v3.5.8

HeliosDB Lite

Production-ready edge database with HeliosProxy — the flagship connection router with multi-tier caching, GraphQL gateway, and intelligent routing. Everything in Nano, plus a complete suite of production tools for SaaS platforms, edge computing, and AI agent infrastructure.

Lite is the most popular HeliosDB tier, designed for teams that need production-grade features without the complexity of a full distributed system.

~60 MB Binary
152K Lines of Rust
25 Use Cases
YAML
# heliosdb-lite.yaml
server:
  bind: "0.0.0.0:5432"
  max_connections: 500

proxy:
  enabled: true
  cache:
    l1_size: "256MB"
    l2_size: "1GB"
    l3_backend: "redis"
  graphql:
    enabled: true
    port: 4000

storage:
  engine: "helioscore"
  direct_io: true

Everything in Nano, Plus More

HeliosDB Lite includes all Nano features — vector search, branching, time-travel, encryption, PostgreSQL compatibility — and adds production-grade capabilities on top.

Vector Search

HNSW + PQ compression with 1K-5K QPS.

Database Branching

Git-like branching at the storage layer.

Time-Travel Queries

AS OF syntax for point-in-time access.

Enterprise Security

TDE, ZKE, FIPS 140-3, Row-Level Security.

HeliosProxy

HeliosProxy is the flagship connection router exclusive to Lite and Full. It provides intelligent connection pooling, multi-tier caching, a GraphQL gateway, WASM plugin support, and workload-aware routing — all in a single integrated component.

  • Connection Pooling: Intelligent connection management with up to 10,000 concurrent connections
  • L1/L2/L3 Caching: In-process, shared memory, and distributed cache layers
  • GraphQL Gateway: Auto-generated GraphQL schema from database tables
  • WASM Plugins: Extend with custom WebAssembly middleware
  • Intelligent Routing: Workload-aware query routing and load balancing

Learn more about HeliosProxy →

SQL
-- Configure HeliosProxy caching
ALTER SYSTEM SET
    proxy.cache.l1_size = '256MB';
ALTER SYSTEM SET
    proxy.cache.l2_size = '1GB';
ALTER SYSTEM SET
    proxy.cache.l3_backend = 'redis';

-- Enable GraphQL gateway
ALTER SYSTEM SET
    proxy.graphql.enabled = 'on';

-- Load a WASM plugin
CREATE EXTENSION rate_limiter
FROM 'plugins/rate_limiter.wasm';

-- Set intelligent routing rules
ALTER SYSTEM SET
    proxy.routing.mode = 'workload_aware';
ALTER SYSTEM SET
    proxy.routing.read_preference = 'nearest';

Multi-Dialect Stored Procedures

HeliosDB Lite supports stored procedures in four SQL dialects, making enterprise migration seamless. Write procedures in PL/pgSQL, PL/SQL, T-SQL, or DB2 SQL PL — the engine handles translation transparently.

  • PL/pgSQL: Full PostgreSQL procedural language support
  • PL/SQL: Oracle compatibility for enterprise migration
  • T-SQL: SQL Server dialect for Microsoft migrations
  • DB2 SQL PL: IBM DB2 stored procedure support
  • Cross-dialect interoperability within the same database
SQL
-- PL/pgSQL stored procedure
CREATE FUNCTION get_similar_docs(
    query_vec VECTOR(768),
    limit_n INT
) RETURNS TABLE (
    id INT, title TEXT, score FLOAT
) AS $$
BEGIN
    RETURN QUERY
    SELECT d.id, d.title,
        1 - (d.embedding <=> query_vec)
    FROM documents d
    ORDER BY d.embedding <=> query_vec
    LIMIT limit_n;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

-- PL/SQL (Oracle) syntax also works
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE
    update_inventory(p_id IN NUMBER)
IS
BEGIN
    UPDATE products
    SET stock = stock - 1
    WHERE id = p_id;
END;

gRPC + REST API

HeliosDB Lite exposes native gRPC and REST API interfaces built on Axum, enabling direct HTTP-based database access without traditional database drivers. Ideal for microservices, serverless functions, and web applications.

