Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Redis โ„ข VS RxDB

Compare Redis VS RxDB and see what are their differences

Redis logo Redis

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

RxDB logo RxDB

A fast, offline-first, reactive Database for JavaScript Applications
  • Redis Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-19

Redis is an open source (BSD licensed), in-memory data structure store, used as a database, cache and message broker. It supports data structures such as strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets with range queries, bitmaps, hyperloglogs, geospatial indexes with radius queries and streams. Redis has built-in replication, Lua scripting, LRU eviction, transactions and different levels of on-disk persistence, and provides high availability via Redis Sentinel and automatic partitioning with Redis Cluster.

  • RxDB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-20

RxDB, which stands for Reactive Database, is a JavaScript-based NoSQL database designed for a wide range of applications such as websites, hybrid apps, Electron apps, progressive web apps, and Node.js. The "reactive" aspect of RxDB allows you not only to retrieve the current state of the database but also to subscribe to all changes in the state, including query results or specific fields within a document. This feature is particularly advantageous for real-time user interface applications, as it facilitates development and offers notable performance benefits. Additionally, RxDB can be utilized to build efficient backends in Node.js.

Redis

Website
redis.io
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Release Date
-

RxDB

Website
rxdb.info
$ Details
freemium โ‚ฌ400.0 / Annually
Release Date
2016 December

Redis features and specs

  • Performance
    Redis is an in-memory data store, which allows it to provide extremely fast read and write operations. This makes it ideal for applications requiring real-time interactions.
  • Data Structures
    Redis offers a variety of data structures, such as strings, hashes, lists, sets, and sorted sets. This flexibility helps developers manage data more efficiently in different scenarios.
  • Scalability
    Redis supports horizontal scalability with features like clustering and partitioning, allowing for easy scaling as your application grows.
  • Persistence
    Though primarily an in-memory store, Redis provides options for data persistence, such as RDB snapshots and AOF logs, enabling data durability across reboots.
  • Pub/Sub Messaging
    Redis includes a built-in publish/subscribe messaging system, which can be used to implement real-time messaging and notifications.
  • Simple API
    Redis has a simple and intuitive API, which can speed up development time and make it easier to integrate Redis into various application stacks.
  • Atomic Operations
    Redis supports atomic operations on data structures, reducing the complexity of concurrent programming and making it easier to maintain data consistency.

Possible disadvantages of Redis

  • Memory Usage
    Being an in-memory data store, Redis can become expensive in terms of memory usage, especially when working with large datasets.
  • Data Persistence Limitations
    While Redis offers data persistence, it is not as robust as traditional databases. There can be data loss in certain configurations, such as when using asynchronous persistence methods.
  • Complexity in Scaling
    Although Redis supports clustering, setting up and managing a Redis cluster can be complex and may require significant DevOps expertise.
  • Single-threaded Nature
    Redis operates on a single-threaded event loop, which can become a bottleneck for certain workloads that could benefit from multi-threading.
  • Limited Query Capabilities
    Compared to traditional relational databases, Redis offers limited querying capabilities. Complex queries and joins are not supported natively.
  • License
    As of Redis 6 and higher, the Redis modules are under the Server Side Public License (SSPL), which may be restrictive for some use cases compared to more permissive open-source licenses.

RxDB features and specs

  • Offline-First Architecture
    RxDB is designed with an offline-first approach, allowing applications to function seamlessly without a constant internet connection by utilizing local storage and synchronizing with the server when online.
  • Reactive Data Stores
    The library offers real-time data synchronization and reactive data stores, enabling automatic updates to the UI when the underlying database changes.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    RxDB works across various platforms, including web browsers, Node.js, and mobile devices, providing flexibility for developers in building cross-platform applications.
  • Flexible Schema Management
    RxDB supports JSON Schema for defining data models, allowing developers to enforce data consistency and validation effectively.
  • Replication and Sync
    Comes with built-in replication features that ensure easy data synchronization between client and server databases, helping maintain data consistency across different devices and users.

Possible disadvantages of RxDB

  • Complex Initial Setup
    Setting up RxDB can be complex for newcomers, as it requires an understanding of its architecture and setup process, including replication and schema management.
  • Limited Community and Resources
    Compared to more established databases, RxDB has a smaller community, which can lead to fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party integrations available for developers.
  • Performance Overheads
    Due to its reactive nature and rich feature set, RxDB might introduce performance overheads, particularly in large-scale applications with extensive data operations.
  • Dependency on Third-Party Libraries
    RxDB depends on several third-party libraries, like PouchDB for local storage, which may lead to challenges in keeping dependencies updated and managing compatibility issues.
  • Browser Storage Limitations
    Since its offline capabilities rely on local storage, RxDB is subject to the inherent limitations of browser storage, which may affect data-heavy applications.

Redis videos

Improve your Redis developer experience with RedisInsight, Redis Labs

More videos:

  • Review - What is Redis? | Why and When to use Redis? | Tech Primers
  • Review - Redis Enterprise Overview with Yiftach Shoolman - Redis Labs
  • Review - Redis Labs "Why NoSQL is a Safe Bet"
  • Review - Redis system design | Distributed cache System design
  • Review - What is Redis and What Does It Do?
  • Review - Redis Sorted Sets Explained

RxDB videos

No RxDB videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Redis and RxDB)
Databases
90 90%
10% 10
NoSQL Databases
89 89%
11% 11
Key-Value Database
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Redis Reviews

