ObjectBox: On-Device Vector Database for AI and Edge Applications

ObjectBox is a high-performance, resource-efficient vector database designed for on-device AI, IoT, and edge computing environments. It combines embedded object storage, vector search capabilities, and data synchronization to enable ultra-fast, private, and offline-ready AI experiences.

Alternative to SQLite - 10x faster, NoSQl with easy native language APIs AND data Sync / Vector Search built in
First on-device vector database   
Ideal for mobile, IoT, embedded, and commodity hardware: Android, iOS, C++, Java, Dart, Swift, Python  
Offline-first data sync: bidirectional, conflict-resolving, secure  
Optimized for Edge AI and SLMs: Enables RAG, semantic search, fast local inference  
Sustainable software: reduces cloud dependency, supports SDGs, reduces resource-use (Battery, CPU, Memory, and bandwidth)  

Website: https://objectbox.io  
Docs: https://docs.objectbox.io  

Developer Resources

Documentation  
Main Docs: https://docs.objectbox.io  
Platform-specific Docs:  
- Java/C++/Kotlin: https://docs.objectbox.io  
- Dart/Flutter: https://docs.objectbox.io/getting-started  
- Swift (iOS/macOS): https://swift.objectbox.io  
- Python: Available via PyPI  

Advanced Topics:  
- Vector Search: https://docs.objectbox.io/on-device-vector-search  
- Transactions: https://docs.objectbox.io/transactions  
- Queries: https://docs.objectbox.io/queries  
- Data Sync: https://docs.objectbox.io/data-sync  
- Code Examples: https://github.com/objectbox  

Features  
Object-oriented CRUD operations  
Support for async operations  
Native APIs across platforms  
Vector index and HNSW nearest neighbor search  
Embedded vector storage with metadata  
MongoDB Realm & SQLite alternatives  
Dockerized admin tools  

Getting Started  
Add ObjectBox SDK via Gradle, pubspec.yaml, or PyPI  
Annotate entity classes with @Entity  
Run code generator (build_runner, Java plugin, etc.)  
Open a Store, use Box to manage objects  

CRUD Examples

Java/Kotlin  
@Entity  
public class Note {  
  @Id long id;  
  String text;  
}  

Box<Note> noteBox = boxStore.boxFor(Note.class);  
noteBox.put(new Note("Hello ObjectBox"));  
List<Note> notes = noteBox.getAll();  

Dart/Flutter  
@Entity()  
class Note {  
  int id;  
  String text;  
  Note({this.id = 0, required this.text});  
}  

final store = await openStore();  
final box = store.box<Note>();  
box.put(Note(text: 'Hello ObjectBox'));  
final notes = box.getAll();  

Python  
class Note(object):  
    id = 0  
    text = ""  

note = Note()  
note.text = "Hello ObjectBox"  
box.put(note)  
notes = box.get_all()  

C++  
OBX_store* store = obx_store_open();  
OBX_box* box = obx_box(store, OBX_Model_Note);  
Note note = {0, "Hello ObjectBox"};  
obx_box_put(box, &note);  
Source: https://objectbox.io/cpp-database-tutorial/  

Go  
type Note struct {  
    Id   uint64 `objectbox:"id"`  
    Text string  
}  

box := store.BoxFor(&Note{})  
box.Put(&Note{Text: "Hello ObjectBox"})  
notes, _ := box.GetAll()  
Source: https://docs.objectbox.io/go  

Swift  
@Entity  
class Note: Entity {  
    var id: Id = 0  
    var text: String = "Hello ObjectBox"  
}  

let store = try! Store(directoryPath: "objectbox")  
let box = store.box(for: Note.self)  
try box.put(note)  
let notes = try box.all()  
Source: https://swift.objectbox.io  

Data Sync Examples

Dart/Flutter Sync Setup  
dependencies:  
  objectbox: ^2.0.0  
  objectbox_sync: any  

final syncClient = Sync.client(store,  
  serverUri: 'wss://sync.objectbox.io',  
  userCredentials: SyncCredentials.sharedSecret('your-secret')  
)..start();  

