Context Databases

• Vector Database vs. Context Base

A Context Base is not “instead of retrieval.” It is the system that turns raw documents, records, and updates into governed, agent-ready context through normalization, hybrid indexing, provenance, and controlled distribution.

• OpenViking
  • Filesystem-style context database from Volcengine — viking:// protocol, tiered L0/L1/L2 loading, observable retrieval trajectories
  • volcengine/OpenViking
    • 27.1k stars
• Engram
  • Brain-inspired, portable context database — atomic “bullets” in a concept graph with reconsolidation and MMR diversity ranking
  • softmaxdata/engram
    • 19 stars