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Datomic VS TerminusDB

Compare Datomic VS TerminusDB and see what are their differences

Datomic logo Datomic

The fully transactional, cloud-ready, distributed database

TerminusDB logo TerminusDB

TerminusDB is an open source model driven graph database for knowledge graph representation designed specifically for the web-age.
  • Datomic Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-14
  • TerminusDB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-28

Datomic features and specs

  • Immutability
    Datomic employs an append-only data model where data is never overwritten but instead appended, ensuring historical data is always available and providing strong consistency.
  • Time Travel Queries
    Datomic allows you to query the database as of any point in time, facilitating auditing and debugging by allowing easy access to historical data states.
  • Rich Data Model
    Supports complex data types like maps and sets directly within its schema, providing a flexible way to represent data.
  • ACID Transactions
    Datomic supports fully ACID-compliant transactions, ensuring reliable and predictable database operations.
  • Scalability
    Separates storage and compute, allowing for horizontal scaling of read operations, making it suitable for handling large datasets.
  • Query Flexibility
    Offers a powerful query language that supports recursive queries, making it suitable for complex data retrieval needs.

Possible disadvantages of Datomic

  • Complexity
    The architecture of Datomic can be complex to understand and implement, particularly for teams unfamiliar with its design principles.
  • Cost
    Can be expensive to operate, especially in a cloud environment, where costs increase with the amount of data stored and the compute resources required.
  • Limited Write Throughput
    Due to its append-only design, Datomic can have limited write throughput, which may not be suitable for applications with heavy write requirements.
  • Closed Source
    Datomic is a proprietary database system, which may not appeal to organizations that prefer open-source solutions.
  • Learning Curve
    Requires a learning curve as its conceptual model and query language are different from traditional databases, potentially requiring additional training.
  • Dependency on AWS
    Relying on AWS ecosystem for the storage backend can limit choices for deployment environments, impacting flexibility.

TerminusDB features and specs

  • Version Control
    TerminusDB has built-in version control for data, enabling users to manage changes over time, rollback to previous versions, and track data lineage.
  • Collaboration Features
    It supports collaborative workflows with branching, merging, and diffing, making it easier for teams to work together on data projects.
  • Schema Enforcement
    Provides strong schema enforcement to ensure data consistency and integrity, promoting better data management practices.
  • Graph Database Foundation
    Built on a powerful graph database architecture, which offers high flexibility and efficiency for managing complex and interconnected data.
  • Open Source
    TerminusDB is open source, providing transparency and the ability for users to contribute to its development or customize it for their needs.

Possible disadvantages of TerminusDB

  • Learning Curve
    The tool can have a steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with versioned data systems or graph databases, requiring time to master.
  • Limited Community Support
    While growing, the community around TerminusDB is not as large as more established database solutions, potentially limiting peer support and resources.
  • Early-Stage Features
    Some features may still be in early development stages, which might lead to fewer functionalities compared to mature database systems.
  • Performance Overheads
    Version control and schema enforcement can introduce performance overheads, particularly for large datasets or highly dynamic use cases.

Datomic videos

KotlinConf 2018 - Datomic: The Most Innovative DB You've Never Heard Of by August Lilleaas

More videos:

  • Review - "Real-World Datomic: An Experience Report" by Craig Andera (2013)
  • Review - Rich Hickey on Datomic Ions, September 12, 2018

TerminusDB videos

Welcome to TerminusDB & TerminusHub

More videos:

  • Review - MongoDB vs TerminusDB - TerminusDB Discussion #13

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Datomic and TerminusDB)
Databases
73 73%
27% 27
Relational Databases
100 100%
0% 0
Graph Databases
0 0%
100% 100
Network & Admin
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, TerminusDB seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 16 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.

Datomic mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Datomic yet. Tracking of Datomic recommendations started around Mar 2021.

TerminusDB mentions (16)

  • Show HN: Graphiti – LLM-Powered Temporal Knowledge Graphs
    Have you seen TerminusDB? [0] They’ve got a nice solution to versioned RDF graphs, originally pitched as “Git for data” but focused on knowledge graphs. I’m not affiliated (in fact they launched around the same time that my co-founder and I launched Splitgraph with the same “Git for data” pitch), but I find their technology very intriguing. Knowledge graphs are on the cusp of revival after being in stasis for 20... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Help with some python DB client installation errors please
    Hey, I'm trying to install TerminusDB. They have the python client installation instructions here. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there a terminusdb package?
    Hi, I wanted to check if there's a NixOS package for TerminusDB. Source: over 2 years ago
  • free-for.dev
    TerminusX — Managed free service for TerminusDB, a document and graph database written in Prolog and Rust. Free for dev, paid service for enterprise deployments and support. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • My ultimate/dream language -- tldr; LP/FP typed prolog
    As someone interested in prolog (and co-founder of terminusdb.com) I can sympathise a lot with your laundry list there :D Lack of type and mode annotations is a hassle on small programmes, and a serious problem on large ones just from the point of view of avoiding bugs, without even getting into performance. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Datomic and TerminusDB, you can also consider the following products

MySQL - The world's most popular open source database

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

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

PlanetScale - The last database you'll ever need. Go from idea to IPO.

Matisse - Matisse is a post-relational SQL database.

Memgraph - Memgraph is an open source graph database built for real-time streaming and compatible with Neo4j. Whether you're a developer or a data scientist with interconnected data, Memgraph will get you the immediate actionable insights fast.