Database Comparison
See how SoliDB compares to popular databases. Understand the pros and cons to make the right choice for your project.
Overview
SoliDB is a modern, high-performance document database written in Rust. It combines the flexibility of document stores with real-time capabilities, graph features, and built-in scripting. Below, we compare SoliDB with other popular databases to help you understand when each solution shines.
Every database has its strengths. This comparison aims to be fair and objective, highlighting where SoliDB excels and where alternatives might be a better fit for specific use cases.
Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | SoliDB | MongoDB | PostgreSQL | Redis | RethinkDB | ArangoDB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Data Models | ||||||
| Document Store | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Graph Capabilities | ✓ | ✗ | ◐ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Columnar Analytics | ✓ | ◐ | ◐ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Time Series | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ◐ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Blob Storage | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Real-time & Eventing | ||||||
| Real-time Changefeeds | ✓ | ◐ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Live Queries | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Background Queues | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ◐ |
| Stream Processing | ✓ | ◐ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Search & Analytics | ||||||
| Vector Search (HNSW) | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ◐ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Full-text Search | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Geo Indexes | ✓ | ✓ | ◐ | ◐ | ✗ | ✓ |
| SQL Compatibility | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ◐ | ◐ |
| Operational & Architecture | ||||||
| ACID Transactions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Server-side Scripting | ✓ | ◐ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Auto-Sharding | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Master-Master Replication | ✓ | ✗ | ◐ | ✗ | ◐ | ✓ |
| TTL / Expiration | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Single Binary | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Written in Rust | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
SoliDB vs MongoDB
MongoDB is the most popular document database and a mature ecosystem leader. Here's how SoliDB compares:
SoliDB Advantages
- • Native Live Queries - Turn any query into a real-time stream without change streams complexity
- • Built-in Graph Database - Native edge collections and graph traversal without additional tools
- • Lua Scripting - Create custom API endpoints with server-side logic
- • Single Binary - No complex installation, just download and run
- • Master-Master Replication - Write to any node in the cluster
- • Built-in Job Queues - No need for external message brokers
- • Columnar Engine - Native columnar storage for high-performance analytics
- • Vector Search with HNSW - Built-in AI/RAG support with fast approximate nearest neighbor search
- • SQL Compatibility - Execute SQL queries translated to native SDBQL
MongoDB Advantages
- • Mature Ecosystem - Extensive tooling, drivers, and community support
- • Atlas Cloud - Managed cloud service with global distribution
- • Aggregation Pipeline - Powerful and well-documented data processing
- • Enterprise Features - Security, auditing, and compliance certifications
- • Wide Driver Support - Official drivers for all major languages
- • Time Series Collections - Optimized for IoT and metrics data
SoliDB vs PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is the world's most advanced open-source relational database. While different in philosophy, here's how they compare:
SoliDB Advantages
- • Full ACID Support - Multi-document transactions with snapshot isolation
- • Schema Flexibility - No migrations needed, documents evolve naturally
- • Native Real-time - Built-in WebSocket support for live updates
- • Simpler Operations - Single binary, minimal configuration
- • Built-in HTTP API - No ORM or connection pooling needed
- • Horizontal Scaling - Easier master-master clustering
- • Built-in Columnar - No extensions required for analytical workloads
- • Native Vector Search - HNSW indexes for AI/RAG without pgvector extension
PostgreSQL Advantages
- • ACID Transactions - Full transactional support with isolation levels
- • SQL Standard - Industry-standard query language
- • Massive Ecosystem - Extensions for everything (PostGIS, TimescaleDB, etc.)
