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RxDB VS RethinkDB

Compare RxDB VS RethinkDB and see what are their differences

RxDB logo RxDB

A fast, offline-first, reactive Database for JavaScript Applications

RethinkDB logo RethinkDB

The open-source database for the realtime web
  • 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.

  • RethinkDB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-13

RxDB

Website
rxdb.info
$ Details
freemium €400.0 / Annually
Release Date
2016 December

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.

RethinkDB features and specs

  • Real-time Capabilities
    RethinkDB offers built-in real-time capabilities that allow applications to subscribe to data changes. This makes it ideal for building real-time applications like live dashboards, multiplayer games, or collaborative tools.
  • Flexible Query Language
    RethinkDB's query language, ReQL, is highly flexible and allows for complex queries. It supports operations such as joins, aggregations, and transformations directly within the database.
  • Distributed Database
    RethinkDB is designed to be distributed from the ground up. It can automatically replicate data and distribute queries across multiple machines to improve scalability and fault tolerance.
  • Web-based Administration
    RethinkDB provides a user-friendly web-based administration interface that simplifies database management and monitoring. This interface makes it easier for developers and system administrators to manage their databases.
  • JSON Data Model
    RethinkDB uses JSON as its data model, which makes it easy to store and work with structured data. This can be especially beneficial for web developers who are used to working with JSON data.

Possible disadvantages of RethinkDB

  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to more established databases like MySQL or MongoDB, RethinkDB has a smaller ecosystem. This means fewer third-party tools, libraries, and community support are available.
  • Stalled Development
    After the company behind RethinkDB shut down in 2016, the development slowed significantly. Although the project was later open-sourced and the community keeps it alive, the updates and new features are not as frequent.
  • Learning Curve
    While ReQL is powerful, it can have a steep learning curve for developers who are new to RethinkDB or who are more familiar with SQL or other NoSQL query languages.
  • Resource Intensive
    RethinkDB can be more resource-intensive compared to some other databases. It may require more RAM and CPU resources to achieve optimal performance, which can be a consideration for resource-constrained environments.
  • Fewer Enterprise Features
    RethinkDB lacks some enterprise-level features such as advanced security options, comprehensive backup solutions, and robust user management compared to other database systems like MongoDB or PostgreSQL.

RxDB videos

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RethinkDB videos

Mike Glukhovsky - RethinkDB Year in Review 2015

More videos:

  • Review - RethinkDB for Windows: developer preview
  • Review - Michael Glukhovsky - Advancing the realtime web with RethinkDB

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to RxDB and RethinkDB)
NoSQL Databases
43 43%
57% 57
Databases
35 35%
65% 65
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Relational Databases
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 RxDB and RethinkDB

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.

RethinkDB Reviews

12 Best Open-source Database Backend Server and Google Firebase Alternatives
RethinkDB is an open-source real-time database engine for creating modern reactive apps. It features a rich dashboard with real-time analytics and graphs, data explorer, simple learning curve, rich data models and queries with Geospatial queries support, and a large set of administration tools.The official binary packages for RethinkDB are available for: Ubuntu, Debian,...
Source: medevel.com
9 Best MongoDB alternatives in 2019
RethinkDB is the open-source, scalable DBMS system. It helps you to makes real-time building apps dramatically easier. This DBMS tool offers a flexible query language, intuitive operations, monitoring APIs, and is easy to set up and learn.
Source: www.guru99.com

Social recommendations and mentions

RxDB might be a bit more popular than RethinkDB. We know about 13 links to it since March 2021 and only 12 links to RethinkDB. 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.

RxDB mentions (13)

  • 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 / about 1 month ago
  • Show HN: Triplit – 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 / 11 months 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 / 12 months 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 / about 1 year ago
  • You can't leak users' data if you don't hold it
    Hey, after I posted that, I went and gave a second look online to see if I could find something that would allow me to develop a local-first app with offline persistence and syncing capabilities. I ended up finding some possibilities out there that could potentially help me build stuff. One of them is RxDB [1], which offers WebRTC syncing - you'd still need a signaling server, I suppose, but all sensitive... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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RethinkDB mentions (12)

  • Ask HN: How Can I Make My Front End React to Database Changes in Real-Time?
    Throwing RethinkDB in the mix as well. https://rethinkdb.com/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • You forget RethinkDB, it's a shame
    I've been poking around, testing and breaking database servers for a long time (more than 20 years today). But a few years ago I came across a jewel, the grail, one of the best solutions available. Under the radar, shunned for whatever reason, RethinkDB is nonetheless one of the finest database server projects I've ever tested. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Anyone Using RethinkDB in Production?
    RethinkDB[0] looks like a "too good to be true" type of database. Anyone using it in production? What is your experience like? What are the pros and cons? [0] https://rethinkdb.com. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Help wanted for a project idea - A multi-room live chat experience, similar to Twitch chat's functionality
    Since you’re not new to the field you might want to peek https://rethinkdb.com/ since it got picked up as an open source project. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Python, the usefulness of "dataclass"
    A Data Objects represents data which can be saved inside a database. This concept is in the heart of SQLAlchemy, but as the name should be obvious: it's for SQL Database (in general). Today, there are now document databases too (like MongoDB, ArangoDB, RethinkDB that I love so much, or even PostgreSQL). So, a "data" is like a "structured and typed document" that you save "as is". That's not the same paradigm, not... - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

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

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.

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

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

SignalDB - SignalDB is a reactive, local-first JavaScript database designed for modern web applications. It combines signal-based reactivity with powerful local data management and real-time synchronization capabilities.