  • High-performance gRPC interface with protobuf serialization
  • RESTful API with JSON request/response
  • Built on Axum for async, zero-copy performance
  • OpenAPI/Swagger documentation auto-generated
  • Authentication via JWT, API keys, or mTLS
Bash
# REST API - Query via HTTP
curl -X POST https://localhost:8080/v1/query \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -d '{
    "sql": "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10",
    "params": []
  }'

# REST API - Vector search
curl -X POST https://localhost:8080/v1/search \
  -d '{
    "table": "documents",
    "vector": [0.1, 0.2, ...],
    "limit": 5,
    "metric": "cosine"
  }'

# gRPC - High-performance access
grpcurl -d '{
  "query": "SELECT * FROM orders",
  "database": "myapp"
}' localhost:50051 \
  heliosdb.v1.QueryService/Execute

MCP Server for AI Agents

HeliosDB Lite includes a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, enabling seamless integration with AI agents, development tools, and autonomous systems. AI agents can query, modify, and manage databases using natural language through the MCP interface.

  • Full MCP protocol implementation for AI tool integration
  • Natural language to SQL translation
  • Schema introspection and context injection
  • Compatible with Claude, GPT, and other LLM frameworks
  • Sandboxed execution with permission controls
JSON
// MCP tool definition
{
  "name": "heliosdb_query",
  "description": "Query HeliosDB",
  "parameters": {
    "sql": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "SQL query"
    },
    "database": {
      "type": "string",
      "default": "default"
    }
  }
}

// AI agent can call:
{
  "tool": "heliosdb_query",
  "arguments": {
    "sql": "SELECT * FROM users
           WHERE role = 'admin'"
  }
}

SIMD-Optimized Vector Search

Lite upgrades Nano's vector search with SIMD acceleration using AVX-512, AVX2, and NEON instruction sets. This delivers up to 4x faster similarity computations compared to scalar operations, pushing throughput beyond 5K QPS.

  • AVX-512 / AVX2 / NEON SIMD acceleration
  • Up to 4x faster distance computations
  • Automatic CPU feature detection at startup
  • Combined BM25 + vector hybrid ranking
  • Parallel index building for large datasets
SQL
-- Enable SIMD acceleration
ALTER SYSTEM SET
    vector.simd_mode = 'auto';

-- Hybrid BM25 + vector search
SELECT title, content,
    (0.7 * vector_score +
     0.3 * bm25_score) AS rank
FROM (
    SELECT *,
        1 - (embedding <=> $query_vec)
            AS vector_score,
        ts_rank(tsv, to_tsquery($query_text))
            AS bm25_score
    FROM documents
    WHERE tsv @@ to_tsquery($query_text)
) ranked
ORDER BY rank DESC
LIMIT 20;

Native Storage: HeliosCore

HeliosDB Lite includes HeliosCore, a custom storage backend built from the ground up in Rust. It bypasses the filesystem cache with O_DIRECT I/O, providing predictable latency and maximum throughput for database workloads.

  • Custom B-tree and LSM hybrid storage engine
  • O_DIRECT I/O bypassing OS page cache
  • Asynchronous I/O with io_uring on Linux
  • Write-ahead log with configurable sync modes
  • Automatic compaction and space reclamation

Learn more about HeliosCore →

Rust
use heliosdb::{HeliosDB, StorageConfig};

// Configure HeliosCore storage
let config = StorageConfig::builder()
    .engine("helioscore")
    .direct_io(true)
    .io_backend("io_uring")
    .wal_sync_mode("fsync")
    .compaction_strategy("leveled")
    .max_memtable_size("64MB")
    .bloom_filter_bits(10)
    .build()?;

let db = HeliosDB::builder()
    .storage(config)
    .data_dir("/data/helios")
    .build()?;

// HeliosCore handles the rest
db.execute("INSERT INTO events
    SELECT generate_series(1, 1000000)")?;

Who is Lite For?

HeliosDB Lite is designed for production teams that need a powerful, feature-rich database with modern API capabilities and intelligent caching.

SaaS Platforms

Multi-tenant SaaS with Row-Level Security, connection pooling via HeliosProxy, and stored procedures in four SQL dialects for seamless enterprise migration.

Edge Computing

Deploy at the edge with a compact 60 MB binary. HeliosCore's O_DIRECT I/O and SIMD vector search deliver consistent performance on edge hardware.

PostgreSQL Migration

95%+ SQL compatibility, wire protocol support, and multi-dialect stored procedures make migrating from PostgreSQL, Oracle, or SQL Server straightforward.

AI Agent Infrastructure

Built-in MCP server, gRPC/REST APIs, and SIMD-optimized vector search create the ideal foundation for AI agent memory and autonomous systems.

Get Started with Lite

The most popular HeliosDB tier. Download free and start building production-grade applications.