> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.helix-db.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

export const architectureDiagram = ["                                   │", "                                   │", "      ╔════════════════════════════▼══════════════════════════╗", "      ║                         Gateway                       ║░", "      ╚═══╦═══════════════╤═══════════════╤═══════════════╤═══╝░", "        ░░║░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░│░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░¦░░░░░", "          ║               │               │               │", "          ║               │               │               │", "    ╔═════╩═════╗   ┌─────┴─────┐   ┌─────┴─────┐   ┌─────┴─────┐", "    ║  Writer   ║   │  Reader   │   │  Reader   │   │   ...     │", "    ║ ┏━━━━━━━┓ ║   │ ┌───────┐ │   │ ┌───────┐ │   │           │", "    ║ ┃ Cache ┃ ║   │ │ Cache │ │   │ │ Cache │ │   │   ...     │", "    ║ ┃  SSD  ┃ ║   │ │  SSD  │ │   │ │  SSD  │ │   │           │", "    ║ ┗━━━━━━━┛ ║   │ └───────┘ │   │ └───────┘ │   │           │", "    ╚═════╦═════╝   └─────┬─────┘   └─────┬─────┘   └─────┬─────┘", "          ║               │               │               │", "          ║               │               │               │", "          ║               │               │               │", "╔═════════╩═══════════════╧═══════════════╧═══════════════╧═════════╗", "║ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ║", "║ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░  Object Storage  ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ║", "║ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ║", "╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝"].join("\n");

export const EnterpriseDiagram = ({diagram}) => {
  return <div className="enterprise-diagram not-prose">
      <pre className="enterprise-diagram__pre">
        <code className="enterprise-diagram__code">{diagram}</code>
      </pre>
    </div>;
};

> For the complete documentation index optimized for AI agents, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt).

Helix Cloud is an object-storage-backed graph database with integrated vector search and
full-text search. It combines a property graph engine with approximate vector search and BM25
full-text search on top of durable object storage, using SSD and in-memory caches for
low-latency reads.

Helix Cloud is a fundamentally different architecture and database compared to the opensource v1
version of HelixDB. That version used LMDB which was limited to sequential writes and could only handle
a relatively small amount of data. Helix Cloud uses a new LSM based storage engine backed by object
storage that can handle concurrent writes to the writer node and allows for virtually unlimited data storage.

## HelixDB Cloud System at a Glance

<EnterpriseDiagram diagram={architectureDiagram} />

A gateway routes all traffic. A single writer serializes mutations for consistency. Readers
auto-scale horizontally to handle query load. Object storage is the durable system of record.
Caches reduce steady-state latency and accelerate cold starts.

## Key Properties

* **Everything on object storage.** Nodes, edges, properties, and vector/text index artifacts
  persist durably in object storage — no local disk required for correctness.
* **Tiered caching.** Separate in-memory and SSD cache paths for graph, vector, and text data keep
  hot-path reads fast.
* **Full ACID transactions.** Every query runs in a serializable snapshot isolation transaction.
  Concurrent reads and writes do not block each other.
* **Dynamic query model.** Queries are authored in a Rust or TypeScript DSL and sent to the
  runtime as dynamic HTTP requests that carry the query inline. No separate deployment step.

## Quickstart: your first write

Install the CLI, scaffold a project, start a local instance, and round-trip a node:

```bash theme={"languages":{"custom":["languages/helixql.json"]}}
# install the helix CLI
curl -sSL "https://install.helix-db.com" | bash

# scaffold a project and start a local instance (requires Docker or Podman)
helix init local
helix start dev

# write a node
helix query dev -e 'writeBatch().varAs("alice", g().addN("User", { username: "alice" })).returning(["alice"])'

# read it back
helix query dev -e 'readBatch().varAs("users", g().nWithLabel("User")).returning(["users"])'
```

`helix query -e` evaluates a TypeScript DSL expression (requires Node 20+). The same requests
can be sent as JSON files with `helix query dev --file examples/request.json`, or from your
application with the [TypeScript](/database/typescript-project-setup),
[Rust](/database/rust-project-setup), [Go](/database/go-project-setup), or
[Python](/database/python-project-setup) SDKs. The full walkthrough — including the Helix Cloud
path — is in [Getting started with the CLI](/cli/getting-started).

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Working with Helix Cloud" icon="rocket" href="/database/working-with-enterprise">
    Authoring and runtime workflow for dynamic queries.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Architecture" icon="sitemap" href="/database/architecture">
    Gateway, writer, readers, object storage, and the cache hierarchy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Developing Locally" icon="laptop-code" href="/database/local-development">
    Run the `enterprise-dev` image in-memory or against MinIO.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Querying" icon="magnifying-glass" href="/database/querying">
    Traversal DSL, dynamic queries, and transactions.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>