Managed vs. Custom RAG
Managed retrieval can handle file upload, chunking, embeddings, indexing, and search, reducing infrastructure code. Custom RAG gives more control over parsers, chunking, hybrid ranking, filters, and observability. Compare file support, filters, deletion semantics, citation metadata, latency, cost, data handling, and portability.
Even when retrieval is hosted, your application still owns authentication, authorization, prompt policy, output validation, and evaluation.
Implementation example
Managed: faster setup, fewer components, service-specific controls
Custom: more control, more engineering and operations
Both: governance, permissions, evaluations, monitoring💡 Compare end-to-end requirements, not only quickstart length.
Key Takeaways
- Inspect the relevant pipeline stage instead of guessing.
- Preserve source provenance, versions, and access scope.
- Measure quality on representative queries.
Knowledge Check
What does managed retrieval not guarantee?