace.
:::
```

### 2. Or use the CLI

```bash
npx zerodb-cli init
```

This creates a project and auto-configures your MCP server for Claude Code, Cursor, or VS Code.

### 3. Install an SDK

```bash
## Python — LangChain
pip install langchain-zerodb

## Python — LlamaIndex
pip install llama-index-vector-stores-zerodb

## Python — Direct
pip install zerodb-mcp

## MCP Server (Agent Memory + Plan Artifacts)
npm i ainative-zerodb-memory-mcp

## MCP Server (Sequential Thinking — self-provisioning)
npx zerodb-sequential-thinking-mcp
```

## Architecture

ZeroDB is **Postgres-native** — built on top of PostgreSQL with pgvector for vector operations and recursive CTEs for graph traversal. No separate graph database or vector database to manage.

| Component | Technology |
|-----------|-----------|
| Vector search | pgvector HNSW |
| Embeddings | TEI (HuggingFace Text Embeddings Inference) |
| Knowledge graph | Recursive CTEs (Postgres-native) |
| File storage | S3-compatible object store |
| Memory scoring | Custom blended scoring (similarity + importance + recency) |

## Products

| Product | What It Does |
|---------|-------------|
| [Vectors](/docs/zerodb/vectors) | Store and search vector embeddings |
| [ZeroMemory](/docs/zeromemory/overview) | Cognitive memory for AI agents |
| [Files](/docs/zerodb/files) | S3-compatible file storage |
| [Tables](/docs/zerodb/tables) | NoSQL document tables |
| [Events](/docs/zerodb/events) | Real-time event streaming |
| [GraphRAG](/docs/guides/graphrag) | Hybrid vector + graph search |
| [MCP](/docs/mcp/overview) | MCP server integration |

## Pricing

| Tier | Vectors | Storage | Price |
|------|---------|---------|-------|
| Free | 500K | 2 GB | $0/mo |
| Pro | Unlimited | 10 GB | $49/mo |
| Business | Unlimited | 50 GB | $149/mo |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | 100 GB | $699/mo |

Free embeddings included at all tiers.

## Next Steps

- [Quick Start Guide](/docs/getting-started/quick-start) — Full setup in 15 minutes
- [ZeroMemory](/docs/zeromemory/overview) — Add persistent memory to your agent
- [MCP Setup](/docs/mcp/overview) — Connect ZeroDB to Claude Code or Cursor
- [API Reference](/docs/api/overview) — Full endpoint documentation