Embeddings turn text into numeric vectors you can store in a vector database, search with cosine similarity, or use in RAG pipelines. The vector length depends on the model (typically 384–1024 dimensions).
Recommended models
Generate embeddings
CLI
cURL
Python
JavaScript
Generate embeddings directly from the command line:ollama run embeddinggemma "Hello world"
echo "Hello world" | ollama run embeddinggemma
curl -X POST http://localhost:11434/api/embed \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "embeddinggemma",
"input": "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
}'
import ollama
single = ollama.embed(
model='embeddinggemma',
input='The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.'
)
print(len(single['embeddings'][0])) # vector length
import ollama from 'ollama'
const single = await ollama.embed({
model: 'embeddinggemma',
input: 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.',
})
console.log(single.embeddings[0].length) // vector length
The /api/embed endpoint returns L2‑normalized (unit‑length) vectors.
Generate a batch of embeddings
Pass an array of strings to input.
curl -X POST http://localhost:11434/api/embed \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "embeddinggemma",
"input": [
"First sentence",
"Second sentence",
"Third sentence"
]
}'
import ollama
batch = ollama.embed(
model='embeddinggemma',
input=[
'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.',
'The five boxing wizards jump quickly.',
'Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz.',
]
)
print(len(batch['embeddings'])) # number of vectors
import ollama from 'ollama'
const batch = await ollama.embed({
model: 'embeddinggemma',
input: [
'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.',
'The five boxing wizards jump quickly.',
'Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz.',
],
})
console.log(batch.embeddings.length) // number of vectors
Tips
- Use cosine similarity for most semantic search use cases.
- Use the same embedding model for both indexing and querying.
