brainy/OFFLINE_MODELS.md
David Snelling f8c45f2d8d Initial commit: Brainy - Multi-Dimensional AI Database
Open source vector database with HNSW indexing, graph relationships,
and metadata facets. Features CLI with professional augmentation registry
integration for discovering extensions and capabilities.
2025-08-18 17:35:06 -07:00

1.7 KiB

Offline Models

Brainy uses Transformers.js with ONNX Runtime for true offline operation - no more TensorFlow.js dependency hell!

How it works

Brainy automatically figures out the best approach:

  1. First use: Downloads models once (~87 MB) to local cache
  2. Subsequent use: Loads from cache (completely offline, zero network calls)
  3. Smart detection: Automatically finds models in cache, bundled, or downloads as needed

Standard usage

npm install @soulcraft/brainy
# Use immediately - models download automatically on first use

Docker with production egress restrictions

For environments where production has no internet but build does:

FROM node:24-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install @soulcraft/brainy
RUN npm run download-models  # Download during build (when internet available)
COPY . .
# Production container now works completely offline

Development with immediate offline

If you want models available immediately for development:

npm install @soulcraft/brainy
npm run download-models  # Optional: download now instead of on first use

Key benefits vs TensorFlow.js

  • 95% smaller package - 643 kB vs 12.5 MB
  • 84% smaller models - 87 MB vs 525 MB
  • True offline - Zero network calls after initial download
  • No dependency issues - 5 deps vs 47+, no more --legacy-peer-deps
  • Better performance - ONNX Runtime beats TensorFlow.js
  • Same API - Drop-in replacement

Philosophy

Install and use. Brainy handles the rest.

No configuration files, no environment variables, no complex setup. Brainy detects your environment and does the right thing automatically.