Redis Alternative for App Performance | Gigaspaces
Redis offers a RESTful API for accessing data stored within its in-memory technology data structures. This API provides a simple and efficient way to interact with Redis, enabling developers to leverage its capabilities seamlessly in their applications. Developers also need to manage the Redis cached data lifecycle, itโ€™s the application responsibility to store the data &...
Are Free, Open-Source Message Queues Right For You?
A notable challenge with Redis Streams is that it doesn't natively support distributed, horizontal scaling. Also, while Redis is famous for its speed and simplicity, managing and scaling a Redis installation may be complex for some users, particularly for persistent data workloads.
Source: blog.iron.io
Redis vs. KeyDB vs. Dragonfly vs. Skytable | Hacker News
1. Redis: I'll start with Redis which I'd like to call the "original" key/value store (after memcached) because it is the oldest and most widely used of all. Being a long-time follower of Redis, I do know it's single-threaded (and uses io-threads since 6.0) and hence it achieves lesser throughput than the other stores listed above which are multi-threaded, at least to some...
Memcached vs Redis - More Different Than You Would Expect
Remember when I wrote about how Redis was using malloc to assign memory? I lied. While Redis did use malloc at some point, these days Redis actually uses jemalloc. The reason for this is that jemalloc, while having lower peak performance has lower memory fragmentation helping to solve the framented memory issues that Redis experiences.
Top 15 Kafka Alternatives Popular In 2021
Redis is a known, open-source, in-memory data structure store that offers different data structures like lists, strings, hashes, sets, bitmaps, streams, geospatial indexes, etc. It is best utilized as a cache, memory broker, and cache. It has optional durability and inbuilt replication potential. It offers a great deal of availability through Redis Sentinel and Redis Cluster.

RxDB Reviews

10 Best Open Source Firebase Alternatives
Reactive Database or RxDB is a real-time NoSQL database for JavaScript apps such as progressive web apps, electron apps, PWAs, hybrid apps, and websites. Reactive means that you get to query the current state while subscribing to all state changes like the result of a single field of a document or query.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Redis seems to be a lot more popular than RxDB. While we know about 226 links to Redis, we've tracked only 14 mentions of RxDB. 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.

Redis mentions (226)

  • Hacktoberfest 2025 with Ghostfolio
    The software is fully written in TypeScript and organized as an Nx workspace, utilizing the latest framework releases. The backend is based on NestJS in combination with PostgreSQL as a database together with Prisma and Redis for caching. The frontend is developed with Angular. - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • Redis Explained: What It Is, Why You Need It, and How to Install It the Easy Way
    Hereโ€™s the thing: sometimes itโ€™s not your databaseโ€™s fault. Whatโ€™s missing is a speed booster in your architecture: Redis. - Source: dev.to / 30 days ago
  • Real-Time Sync Alternatives: Vaultrice vs. localStorage, DIY, Firebase, Pusher
    This is the path of ultimate control. You spin up a Node.js server, add the socket.io library for WebSocket communication, and use a Redis instance to manage connection state and pub/sub messaging across multiple server instances. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Is Your Fraud Screening Process Ignoring Local Patterns?
    Your Database: This is your system's memory. It can be a fast in-memory store like Redis for temporary data (perfect for velocity checks) or a persistent relational database like PostgreSQL for long-term data (like blacklists). - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Redis vs. Memcached: How to Choose Your NoSQL Champion
    Redis is also an in-memory system with exceptional performance. But unlike Memcached, Redis is known as a "data structure server." It doesn't just support simple key-value pairs; it offers a rich variety of complex data structures like Lists, Hashes, Sets, and Sorted Sets. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
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RxDB mentions (14)

  • Offline-First Landscape โ€“ 2025
    Iโ€™m doing offline-first apps at work and want to emphasize that youโ€™re constraining yourself a lot trying to do this. As mentioned, everything fast(ish) is using SQLite under the hood. If you donโ€™t already know, SQLite has a limited set of types, and some funky defaults. How are you going to take this loosey-goosey typed data and store it in a backend database when you sync? What about foreign key... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Stop Syncing Everything
    > I'm thinking to give it a try in one of my React Native apps that face very uncertain connectivity. Some similar stuff you may want to investigate (no real opinion, just sharing since I've investigated this space a bit): - https://rxdb.info. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Show HN: Triplit โ€“ Open-source syncing database that runs on server and client
    Looks like it could be a more batteries-included/opinionated alternative to RxDB (https://rxdb.info). The relational queries might help some people who tend to think in SQL as opposed to documents (as in CouchDB or MongoDB) and the WebSockets for synchronization will help people get started more quickly. (RxDB provides interfaces for those who want to implement their own storage engine and/or synchronization... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • HackNote
    Some years ago "offline-first" was a thing: https://web.archive.org/web/20170720174332/http://hood.ie/initiatives/#offline-first Primarily based on PouchDB/CouchDB. Now the site redirects to RxDB. https://rxdb.info/ There's still a site by that name but I don't quite understand what's the intention https://offlinefirst.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: How Can I Make My Front End React to Database Changes in Real-Time?
    I'm interested in this problem also! I think there is a large overlap with projects that market/focus on offline-first experiences. AFAIK this problem can be solved by: 1) Considering a client-side copy of the database that gets synced with the remote DB. This is an approach [PowerSync](https://www.powersync.com/) and [ElectricSql](https://electric-sql.com/) and [rxdb](https://rxdb.info/) take! - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Redis and RxDB, you can also consider the following products

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

Firebase - Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications for mobile and web.

Apache Cassandra - The Apache Cassandra database is the right choice when you need scalability and high availability without compromising performance.

MySQL - The world's most popular open source database

ArangoDB - A distributed open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values.

PouchDB - Open-source JavaScript database inspired by Apache CouchDB that's designed to run well within the browser