AWS Embeddings with Weaviate
Weaviate's integration with AWS's SageMaker and Bedrock APIs allows you to access their models' capabilities directly from Weaviate.
Configure a Weaviate vector index to use an AWS embedding model, and Weaviate will generate embeddings for various operations using the specified model and your AWS API credentials. This feature is called the vectorizer.
At import time, Weaviate generates text object embeddings and saves them into the index. For vector and hybrid search operations, Weaviate converts text queries into embeddings.

Requirements
Weaviate configuration
Your Weaviate instance must be configured with the AWS vectorizer integration (text2vec-aws) module.
For Weaviate Cloud (WCD) users
This integration is enabled by default on Weaviate Cloud (WCD) instances.
For self-hosted users
- Check the cluster metadata to verify if the module is enabled.
- Follow the how-to configure modules guide to enable the module in Weaviate.
API credentials
You must provide access key based AWS credentials to Weaviate for these integrations. Go to AWS to sign up and obtain an AWS access key ID and a corresponding AWS secret access key.
Provide the API credentials to Weaviate using one of the following methods:
- Set the
AWS_ACCESS_KEYandAWS_SECRET_KEYenvironment variables that are available to Weaviate. - Provide the API credentials at runtime, as shown in the examples below.
If a snippet doesn't work or you have feedback, please open a GitHub issue.
import weaviate
from weaviate.classes.init import Auth
import os
# Recommended: save sensitive data as environment variables
aws_access_key = os.getenv("AWS_ACCESS_KEY")
aws_secret_key = os.getenv("AWS_SECRET_KEY")
headers = {
"X-AWS-Access-Key": aws_access_key,
"X-AWS-Secret-Key": aws_secret_key,
}
client = weaviate.connect_to_weaviate_cloud(
cluster_url=weaviate_url, # `weaviate_url`: your Weaviate URL
auth_credentials=Auth.api_key(weaviate_key), # `weaviate_key`: your Weaviate API key
headers=headers
)
# Work with Weaviate
client.close()
AWS model access
Bedrock
To use a model via Bedrock, it must be available, and AWS must grant you access to it.
Refer to the AWS documentation for the list of available models, and to this document to find out how request access to a model.
SageMaker
To use a model via SageMaker, you must have access to the model's endpoint.
Configure the vectorizer
Configure a Weaviate index as follows to use an AWS embedding model.
The required parameters for the Bedrock and the SageMaker models are different.
Bedrock
For Bedrock, you must provide the model name in the vectorizer configuration.
If a snippet doesn't work or you have feedback, please open a GitHub issue.
from weaviate.classes.config import Configure
client.collections.create(
"DemoCollection",
vector_config=[
Configure.Vectors.text2vec_aws(
name="title_vector",
region="us-east-1",
source_properties=["title"],
service="bedrock",
model="titan-embed-text-v2:0",
)
],
# Additional parameters not shown
)
SageMaker
For SageMaker, you must provide the endpoint address in the vectorizer configuration.
If a snippet doesn't work or you have feedback, please open a GitHub issue.
from weaviate.classes.config import Configure
client.collections.create(
"DemoCollection",
vector_config=[
Configure.Vectors.text2vec_aws(
name="title_vector",
region="us-east-1",
source_properties=["title"],
service="sagemaker",
endpoint="<custom_sagemaker_name>", # e.g., "tei-xxx"
)
],
# Additional parameters not shown
)
Vectorization behavior
Weaviate follows the collection configuration and a set of predetermined rules to vectorize objects.
Unless specified otherwise in the collection definition, the default behavior is to:
- Only vectorize properties that use the
textortext[]data type (unless skipped) - Sort properties in alphabetical (a-z) order before concatenating values
- If
vectorizePropertyNameistrue(falseby default) prepend the property name to each property value - Join the (prepended) property values with spaces
- Prepend the class name (unless
vectorizeClassNameisfalse) - Convert the produced string to lowercase
Vectorizer parameters
The following examples show how to configure AWS-specific options.
The AWS region setting is required for all AWS integrations.
- Bedrock users must set
servicetobedrockand provide themodelname. - SageMaker users must set
servicetosagemakerand provide theendpointaddress.
