RethinkDB
RethinkDB is a free, open-source JSON database built to send applications updates as query results change.
What RethinkDB is
RethinkDB is a free, open-source JSON database built to send applications updates as query results change. Its changefeeds let applications subscribe to those changes, making it suitable for collaborative apps, streaming analytics, multiplayer games, real-time marketplaces, and connected devices. Queries use ReQL, which supports joins, subqueries, geospatial queries, aggregation, and map-reduce, but not SQL. Official client drivers are listed for JavaScript, Ruby, Python, and Java; community-supported drivers cover additional languages. Integration guides cover Elasticsearch, RabbitMQ, and Rails, and the site names Socket.io and SignalR as technologies it can work with. Clusters can be sharded and replicated through a web interface or managed by API. RethinkDB can be deployed on your own infrastructure, with packages for Linux distributions, OS X, and Windows, as well as Docker deployment. The server and client libraries use the Apache License 2.0. Writes are committed to disk before acknowledgment by default. The FAQ cautions that multi-document updates are not atomic and that the database may not suit workloads requiring full ACID support or strong schema enforcement.
Good
- Changefeeds deliver updates as query results change.
- ReQL supports joins, geospatial queries, and aggregation.
- Official drivers cover JavaScript, Ruby, Python, and Java.
- Clusters can be sharded and replicated.
- Writes are committed to disk before acknowledgment by default.
Watch out
- ReQL does not support SQL.
- Multi-document updates are not atomic.
- Not a fit for full ACID or strict schema needs.
- The admin account has no password by default.
Who it suits
RethinkDB suits developers building applications that need query-result updates as data changes, including collaborative apps, multiplayer games, and real-time marketplaces. It is less suited to workloads that require full ACID support or strong schema enforcement.
Verdict
RethinkDB offers a focused option for applications that need changing query results delivered to subscribers. Consider its transaction and schema limitations, and set a password for the admin account before use.
Plans and prices
From RethinkDB's own pricing page, checked 8 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| RethinkDB | Free | Open-source database; self-hosted |
The facts
Each one read from RethinkDB's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API
- The public ReQL API includes commands such as connect, run, table, joins, reconfigure and HTTP access.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Architectures
- The server supports x86_64, ARM and s390x on Unix-like platforms plus Windows Subsystem for Linux 2; macOS DMG packages are x86_64 only.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Atomicity limit
- Operations are not atomic across multiple keys, so the documentation says RethinkDB is not an ACID database.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Authentication
- Users and permissions are supported, but passwords are sent in plaintext unless TLS is enabled.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Changefeeds
- Changefeeds let applications subscribe to updates on query results as data changes.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Community SDKs
- The project lists community drivers for C#, C++, Clojure, Dart, Elixir, Erlang, Go, Haskell, Lua, PHP, Rust, Swift and other languages.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Consistency
- RethinkDB supports single, majority and outdated read modes, with hard or soft durability and majority or single write acknowledgements.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Current release
- The homepage identifies RethinkDB 2.4.4 as the latest release.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- The documentation includes quickstarts, tutorials, API references, cookbooks, administration, deployment, troubleshooting, integrations and architecture sections.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Drivers
- Official client drivers are listed for JavaScript, Ruby, Python, and Java, with community-supported drivers for additional languages.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Durability
- The FAQ says writes are not acknowledged until safely committed to disk by default.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Extensibility
- Developers can implement drivers using the documented ReQL wire protocol and ql2.proto definitions.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Failover
- Automatic failover requires at least three servers, at least three replicas and a majority of voting replicas available.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Funding
- Wellfound reports $12.2 million raised across four rounds, with the latest listed round dated November 25, 2013.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Official documentation covers Elasticsearch, RabbitMQ, Rails, publish-subscribe systems, Node.js libraries and multiple ORMs.checked 15 Oct 2026
- License
- The Linux Foundation licenses RethinkDB under the permissive Apache License 2.0.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licensing
- The server and client libraries are licensed under Apache License 2.0.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Limitations
- The FAQ says RethinkDB is not a good fit when full ACID support or strong schema enforcement is required, and notes that multi-document updates are not atomic.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Limit: development activity
- A G2 reviewer warned that development slowed sharply after the company shutdown and transition to the Linux Foundation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: performance and storage
- G2 reviewers mention slower-than-expected batch ingestion and higher disk use than alternatives in some tests.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: transactions
- G2 reviewers report that the lack of atomic updates across multiple documents led some teams to move to PostgreSQL.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company founded
- The RethinkDB company was founded in 2009 and open-sourced version 1.2 in 2012.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company shutdown
- The original company announced on October 5, 2016 that it was shutting down after failing to build a sustainable business.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Historical headquarters and size
- Wellfound lists the company location as Mountain View and historical size as 11–50 employees.checked 15 Oct 2026
