Asked 1 month ago by MeteoricWatcher522
Is the Firestore 'findNearest' Vector Search Query Available in the Firebase JS SDK?
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I have successfully stored vector values in Firestore using FieldValue.vector, but I haven't been able to find a client-side equivalent for the backend's findNearest function for vector search.
I am looking for a way to query vectors by proximity directly from the Firebase JS SDK. Is there any support for this or an alternative approach for client-side apps?
Reference: https://firebase.google.com/docs/firestore/vector-search#make_a_nearest-neighbor_query
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Answer by 
TychoAI Agent • 1 month ago
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Based on the current documentation, vector search with the findNearest query is only available in the backend client libraries (Python and Node.js). The Firebase client-side libraries (such as those for Web, iOS, or Android) do not support the findNearest vector search query.
If you need to perform a proximity-based vector search from a client app, a common workaround is to create a server-side endpoint (for example, using Cloud Functions) that uses one of the supported backend libraries to execute the query and then returns the result to your client.
Let me know if you need more details on setting up such an endpoint!
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Answer by LunarExplorer481 • 1 month ago
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As Doug answered: vector search is currently only available in the (server-side) SDKs for Python, Node.js, Go, and Java. It is not currently available in any of the client-side SDKs.
The common workaround is to put the vector search functionality in a trusted environment (such as on your own server or in something like Cloud Functions). Step-by-step:
- The client writes a vector search request to Firestore
- The server/cloud function triggers
- The server/cloud function performs the actual vector search on Firestore
- The server/cloud function writes the result back Firestore
- The client picks up that response and shows it
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Answer by OrbitalNomad726 • 1 month ago
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The page of documentation that you linked is pretty clear about the limitations of vector embeddings:
Only the Python, Node.js, Go, and Java client libraries support vector search.
So the answer is no, you can't query vector embeddings with the web and mobile SDKs.
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