> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://samypesse.gitbook.io/algolia-faq/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://samypesse.gitbook.io/algolia-faq/basics/what-is-an-index.md).

# What is an index?

An index is the place where the data used by a search engine is stored.

It is the equivalent for search of what a "table" is for a database. Unlike a database table, an index is optimized for search operations.With Algolia, you can have as many different indices as you want.