Java Sync Example  
SyncClient client = Sync.client(boxStore, "wss://sync.objectbox.io")  
    .credentials(SyncCredentials.sharedSecret("your-secret"))  
    .build();  
client.start();  

C++ Sync Setup   
OBX_sync* sync = obx_sync(store);  
obx_sync_credentials(sync, OBXSyncCredentialsType_SHARED_SECRET, "your-secret", strlen("your-secret"));  
obx_sync_start(sync);  
Source: https://objectbox.io/cpp-database-tutorial/  

Blog Highlights

General & Visionary Topics  
- Why Edge AI is crucial for retail and POS systems in 2025: https://objectbox.io/why-edge-ai-crucial-retail-pos-systems/ (Feb 2025)  
- Why do we need Edge Computing for a sustainable future?: https://objectbox.io/edge-computing-sustainable-future/ (Nov 2024)  
- Local AI Explained: https://objectbox.io/local-ai-explained/ (Sep 2024)  
- Green Coding: https://objectbox.io/green-coding/ (Apr 2023)  
- What is an Edge Database?: https://objectbox.io/what-is-an-edge-database/ (May 2023)  

Dev & Product Focused  
- The Critical Role of Databases for Edge AI: https://objectbox.io/databases-for-edge-ai/ (Nov 2024)  
- Bi-directional Offline-First Data Sync with MongoDB and ObjectBox: https://objectbox.io/offline-sync-mongodb-objectbox/ (Oct 2024)  
- Vector search: https://objectbox.io/vector-search/ (May 2024)  
- Python on-device Vector DB: https://objectbox.io/python-vector-database/ (May 2024)  
- ObjectBox 4.0: https://objectbox.io/objectbox-4-release/ (May 2024)  
- C++ and C Embedded DB: https://objectbox.io/embedded-db-cpp-c/ (Nov 2024)  
- Async APIs Flutter/Dart: https://objectbox.io/flutter-2-0-release/ (Mar 2023)  
- In-Memory DB Use Cases: https://objectbox.io/in-memory-database/ (Feb 2024)  

Edge AI & Market Articles  
- Top Small Language Models and Local Vector DBs: https://objectbox.io/small-language-models-local-ai/ (Jan 2025)  
- Rise of Small LLMs: https://objectbox.io/small-llms/ (Oct 2024)  
- RAG + Vector DBs: https://objectbox.io/rag-vector-databases/ (Jun 2024)  
- Vector Database Market Overview: https://objectbox.io/vector-db-market-comparison/ (May 2023)  
- IoT and Digitalization in Healthcare: https://objectbox.io/iot-edge-healthcare/ (Nov 2024)  
- MongoDB Realm Alternatives: https://objectbox.io/mongodb-realm-alternative/ (Sep 2024)  

Tutorials  
- Flutter Quickstart: https://objectbox.io/flutter-database-getting-started/ (May 2022)  
- C++ Tutorial: https://objectbox.io/cpp-database-tutorial/ (Nov 2021)  
- Dart Sync Example: https://objectbox.io/sync-dart-flutter/ (Mar 2022)  
- Define Entity Classes: https://docs.objectbox.io/entities  
- Add ObjectBox to Projects: https://docs.objectbox.io/getting-started  
- Async, Transactions, Vectors: https://docs.objectbox.io/queries  

Company & Community  
Jobs: https://objectbox.io/jobs  
GitHub: https://github.com/objectbox  
Blog: https://objectbox.io/blog  
Contact: contact@objectbox.io  
Follow: Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, GitHub, Instagram  

SDGs and Sustainability  
ObjectBox enables more sustainable software by reducing cloud load, supporting local-first AI, and enabling developers to write energy-efficient applications. It contributes to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in infrastructure, innovation, and sustainable cities.  

Changelog, Licensing, and Support  
Changelogs: https://docs.objectbox.io/changelog  
License: Database is free to use, bindings are mostly Apache 2, Data Sync is proprietary and paid  
FAQs: https://docs.objectbox.io/faq  
Support: GitHub Issues or contact@objectbox.io