- • Referential Integrity - Foreign keys and constraints at database level
- • Enterprise Proven - Decades of production use and optimization
SoliDB vs Redis
Redis is an in-memory data store known for blazing-fast performance. Different use cases, but here's how they compare:
SoliDB Advantages
- • Rich Document Model - Full JSON documents with nested queries
- • Persistent by Default - Data stored on disk automatically
- • Complex Queries - SDBQL for filtering, joins, and aggregations
- • Secondary Indexes - Query any field without scanning all data
- • Lower Memory Usage - Disk-based storage with efficient caching
- • Advanced Match & Regex - SDBQL supports regex matching and complex math functions
- • Vector Search - Built-in HNSW for AI/ML applications (Redis requires RediSearch)
- • Full-text & Geo Search - Native search capabilities without modules
Redis Advantages
- • Sub-millisecond Latency - Pure in-memory for ultimate speed
- • Rich Data Structures - Sets, sorted sets, streams, hyperloglogs
- • Pub/Sub Messaging - Built-in message broker capabilities
- • Caching Champion - Industry standard for application caching
- • Atomic Operations - Lock-free increment, decrement, and more
SoliDB vs RethinkDB
RethinkDB pioneered real-time push databases. SoliDB takes inspiration from its philosophy while adding more features:
SoliDB Advantages
- • Active Development - Continuously updated with new features
- • Graph Database - Native edge collections for relationship modeling
- • Lua Scripting - Server-side logic with custom API endpoints
- • Built-in Queues - Background job processing without external tools
- • Blob Storage - Store files directly in the database
- • Rust Performance - Memory-safe with excellent performance
- • Vector Search - HNSW indexes for AI/RAG applications
- • Full-text & Geo Search - Built-in search indexes
RethinkDB Advantages
- • ReQL Query Language - Elegant functional query builder
- • Mature Drivers - Official drivers for many languages
- • Proven Track Record - Used in production by many companies
- • Great Documentation - Well-documented with many examples
Note: RethinkDB development has slowed significantly since the company shut down in 2016, though it's now maintained by the community under the Linux Foundation.
SoliDB vs ArangoDB
ArangoDB is the closest in philosophy to SoliDB - a multi-model database with documents and graphs. Here's how they differ:
SoliDB Advantages
- • Real-time Push - Native changefeeds and live queries
- • Simpler Deployment - Single Rust binary vs. complex stack
- • Lower Resource Usage - Efficient Rust implementation
- • Built-in Job Queues - Native background processing
- • Integrated Blob Storage - Store files with your documents
- • Commercial Friendly - Free for commercial projects (ArangoDB restricts commercial use)
- • All Features Included - Sharding, HA, & Graphs are free (ArangoDB gates these behind Enterprise)
ArangoDB Advantages
- • AQL Power - More mature query language with graph traversals
- • Full-text Search - ArangoSearch with ranking and analyzers
- • Managed Cloud - ArangoDB Oasis for managed deployments
- • SmartGraphs - Optimized distributed graph traversals
- • Enterprise Support - Commercial support and SLAs available
Performance Benchmarks
Note on Throughput: SoliDB values reflect embedded usage (direct library calls). When accessed over HTTP using JSON, serialization overhead reduces throughput.
Performance Tip: Use MessagePack (Accept: application/msgpack) to significantly reduce this overhead and achieve higher throughput closer to embedded speeds.
Benchmark figures represent maximum theoretical throughput of the storage engine on a standard developer workstation (4 vCPU, 16GB RAM).
Read Throughput (ops/sec)
Write Throughput (ops/sec)
When to Choose SoliDB
✓ Choose SoliDB When You Need
- • Real-time applications with live updates
- • Document + Graph in one database
- • AI/RAG with vector search (HNSW)
- • Simple deployment and operations
- • Built-in background job processing
- • Server-side logic with Lua scripting
- • Master-master replication
- • Integrated blob/file storage
- • Full-text and geospatial search
- • Low resource footprint
Consider Alternatives When
- • You need strict ACID transactions → PostgreSQL
- • Sub-millisecond latency is critical → Redis
- • Enterprise compliance certifications → MongoDB Atlas
- • Existing SQL expertise/tooling → PostgreSQL
- • Managed cloud with global distribution → MongoDB/ArangoDB
- • Very mature driver ecosystem → MongoDB