# Vortex

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An extensible ecosystem for compressed columnar data. Spans in-memory arrays,
on-disk file formats, over-the-wire protocols, and integrations with query engines — all built
around the latest research from the database community.

## Where to start

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[**Read & write Vortex files**](getting-started/index.md)

Get started with Vortex in **Python**, **Rust**, **C++**, or **Java**. Convert
from Parquet, compress your data, and query it.
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[**Use with a query engine**](user-guide/index.md)

Integrate Vortex with **DataFusion**, **DuckDB**, **Spark**, **Trino**, or **Ray** for
accelerated queries over compressed data.
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[**Understand the architecture**](concepts/index.md)

Learn how **DTypes**, **Arrays**, **Encodings**, **Layouts**, and the **Scan API** fit together
as building blocks.
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[**Extend Vortex**](developer-guide/index.md)

Write your own **encodings**, **layouts**, **compute functions**, or **extension types** from
Rust or Python.
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[**Create an engine integration**](developer-guide/index.md)

Build a **query engine connector** or **data source** using the **Scan API**, **C FFI**, or
**C++ wrapper**.
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[**Internals**](developer-guide/index.md)

Explore the **crate architecture**, **async runtime**, **session system**, and integration
internals. Build and benchmark locally.
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## Highlights

- **Compressed arrays**: Operate directly on compressed data with encodings like
  [FastLanes](https://github.com/spiraldb/fastlanes),
  [FSST](https://github.com/spiraldb/fsst), and
  [ALP](https://github.com/spiraldb/alp) — no decompression needed for many operations.

- **Extensible file format**: Zero-allocation reads, FlatBuffer metadata for O(1) column access,
  and optional WASM decompression kernels for forward compatibility.

- **Query engine integration**: Filter and projection pushdown through the Scan API, with native
  integrations for DataFusion, DuckDB, Spark, Trino, and Ray.

- **Language bindings**: First-class support for Python (PyO3), Java (JNI + Spark/Trino connectors),
  and C/C++ (FFI).

```{toctree}
---
hidden:
---

getting-started/index
concepts/index
user-guide/index
developer-guide/index
specs/index
api/index
project/index
```