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CouchDB

Reliable, multi-master JSON database with built-in replication

Document Databases

A fault-tolerant document store offering an HTTP/JSON API, automatic multi-node syncing, built-in admin tools, and ready-to-run Docker or VS Code development containers for rapid prototyping.

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Overview

Overview

Apache CouchDB is a fault‑tolerant document database that stores data as JSON and exposes a simple HTTP/JSON API. Its core design embraces a crash‑only architecture, allowing each node to operate independently while automatically synchronizing changes across a cluster through multi‑master replication.

Who Should Use It

Developers building web or mobile applications that require offline capabilities, IoT platforms aggregating sensor streams, and enterprises needing a reliable, schema‑free store will find CouchDB a natural fit. The built‑in Fauxton UI simplifies administration, and the provided Docker and VS Code dev‑container recipes let teams spin up a full three‑node cluster in minutes.

Deployment & Extensibility

CouchDB runs on any Unix‑like system or Windows, and can be launched directly from the source tree with ./dev/run. It supports SSL via the ibrowse client, integrates with HAProxy for load balancing, and can be extended with Erlang or any language that can speak HTTP. The project is licensed under Apache‑2.0 and benefits from an active community and extensive documentation.

Highlights

Multi-master replication with conflict resolution
HTTP/JSON API for any language
Fauxton web UI for admin and monitoring
Docker and VS Code dev-container for instant cluster setup

Pros

  • High availability through crash-only design
  • Schema-free JSON storage
  • Built-in replication simplifies distributed deployments
  • Extensive documentation and active community

Considerations

  • Erlang runtime may be unfamiliar to new contributors
  • Query capabilities limited compared to relational databases
  • Performance can degrade with large binary attachments
  • Advanced analytics require external tooling

Managed products teams compare with

When teams consider CouchDB, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.

Azure Cosmos DB logo

Azure Cosmos DB

Fully managed, globally distributed NoSQL database service offering multi-model support with low-latency access worldwide

MongoDB logo

MongoDB

Document-oriented NoSQL database for flexible data storage

Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.

Fit guide

Great for

  • Mobile and offline-first applications
  • IoT data collection with edge syncing
  • Enterprises needing reliable document storage
  • Teams preferring HTTP-based interaction over proprietary drivers

Not ideal when

  • High-throughput transactional workloads
  • Complex relational queries with joins
  • Real-time analytics requiring fast aggregations
  • Environments lacking Erlang support

How teams use it

Offline-first mobile app

Users can create, edit, and view data without network, syncing automatically when connectivity returns.

IoT sensor hub

Edge devices store readings locally and replicate to central CouchDB cluster for resilient aggregation.

Content management system

Authors manage articles as JSON documents via Fauxton, with versioning and conflict handling.

Distributed caching layer

HAProxy fronts a three-node CouchDB cluster, providing low-latency read/write caching for web services.

Tech snapshot

Erlang57%
C25%
Elixir6%
C++3%
JavaScript3%
Python3%

Tags

httpnetwork-servernetwork-clientcouchdbclouddatabasecontenterlangjavascriptbig-data

Frequently asked questions

How does CouchDB achieve multi-master replication?

Each node records changes as append-only revisions; a built-in replicator exchanges these revisions with peers, automatically resolving conflicts using deterministic rules.

What client languages can interact with CouchDB?

Any language that can make HTTP requests—JavaScript, Python, Java, Ruby, Go, etc.—can read and write JSON documents.

Is data transmission encrypted?

Yes, CouchDB includes SSL support via the ibrowse client, allowing HTTPS connections when configured.

Can I run CouchDB in Docker?

Official Docker images and VS Code dev‑container recipes let you start a full cluster with a single command.

What license governs CouchDB?

The project is released under the Apache-2.0 license, permitting free use, modification, and distribution.

Project at a glance

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LicenseApache-2.0
Repo age16 years old
Last commit8 hours ago
Primary languageErlang

Last synced 2 hours ago