Amazon Aurora
MySQL- and PostgreSQL-compatible cloud relational database service offering high performance and high availability
TiDB
Scalable, cloud-native SQL database with strong consistency.
TiDB delivers a distributed, MySQL-compatible SQL engine that scales horizontally and vertically, offers ACID transactions, HTAP capabilities, and seamless cloud or Kubernetes deployment.
Overview
Overview
TiDB is a distributed SQL database that combines the familiarity of MySQL 8.0 with cloud‑native architecture. It provides strong consistency through a two‑phase commit protocol and Raft‑based replication, ensuring ACID‑compliant transactions across multiple nodes.
Capabilities & Deployment
The system separates compute from storage, allowing horizontal scaling by adding nodes and vertical scaling by increasing resources without downtime. TiDB supports HTAP workloads via TiKV (row‑store) and TiFlash (columnar store), enabling real‑time analytics alongside transactional processing. Deployments can run on public clouds, on‑premises, or within Kubernetes using the TiDB Operator, while TiDB Cloud offers a fully managed, click‑to‑launch option.
Audience
Ideal for enterprises and SaaS providers that need fault‑tolerant, scalable databases while retaining compatibility with existing MySQL tools and ecosystems.
Highlights
Distributed ACID transactions via two‑phase commit
Horizontal & vertical scaling without downtime
Built‑in high availability with Raft consensus
Hybrid Transactional/Analytical Processing (HTAP) with TiKV and TiFlash
Pros
- Strong consistency across distributed nodes
- MySQL 8.0 compatibility reduces migration effort
- Flexible deployment on cloud, on‑prem, or Kubernetes
- Apache 2.0 open‑source license encourages community contributions
Considerations
- Operational complexity can increase with large clusters
- Higher resource usage compared to single‑node databases
- Performance tuning may require understanding of TiKV/TiFlash internals
- Enterprise features may need TiDB Cloud or paid support
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Fit guide
Great for
- Enterprises needing scalable, fault‑tolerant OLTP workloads
- Applications requiring real‑time analytics alongside transactions
- Teams leveraging existing MySQL tools and drivers
- Organizations adopting cloud‑native or Kubernetes infrastructures
Not ideal when
- Small projects with minimal data volume and simple queries
- Environments lacking expertise in distributed system operations
- Use cases demanding ultra‑low latency single‑node performance
- Teams preferring proprietary, vendor‑locked database solutions
How teams use it
E‑commerce platform handling flash sales
Maintains ACID transactions across thousands of nodes while providing real‑time inventory analytics.
FinTech application with mixed OLTP/OLAP workloads
Delivers consistent transaction processing and instant analytical reporting without separate systems.
SaaS product scaling across regions
Deploys TiDB clusters in multiple clouds, ensuring high availability and low latency for global users.
Data migration from legacy MySQL
Uses TiDB’s MySQL compatibility and migration tools to lift‑and‑shift with minimal code changes.
Tech snapshot
Go94%
Starlark3%
Shell2%
Yacc1%
Jsonnet1%
TypeScript1%
Frequently asked questions
Is TiDB compatible with existing MySQL clients?
Yes, TiDB implements the MySQL 8.0 protocol, so standard MySQL drivers, ORMs, and tools work out of the box.
How does TiDB achieve high availability?
TiDB uses the Raft consensus algorithm; data is replicated across multiple nodes, and automatic failover occurs when a replica becomes unavailable.
Can I run TiDB on Kubernetes?
Absolutely. The TiDB Operator automates cluster provisioning, scaling, and upgrades within Kubernetes environments.
What is HTAP and how does TiDB support it?
HTAP combines transactional (TiKV) and analytical (TiFlash) processing; TiFlash replicates data in real time, enabling fast columnar queries alongside row‑based transactions.
Is TiDB free to use?
TiDB is released under the Apache 2.0 license and can be used at no cost; a managed TiDB Cloud service also offers a free tier.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 39,614
- Watchers
- 39,614
- Forks
- 6,098
LicenseApache-2.0
Repo age10 years old
Last commit13 hours ago
Primary languageGo
Last synced 12 hours ago