Qdrant is an open-source vector database built for semantic search and similarity matching. It stores dense vectors (embeddings) and uses approximate nearest-neighbor search algorithms (HNSW, IVF) to find similar vectors in milliseconds. Unlike traditional row-oriented databases, Qdrant is optimized for high-dimensional similarity queries, making it ideal for recommendation systems, semantic search, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines. As AI and LLMs explode, vector search is becoming as fundamental as SQL. Companies building RAG systems, recommendation engines, and semantic search features urgently need engineers who can design and operate vector databases. Qdrant's open-source nature, excellent performance, and growing adoption make it a critical skill—specialists see 25–40% higher compensation than generalist backend engineers.