Apache CouchDB
Apache-2.0 documents, built around offline sync.
CouchDB is a document database under the Apache Software Foundation with a distinguishing feature nothing else here matches: replication designed for intermittent connectivity, so devices can work offline and reconcile later. If you are building something that must function on a phone in a field with no signal, CouchDB with PouchDB in the client solves a problem MongoDB does not attempt. Apache-2.0 with foundation governance, so the licence question is settled permanently. It is slower and less fashionable than the alternatives, and for its particular job it has no real competitor.
What it does well
- +Apache Software Foundation governance — the licence is settled
- +Best offline-first replication of any database in this comparison
- +Pairs with PouchDB for genuinely offline-capable applications
- +Simple HTTP and JSON interface with no driver required
Where it falls short
- −Slower than MongoDB or Postgres for general workloads
- −Query capability is weaker; map-reduce views take adjusting to
- −Smaller community and less momentum
- −Wrong choice unless offline sync is genuinely your problem
Apache CouchDB as an alternative to
Where Apache CouchDB shows up in our comparisons, and how it ranked.
Apache CouchDB head-to-head
Straight comparisons against the tools people weigh it against.