Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

CouchDB VS ArangoDB

Compare CouchDB VS ArangoDB and see what are their differences

CouchDB logo CouchDB

HTTP + JSON document database with Map Reduce views and peer-based replication

ArangoDB logo ArangoDB

A distributed open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values.
  • CouchDB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-14
  • ArangoDB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-20

CouchDB features and specs

  • Schema-Free Design
    CouchDB is a NoSQL database with a schema-free design, which means it allows for flexible and dynamic data modeling. This is particularly useful for applications where requirements may change over time or where data is highly variable.
  • Replication
    CouchDB provides robust replication capabilities that enable data to be synchronized across multiple servers. This is useful for scalability, high availability, and disaster recovery.
  • RESTful HTTP API
    CouchDB uses a RESTful HTTP API for database operations, making it easy to interact with using standard web technologies. This simplifies development and integration with web applications.
  • Multi-Master Replication
    CouchDB supports multi-master replication, allowing for concurrent writes on different nodes without conflict. This feature is valuable for distributed systems and offline-first applications.
  • Eventual Consistency
    CouchDB ensures eventual consistency, which allows the database to be highly available and partition tolerant. This is beneficial for applications that need to remain operational even under network partitions.
  • MapReduce Queries
    CouchDB supports MapReduce functions for creating views and indexes, enabling powerful data querying and aggregation. This makes it easier to perform complex data analysis within the database.
  • Built-in Administration Interface
    CouchDB comes with a built-in web-based administration interface called Fauxton, making it easy to manage databases, documents, and replication.

Possible disadvantages of CouchDB

  • Performance
    In some scenarios, CouchDB may exhibit slower performance compared to other NoSQL databases, particularly when handling a high volume of writes or complex queries.
  • Limited Querying Capabilities
    While CouchDB does provide querying through MapReduce functions and CouchDB Query Language (Django Query Language), it lacks the rich querying capabilities of some other databases like SQL-based databases or more advanced NoSQL databases.
  • Eventual Consistency
    While eventual consistency is a pro, it can also be a con for applications that require strong consistency guarantees, as data may not be immediately consistent across all nodes.
  • Complex Concurrency
    Handling concurrent write operations can be complex due to CouchDB's multi-master replication feature. Developers need to implement conflict resolution logic, which can add overhead to application development.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    CouchDB has a smaller community and ecosystem compared to some other databases like MongoDB or PostgreSQL. This can result in fewer third-party tools, libraries, and less community support.
  • Learning Curve
    CouchDB's unique features and design principles, such as its use of HTTP for database operations and eventual consistency model, can present a steep learning curve for developers new to the system.

ArangoDB features and specs

  • Graph DB

Analysis of CouchDB

Overall verdict

  • CouchDB is considered good for applications that require reliable, scalable, and easy-to-use database solutions, particularly those that benefit from replication and data synchronization features.

Why this product is good

  • CouchDB is a highly reliable NoSQL database that is known for its ease of use, strong support for multi-version concurrency control, and ability to scale seamlessly. It uses a RESTful HTTP/JSON API, making it accessible for developers familiar with these technologies. CouchDB is particularly well-suited for applications that require a distributed database system with offline-first capabilities and synchronized data replication.

Recommended for

  • Applications needing reliable data replication and synchronization
  • Use cases where offline-first architecture is important
  • Projects that require easy scalability and high availability
  • Developers familiar with RESTful HTTP/JSON APIs
  • Applications needing multi-version concurrency control

Analysis of ArangoDB

Overall verdict

  • ArangoDB is indeed a good option for those looking for a flexible, feature-rich, and scalable database solution. It caters to modern applications requiring diverse data representations and complex querying capabilities, particularly when graph functionality is vital. However, the right choice depends on specific project requirements and familiarity with ArangoDB’s features and ecosystem.

Why this product is good

  • ArangoDB is a highly versatile database solution known for its multi-model approach, which supports document, key/value, and graph data models. This flexibility allows for complex data structures and enables developers to use the most suitable model for their specific application needs all within a single database. Additionally, ArangoDB offers robust features such as a powerful query language (AQL), scalability, a flexible architecture, and native support for graph analytics, making it suitable for a wide range of use cases.

Recommended for

  • Developers and organizations needing a multi-model database solution
  • Projects requiring complex data analysis, including graph algorithms
  • Applications that can benefit from a flexible, schema-free data structure
  • Teams looking for scalability and horizontal expansion capabilities
  • Environments with diverse data representation needs where maintaining multiple databases is inefficient

CouchDB videos

couchdb

ArangoDB videos

ArangoDB and Foxx Framework, deeper dive. WHILT#17

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CouchDB and ArangoDB)
Databases
39 39%
61% 61
NoSQL Databases
40 40%
60% 60
Relational Databases
60 60%
40% 40
Graph Databases
22 22%
78% 78

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare CouchDB and ArangoDB

CouchDB Reviews

12 Best Open-source Database Backend Server and Google Firebase Alternatives
CouchDB is a multipurpose open-soure database engine with a developer-friendly API and rich web admin dashboard. It offers user crud operation and authentication out-of-the-box. It also supports documents upload, file attachment and storage.CouchDB is proven to build offline-first apps with PouchDB support. It has a dead-simple configuration and works seamlessly on Windows,...
Source: medevel.com
16 Top Big Data Analytics Tools You Should Know About
The prominent big data analytics tools that use non-relational databases are MongoDB, Cassandra, Oracle No-SQL, and Apache CouchDB. We’ll dive into each one of these and cover their respective features.
9 Best MongoDB alternatives in 2019
CouchDB is an open source NoSQL data which is based on the common standard to offer web accessibility with a variety of devices. Data in CouchDB is stored in JSON format, and organized as key-value pairs.
Source: www.guru99.com
20+ MongoDB Alternatives You Should Know About
Nice round-up Peter, I would suggest an edit to the CouchDB section that seems to mix up Couchbase with it. They are two different products and deserve a section for each.
Source: www.percona.com

ArangoDB Reviews

9 Best MongoDB alternatives in 2019
ArangoDB is a native multi-model DBMS system. It supports three data models with one database core and a unified query language AQL. Its query language is declarative which helps you to compare different data access patterns by using a single query.
Source: www.guru99.com
Top 15 Free Graph Databases
ArangoDB is a distributed free and open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values. Build high performance applications using a convenient SQL-like query language or JavaScript extensions. ArangoDB
ArangoDB vs Neo4j - What you can't do with Neo4j
Scalability needs and ArangoDB ArangoDB is cluster ready for graphs, documents and key/values. ArangoDB is suitable for e.g. recommendation engines, personalization, Knowledge Graphs or other graph-related use cases. ArangoDB provides special features for scale-up (Vertex-centric indices) and scale-out (SmartGraphs).

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, CouchDB should be more popular than ArangoDB. It has been mentiond 23 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

CouchDB mentions (23)

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ArangoDB mentions (6)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing CouchDB and ArangoDB, you can also consider the following products

MongoDB - MongoDB (from "humongous") is a scalable, high-performance NoSQL database.

Redis - Redis is an open source in-memory data structure project implementing a distributed, in-memory key-value database with optional durability.

PostgreSQL - PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source object-relational database system.

neo4j - Meet Neo4j: The graph database platform powering today's mission-critical enterprise applications, including artificial intelligence, fraud detection and recommendations.

RethinkDB - The open-source database for the realtime web

OrientDB - OrientDB - The World's First Distributed Multi-Model NoSQL Database with a Graph Database Engine.