distributed database / HTAP / MySQL-compatible
OceanBase is a distributed relational database with MySQL compatibility, supporting HTAP (OLTP+OLAP) and vector search, designed for scalable, high-availability workloads.
Same problem, same approach. Swapping one for another is a config change, not a rewrite.
Same class: distributed HTAP with vector search; choose for a Go-native implementation with Git-for-Data features.
AI-native HTAP database with Git-for-Data and built-in vector search, serving as the data and memory backbone for intelligent agents and applications.
Same class: mature MySQL-compatible distributed HTAP database; choose for a larger ecosystem and proven scalability.
TiDB is built for agentic workloads that grow unpredictably, with ACID guarantees and native support for transactions, analytics, and vector search. No data silos. No noisy neighbors. No infrastructure ceiling.
Solves the same problem with a different architecture or at a different layer. Expect to rewrite the integration.
Choose for columnar analytics on large datasets when you don't need transactions or full row updates.
ClickHouse® is a real-time analytics database management system
Choose for cloud-native analytics on S3 with a unified warehouse/search/AI pipeline.
Data Agent Ready Warehouse : One for Analytics, Search, AI, Python Sandbox. — rebuilt from scratch. Unified architecture on your S3.
Choose for PostgreSQL compatibility with cloud-native shared-storage scaling, if you don't need MySQL compatibility.
A cloud-native database based on PostgreSQL developed by Alibaba Cloud.
Choose for full-text and vector search integrated into Postgres without distributed complexity.
One Postgres for your application data, full-text search, vector retrieval, and aggregations. Home of the pg_search extension.
Choose for sub-second analytics and lakehouse query performance, especially with external tables.
The world's fastest open query engine for sub-second analytics both on and off the data lakehouse. With the flexibility to support nearly any scenario, StarRocks provides best-in-class performance for multi-dimensional analytics, real-time analytics, and ad-hoc queries. A Linux Foundation project.
An earlier or more limited way to do the job. Still the right call when you need something small, proven, or CPU-only.
Choose for a mature, single-node MySQL-compatible database without distributed complexity.
MariaDB server is a community developed fork of MySQL server. Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry.
Choose for MySQL compatibility with Alibaba's optimizations for high-concurrency OLTP.
AliSQL is a MySQL branch originated from Alibaba Group. Fetch document from Release Notes at bottom.
These projects were analysed and named oceanbase among their alternatives. The relationship is not symmetric — how oceanbase rates them is a separate judgement, made when oceanbase is analysed in its own right.
calls oceanbase “Production-proven MySQL-compatible distributed SQL database, choose when you want a similarly capable system with Oracle compatibility options.”
TiDB is built for agentic workloads that grow unpredictably, with ACID guarantees and native support for transactions, analytics, and vector search. No data silos. No noisy neighbors. No infrastructure ceiling.
calls oceanbase “Choose if you need MySQL compatibility, strong ACID, and an Apache-2.0 distributed database proven at cloud scale.”
YugabyteDB - the cloud native distributed SQL database for mission-critical applications.
calls oceanbase “A standalone MySQL-protocol distributed database; choose it when you want one integrated engine instead of Vitess coordinating MySQL shards.”
Vitess is a database clustering system for horizontal scaling of MySQL.
calls oceanbase “Choose it when you want a multi-model distributed database engine and are willing to migrate off your current databases rather than shard them.”
Empowering Data Intelligence with Distributed SQL for Sharding, Scalability, and Security Across All Databases.
calls oceanbase “Choose when you want a highly scalable distributed SQL database with MySQL compatibility, independent of Postgres.”
Distributed PostgreSQL as an extension
calls oceanbase “Choose it if you need a multi-model database that also handles OLTP transactions, rather than a dedicated OLAP-only engine.”
The world's fastest open query engine for sub-second analytics both on and off the data lakehouse. With the flexibility to support nearly any scenario, StarRocks provides best-in-class performance for multi-dimensional analytics, real-time analytics, and ad-hoc queries. A Linux Foundation project.