---
title: "What is a local catalog?"
description: "A local catalog is the on-disk database, caches, and media home where tables live when you run the engine on your own machine."
url: "https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-local-catalog"
updated: "2026-09-29"
vertical: "Storage"
doc: "https://docs.pixeltable.com/overview/quick-start"
---

# What is a local catalog?

A local catalog is the on-disk database, caches, and media home where tables live when you run the engine on your own machine.

Updated: 2026-09-29


## On this page

- [How it works](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-local-catalog#how-it-works)
- [What it is not](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-local-catalog#what-it-is-not)
- [Comparison](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-local-catalog#comparison)
- [Where Pixeltable fits](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-local-catalog#where-pixeltable-fits)
- [Questions](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-local-catalog#questions)

## How it works {#how-it-works}


- Install the package and apply a schema.
- Tables and media land under the catalog home.
- The same schema can later apply to a hosted database.

## What it is not {#what-it-is-not}

It is not a hosted database, and it is not a Docker volume you never version.

## local catalog: this, and the thing it is confused with {#comparison}

|  | This | Not this |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where | Your disk | A cloud account |
| Account | None required | Required to host |
| Schema | The same file | A rewrite |

## Where Pixeltable fits {#where-pixeltable-fits}

Pixeltable’s local catalog is what pip install gives you. PIXELTABLE_HOME is the directory that catalog uses.

## Questions {#questions}

### How does local catalog work? {#faq-1}

Install the package and apply a schema. Tables and media land under the catalog home. The same schema can later apply to a hosted database.

### What is local catalog often confused with? {#faq-2}

It is not a hosted database, and it is not a Docker volume you never version.

## In the blog

- [Run Pixeltable in Docker Without Losing Your Catalog](https://pixeltable.com/blog/pixeltable-docker-volumes-pixeltable-home)
- [Pixeltable Starter Kit: From Clone to Production AI App in Minutes](https://pixeltable.com/blog/pixeltable-starter-kit-launch)
- [Powering Multimodal LLMs: Pixeltable MCP Servers for Rich Data Context](https://pixeltable.com/blog/pixeltable-mcp-servers)
- [The Open Source Databricks Alternative: Why AI Developers Are Choosing Pixeltable](https://pixeltable.com/blog/pixeltable-databricks-alternative)
- [vLLM: High-Throughput Local LLM Inference in Pixeltable](https://pixeltable.com/blog/vllm-high-throughput-local-inference-pixeltable)
- [Ollama: Run Local LLMs with Llama, Qwen, and More in Pixeltable](https://pixeltable.com/blog/ollama-local-llm-pixeltable)

## Related

- [Documentation](https://docs.pixeltable.com/overview/quick-start)
- [Run Pixeltable in Docker Without Losing Your Catalog](https://pixeltable.com/blog/pixeltable-docker-volumes-pixeltable-home)
- [Understanding Pixeltable Storage: The Four-Layer Architecture That Powers Multimodal AI](https://pixeltable.com/blog/understanding-pixeltable-storage-architecture)
- [Why the Local-Cloud Loop Matters](https://pixeltable.com/blog/why-local-cloud-loop-matters)