1.27.10, 1.28.3, 1.29.0Weaviate Embeddings
Weaviate Embeddings' models can be accessed directly from a Weaviate Cloud instance.
Configure a Weaviate vector index to use a Weaviate Embeddings model, and Weaviate will generate embeddings for various operations using the specified model and your Weaviate API key. 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
To use Weaviate Embeddings, you need:
- A Weaviate Cloud instance running at least Weaviate version
>=1.27.10,>=1.28.3or>=1.29.0. - A Weaviate client library that supports Weaviate Embeddings:
- Python client version
4.9.5or higher - JavaScript/TypeScript client version
3.2.5or higher - Go/Java clients are not yet officially supported; you must pass the
X-Weaviate-Api-KeyandX-Weaviate-Cluster-Urlheaders manually upon instantiation as shown below.
- Python client version
Weaviate configuration
The Weaviate Embeddings vectorizer is only available for use by Weaviate Cloud instances. At this time, Weaviate Embeddings is not available for self-hosted users.
API credentials
Weaviate Embeddings is integrated with Weaviate Cloud. Your Weaviate Cloud credentials will be used to authorize your Weaviate Cloud instance's access for Weaviate Embeddings.
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
# Best practice: store your credentials in environment variables
weaviate_url = os.getenv("WEAVIATE_URL")
weaviate_key = os.getenv("WEAVIATE_API_KEY")
client = weaviate.connect_to_weaviate_cloud(
cluster_url=weaviate_url, # Weaviate URL: "REST Endpoint" in Weaviate Cloud console
auth_credentials=Auth.api_key(weaviate_key), # Weaviate API key: "ADMIN" API key in Weaviate Cloud console
)
print(client.is_ready()) # Should print: `True`
# Work with Weaviate
client.close()
Configure the vectorizer
Configure a Weaviate index as follows to use a Weaviate Embeddings model:
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_weaviate(
name="title_vector",
source_properties=["title"]
)
],
# Additional parameters not shown
)
Select a model
You can specify one of the available models for the vectorizer to use, as shown in the following configuration example.
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_weaviate(
name="title_vector",
source_properties=["title"],
model="Snowflake/snowflake-arctic-embed-l-v2.0"
)
],
# Additional parameters not shown
)
You can specify one of the available models for Weaviate to use. The default model is used if no model is specified.
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
model(optional): The name of the model to use for embedding generation.dimensions(optional): The number of dimensions to use for the generated embeddings.base_url(optional): The base URL for the Weaviate Embeddings service. (Not required in most cases.)
The following examples show how to configure Weaviate Embeddings-specific options.
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_weaviate(
name="title_vector",
source_properties=["title"],
model="Snowflake/snowflake-arctic-embed-m-v1.5",
# Further options
# dimensions=256
# base_url="<custom_weaviate_embeddings_url>",
)
],
# 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 WED 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
Snowflake/snowflake-arctic-embed-l-v2.0 (default)
- A 568M parameter, 1024-dimensional model for multilingual enterprise retrieval tasks.
- Trained with Matryoshka Representation Learning to allow vector truncation with minimal loss.
- Quantization-friendly: Using scalar quantization and 256 dimensions provides 99% of unquantized, full-precision performance.
- Read more at the Snowflake blog, and the Hugging Face model card
- Allowable
dimensions: 1024 (default), 256
Snowflake/snowflake-arctic-embed-m-v1.5
- A 109M parameter, 768-dimensional model for enterprise retrieval tasks in English.
- Trained with Matryoshka Representation Learning to allow vector truncation with minimal loss.
- Quantization-friendly: Using scalar quantization and 256 dimensions provides 99% of unquantized, full-precision performance.
- Read more at the Snowflake blog, and the Hugging Face model card
- Allowable
dimensions: 768 (default), 256
Currently, input exceeding the model's context windows is truncated from the right (i.e. the end of the input).
Further resources
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.
References
- Weaviate Embeddings Documentation
Questions and feedback
If you have any questions or feedback, let us know in the user forum.
