Azure Cosmos DB

azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/cosmos-db
Database
Few Days

Develop AI-powered apps and agents with a fully managed and serverless NoSQL vector database at any scale

How to Replace Azure Cosmos DB

Overview

Azure Cosmos DB is a fully managed, cloud-native NoSQL database designed to deliver ultra-low latency and elastic scalability at a global scale. It combines a globally distributed operational database with built-in vector and hybrid search, enabling developers to ground generative AI models directly in real-time data. The service supports multiple APIs, JSON document models, and is optimized for AI-driven experiences like RAG and agentic applications.

Features

20 features across 14 categories

AI(5)

Hybrid SearchAI

Combines vector search and full-text search (BM25) to deliver context-aware and keyword-relevant results within the same document model

Microsoft Foundry IntegrationAI

Integrate with Microsoft Foundry and Foundry Tools to store agent conversations and model interactions securely with enterprise control and observability

Natural Language Query GenerationAI

Generate queries by asking questions using natural language for building and using agents and multi-agent apps

RAG IntegrationAI

Integrate both NoSQL and vector data into retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) workloads and AI agents

Vector SearchAI

Built-in vector search powered by DiskANN for storing and querying vectors and NoSQL data efficiently in a serverless vector database

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

API(1)

Native Document API

Enjoy the best end-to-end Azure Cosmos DB experience with the native document API

Analytics(1)

Microsoft Fabric Integration

Mirror Azure Cosmos DB data into Microsoft Fabric to enable near-real-time analytics, AI, and reporting without ETL processes

Also in: Hugging Face, Notion, Smartsheet

Cost Management(1)

Dynamic Autoscale

Avoid overprovisioning and reduce expenses by letting Azure Cosmos DB adjust throughput dynamically with autoscale, maintaining performance during spikes

Data Management(1)

Flexible JSON Schema

Build faster with flexible JSON schema and seamless data model evolution with schema-free JSON and automatic indexing

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Deployment(1)

Serverless Architecture

Build without capacity planning using serverless in Azure Cosmos DB, allowing you to scale and pay only for what you use

Also in: Kubernetes Dashboard, Hugging Face, Bitwarden

Developer Experience(1)

Multi-Language SDK Support

Code with favorite SDKs including Python, Node.js, Java, .NET, Go, and more with full Azure Cosmos DB SDK support

Event Processing(1)

Change Feed

Build event-driven apps using Azure Cosmos DB change feed to process events in real time with Azure Functions, AKS, and Azure Container Apps

Multi-tenancy(1)

Multitenant Fleet ManagementPremium

Manage multitenant workloads at scale with Azure Cosmos DB fleets, organizing tenant accounts, leveraging shared throughput pools, and gaining fleet-wide analytics

Performance(2)

Global Scale with Low Latency

Build highly responsive apps with less than 10ms latency SLA and up to 99.999% availability across multiple regions

Global Secondary IndexesPremium

Accelerate queries with Global Secondary Indexes by creating read-only containers with different partition keys, turning cross-partition queries into fast single-partition lookups

Pricing(2)

Free Tier Option

Get started with a free tier option to test and develop applications

Multiple Pricing Models

Choose from consumption-based serverless options, provisioned throughput, traditional scale-up of nodes, and scale-out architectures for automatic elasticity

Reliability(1)

Per-Partition Automatic Failover

Maintain high availability for single-write region accounts by automatically failing over at the partition level, minimizing disruption and eliminating manual intervention

Scalability(1)

Automatic Partitioning

Scale out automatically with automatic partitioning as data volume and throughput demand grow without impacting availability or requiring manual intervention

Security(1)

Embedded Security and Compliance

Benefit from embedded security with 34,000 full-time equivalent engineers dedicated to security initiatives, partnerships with 15,000 specialized security experts, and over 100 compliance certifications

Cost Calculator

Pricing data not available for Azure Cosmos DB. Check their website for current pricing.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Azure Cosmos DB alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 20 features.

Buy Azure Cosmos DB

Better Value
Monthly costContact Sales
3-year totalVaries
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$12,000
Maintenance$180/mo
3-year total$18,480
Dev time~1 months

Buying Azure Cosmos DB saves ~$18,480 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 20 features and a BuildScore of 4/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

10 known integrations

Azure Container AppsAzure Data FactoryAzure DocumentDB (MongoDB-compatible)Azure FunctionsAzure Kubernetes Service (AKS)Azure OpenAIDynamics 365Microsoft FabricMicrosoft FoundryMicrosoft Power Platform