CockroachDB

cockroachlabs.com
Database
Few Days

Distributed SQL database built for cloud applications

How to Replace CockroachDB

Overview

CockroachDB is a distributed SQL database that combines the familiarity of SQL with the scalability and resilience of NoSQL systems. It provides ACID transactions, horizontal scaling, and multi-region replication for mission-critical applications.

Features

45 features across 16 categories

Compatibility(1)

SQL Compatibility

PostgreSQL-compatible SQL dialect for easy migration and tool integration.

Core Database(2)

Distributed SQL

Full SQL support with ACID transactions across multiple nodes and regions.

Distributed Transactions

ACID transactions that span multiple nodes and regions seamlessly.

Data Integrity(5)

ACID Transactions

Strong consistency guarantees with serializable isolation levels.

Check Constraints

Define column-level constraints to enforce business rules.

Foreign Key Constraints

Enforce referential integrity with foreign key relationships.

Serializable Isolation

Highest isolation level preventing phantom reads and write skew.

Unique Constraints

Ensure uniqueness of values in columns with unique indexes.

Data Loading(1)

Bulk Insert/Import

Fast data loading with IMPORT INTO for bulk operations.

Data Streaming(1)

Change Data CapturePremium

Stream database changes in real-time to downstream systems.

Data Types(7)

Array Operations

Support for array data types with indexing and manipulation functions.

Interval Data Type

Native support for time intervals and duration calculations.

JSON Support

Native JSONB data type with indexing and query capabilities.

Sequence Generation

Auto-incrementing sequences with customizable properties.

Spatial Data TypesPremium

Geographic data types with spatial indexing for location queries.

Timezone Support

Native support for timezone-aware timestamp data types.

UUID Support

Native UUID type for distributed globally unique identifiers.

Disaster Recovery(1)

Backup & Restore

Automated and on-demand backups with point-in-time recovery.

Also in: IDrive, Zulip, Rancher

High Availability(3)

Automatic Failover

Self-healing cluster with automatic node failure detection and recovery.

Geo-PartitioningPremium

Partition data by region to meet data residency requirements.

Multi-Region ReplicationPremium

Automatic data replication across geographic regions for high availability.

Internationalization(1)

Collation Support

Configurable collation for string comparisons in multiple languages.

Operations(2)

Monitoring & Observability

Real-time metrics, dashboards, and alerts for database health.

Query StatisticsAIPremium

Track query execution metrics for performance analysis.

Performance(13)

Admission ControlPremium

Prioritize workloads and prevent resource exhaustion.

Connection Pooling

Built-in connection management with configurable pool sizes.

Cost-Based OptimizationAI

Intelligent query planning based on table statistics.

EXPLAIN Analysis

Analyze query execution plans to understand performance characteristics.

Expression IndexesPremium

Index computed expressions for advanced query optimization.

Follower ReadsPremium

Read from replicas with bounded staleness for reduced latency.

Interleaved Tables

Co-locate related table data for faster joins and queries.

Materialized ViewsPremium

Pre-computed query results for performance optimization.

Partial Indexes

Create indexes on filtered subsets of rows for optimization.

Performance TuningPremium

Tools and guidance for optimizing database performance.

Query Optimization

Cost-based optimizer that generates efficient query execution plans.

Read-Write SeparationPremium

Route read and write operations to different nodes for optimization.

Secondary Indexes

Create multiple indexes on columns for optimized query performance.

Query Features(3)

Common Table Expressions

WITH clauses for complex queries with recursive subqueries.

Range Queries

Efficient querying of sequential data ranges with index support.

Window Functions

Advanced analytics with OVER clauses for ranking and aggregation.

SQL Extensions(1)

User-Defined FunctionsPremium

Create custom SQL functions for business logic encapsulation.

Scalability(1)

Horizontal Scaling

Add nodes to scale read and write capacity linearly without downtime.

Security(2)

Role-Based Access Control

Fine-grained permissions and role management for security.

TLS Encryption

Encrypted communication between nodes and client connections.

Pricing

Serverless Free

Free
  • Up to 5 GB storage
  • limited request units

Serverless Committed

Popular
$1500/mo
  • Committed capacity with discount

Dedicated Cluster

$4500/mo
  • Dedicated infrastructure with guaranteed resources

Enterprise

Contact Sales
  • Custom pricing with advanced support

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying CockroachDB

Monthly$1500/mo
Yearly$18k/yr
5-Year Total$90k

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~5 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyEasy

Total Cost Comparison

1 YearSave $17.8k
SaaS
$18k
DIY
$240
3 YearsSave $53.3k
SaaS
$54k
DIY
$720
5 YearsSave $88.8k
SaaS
$90k
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 45 features at easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a CockroachDB alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 45 features.

Buy CockroachDB

Monthly cost$15,000/mo
3-year total$540,000
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Better Value
Development cost$36,000
Maintenance$540/mo
3-year total$55,440
Dev time~3 months

Building could save ~$484,560 over 3 years.

Estimates based on 45 features and a BuildScore of 4/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

30 known integrations

AirbyteAirflowApache SparkAWSAzureDatadogDBeaverdbtDjango ORMDockerFivetranGo SQL DriverGoogle CloudGrafanaHibernateJDBC DriverKafkaKubernetesLookerMetabaseNode.js pgpgAdminPrismaPrometheusPython psycopg2SequelizeSQLAlchemyStitchTableauTerraform