AI Engineer
mediumai-engineer-hybrid-search
What is hybrid search and when is it better than pure vector search?
Answer
Hybrid search combines keyword (BM25) and vector similarity.
It’s better when:
- Exact terms matter (IDs, error codes)
- Queries are short or ambiguous
- You need filtering and precision
Hybrid approaches often outperform pure vector search for enterprise docs where terminology is important.
Related Topics
SearchVector SearchArchitecture