If a snippet doesn't work or you have feedback, please open a GitHub issue.
from weaviate.classes.config import Configure
client.collections.create(
"DemoCollection",
vector_config=[
Configure.Vectors.text2vec_aws(
name="title_vector",
region="us-east-1",
source_properties=["title"],
service="bedrock", # `bedrock` or `sagemaker`
model="titan-embed-text-v2:0", # If using `bedrock`, this is required
# endpoint="<sagemaker_endpoint>", # If using `sagemaker`, this is required
)
],
# Additional parameters not shown
)
Data import
After configuring the vectorizer, import data into Weaviate. Weaviate generates embeddings for text objects using the specified model.
If a snippet doesn't work or you have feedback, please open a GitHub issue.
source_objects = [
{"title": "The Shawshank Redemption", "description": "A wrongfully imprisoned man forms an inspiring friendship while finding hope and redemption in the darkest of places."},
{"title": "The Godfather", "description": "A powerful mafia family struggles to balance loyalty, power, and betrayal in this iconic crime saga."},
{"title": "The Dark Knight", "description": "Batman faces his greatest challenge as he battles the chaos unleashed by the Joker in Gotham City."},
{"title": "Jingle All the Way", "description": "A desperate father goes to hilarious lengths to secure the season's hottest toy for his son on Christmas Eve."},
{"title": "A Christmas Carol", "description": "A miserly old man is transformed after being visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve in this timeless tale of redemption."}
]
collection = client.collections.use("DemoCollection")
with collection.batch.fixed_size(batch_size=200) as batch:
for src_obj in source_objects:
# The model provider integration will automatically vectorize the object
batch.add_object(
properties={
"title": src_obj["title"],
"description": src_obj["description"],
},
# vector=vector # Optionally provide a pre-obtained vector
)
if batch.number_errors > 10:
print("Batch import stopped due to excessive errors.")
break
failed_objects = collection.batch.failed_objects
if failed_objects:
print(f"Number of failed imports: {len(failed_objects)}")
print(f"First failed object: {failed_objects[0]}")
If you already have a compatible model vector available, you can provide it directly to Weaviate. This can be useful if you have already generated embeddings using the same model and want to use them in Weaviate, such as when migrating data from another system.
Searches
Once the vectorizer is configured, Weaviate will perform vector and hybrid search operations using the specified AWS model.

Vector (near text) search
When you perform a vector search, Weaviate converts the text query into an embedding using the specified model and returns the most similar objects from the database.
The query below returns the n most similar objects from the database, set by limit.
If a snippet doesn't work or you have feedback, please open a GitHub issue.
collection = client.collections.use("DemoCollection")
response = collection.query.near_text(
query="A holiday film", # The model provider integration will automatically vectorize the query
limit=2
)
for obj in response.objects:
print(obj.properties["title"])
Hybrid search
A hybrid search performs a vector search and a keyword (BM25) search, before combining the results to return the best matching objects from the database.
When you perform a hybrid search, Weaviate converts the text query into an embedding using the specified model and returns the best scoring objects from the database.
The query below returns the n best scoring objects from the database, set by limit.
If a snippet doesn't work or you have feedback, please open a GitHub issue.
collection = client.collections.use("DemoCollection")
response = collection.query.hybrid(
query="A holiday film", # The model provider integration will automatically vectorize the query
limit=2
)
for obj in response.objects:
print(obj.properties["title"])
References
Available models
Bedrock
amazon.titan-embed-text-v1amazon.titan-embed-text-v2:0cohere.embed-english-v3cohere.embed-multilingual-v3
Refer to this document to find out if the model is available in your region and how request access to a model.
SageMaker
Any custom SageMaker name (e.g., "TEI-xxx") can be used as an endpoint.
Further resources
Other integrations
Code examples
Once the integrations are configured at the collection, the data management and search operations in Weaviate work identically to any other collection. See the following model-agnostic examples:
- The How-to: Manage collections and How-to: Manage objects guides show how to perform data operations (i.e. create, read, update, delete collections and objects within them).
- The How-to: Query & Search guides show how to perform search operations (i.e. vector, keyword, hybrid) as well as retrieval augmented generation.
External resources
Questions and feedback
If you have any questions or feedback, let us know in the user forum.
