Explorer tool

The Explorer tool is a graphical interface for working with the data in a Weaviate Cloud cluster. Browse collections, examine objects, inspect metadata and vectors, and run keyword, semantic, hybrid, and aggregation searches, all without writing a query.

The Explorer tool is available for collections that are hosted in Weaviate Cloud.

If you don't see any available clusters, select the Clusters option from the left sidebar and follow the steps to create a new cluster.

To review how the collection itself is configured, click the View collection details button in the page header.

The Search & explore panel sits above the results and has five modes:

Browse mode lists the objects in the collection. Each object is shown with its:

• Unique identifier (UUID)
• Properties and their values
• Metadata
• Vector embeddings

Some details are initially collapsed. Click a color-coded property group, such as metadata or vectors, to expand it and view the details. Hover over a property name to see the property type.

Vectors are shown initially by name, where named vectors are used, and by their number of dimensions. Expand the entry to see part of the vector, or click copy to copy the entire vector to your clipboard.

Pagination controls at the bottom of the list step through the objects. A dropdown next to them sets the number of objects per page and shows the total number of objects in the collection. The refresh button at the top of the page reloads the list.

Hybrid mode blends keyword and vector search in a single search, so an object can rank highly because it matches your search terms, because it matches your meaning, or both. For each half on its own, see semantic search and keyword search.

Search with either of:

• Text: describe what you are looking for.
• Vector: provide a raw vector to search with.

Use the in: selector to choose which properties are searched.

Under Advanced options, the Keyword ↔ vector balance (alpha) slider sets how much each half of the search contributes. In the Explorer tool the slider starts at 0.5, which weights the keyword and vector components equally. See the alpha parameter for what the value means.

If the panel asks for a model provider key, see inference keys.

For the equivalent query in application code, see hybrid search.

Semantic mode ranks results by meaning rather than by exact words, so a relevant object can rank highly even if it shares no words with your search.

Search with either of:

• Text: describe what you are looking for.
• Vector: provide a raw vector to search with.

If the panel asks for a model provider key, see inference keys.

For the equivalent query in application code, see vector similarity search, and for the underlying idea, see vector search.

Keyword mode ranks results by BM25 relevance, so the objects that match your search terms most strongly come first.

A keyword search reads every property by default. To narrow it, use the in: selector to choose which properties are searched.

For the equivalent query in application code, see keyword search.

Aggregate mode calculates a metric over the collection instead of returning objects. The controls read as a sentence: Show <metric> of <target> grouped by <property>.

• Metric: one of Count, Minimum, Maximum, Mean, Median, Mode, or Sum.
• Target: all objects in the collection, or a single property.
• Grouped by: optional. Select a property to break the result down by that property's values.

Click Calculate to run the aggregation.

For the equivalent query in application code, see aggregate.

Filters are available in every mode, including Browse. Click Add condition to build a filter condition, then click Apply to run it.

Sorting is available in Browse only. Browse offers a Filter & Sort control, while the search modes offer Filter alone, since those modes order the results by relevance.

Semantic and Hybrid searches vectorize your search text with the model provider that the collection is configured to use. Where that provider needs an API key, the Search & explore panel prompts you for one before the search runs.

Enter the key in the panel. The field is named for that provider, for example OpenAI API key, and the key is used for this search only and never stored.

Hover over a result card to reveal two buttons:

• Find similar searches for the nearest neighbors of that object, so you can pivot from one result to the objects most like it.
• Show JSON shows the raw JSON for that object.

• Collections tool
• Query Agent
• Search: keyword (BM25)
• Search: hybrid
• Search: aggregate
• Model provider integrations

If you use Weaviate Cloud (Database cluster(s) or Weaviate product in the cloud) or have a self-hosted support package, open a ticket in the Support Portal or email Weaviate support directly. To add a support plan, contact Weaviate sales.

Use the Support Portal for direct help from the Weaviate team: open and track tickets, and we'll respond in line with your support plan. The Community Forum is open to everyone, and a great place to ask questions, get help with your cluster, and connect with other developers. For all the ways to get help, see the Support overview.