Simple, Fast, Elastic Data Management

The Couchbase Product Family supports your interactive applications from the datacenter down to handheld devices. Apache CouchDB document database technology is at the heart of our product line. Membase Server, with its integrated memcached caching technology, adds technology enabling dynamic cluster elasticity and sustained low-latency, high-throughput data operations. Couchbase becomes the only document database capable of safely storing your data whether stored on a single server, or spread across hundreds.

Membase Server 

Membase Server is a distributed key-value NoSQL database optimized for the data management needs of interactive web applications. Its API is a superset of memcached, the most widely deployed distributed key-value caching technology for web applications. But Membase goes well beyond in-memory-only caching to scale out and support live cluster topology changes while continuing to service data operations without performance degradation. Bottom line: It’s ultra fast and absolutely consistent. No wonder it has become the most popular choice for ops teams looking for a practical approach to NoSQL adoption. Learn more.

Couchbase Single Server 

Couchbase Single Server is the most advanced document database technology available today. It is powered by Apache CouchDB and boasts advanced NoSQL capabilities, like the ability to execute complex queries, maintain indices and store data with ACID transaction semantics. The quick version: Couchbase Single Server provides you an exceptionally flexible data management platform, with rich data management operations that developers demand. Learn more.

Couchbase Mobile

Couchbase Mobile allows developers to write web applications one time, synchronize multiple copies and share data and applications across any computing platform or mobile device. Easy to download and get started, mobile app data is automatically and seamlessly synchronized with a Couchbase database in the cloud or data center. Your users won’t be stymied by latency and network reliability barriers any longer . Learn more.

Couchbase Products Comparison Table

Here are two ways to determine which of our NoSQL solutions is right for your application. The table below gives you a seriously detailed means for evaluation. And, on a more simplified level:

Couchbase Single Server is a fit if:

  • A single-server solution is enough to support your users and data
  • Advanced querying and indexing is important
  • You demand peer-to-peer sync

Membase Server is a fit if:

  • You have large number of users 
  • Multiple servers are necessary to support growing user population and data set
  • Low latency, high throughput are needed for snappy interactive experience

Memcached-mode Membase is a fit if:

  • You're using another primary database technology (like Couchbase) but want to cache some data in memory to get low-latency
  • You want a pathway to Membase
Simple Membase Server Couchbase Single Server Membase Server
(memcached mode)

Easy to get, install and use

Disk persistence  
Single node fault tolerance  
Apache CouchDB compatible    
Memcached API compatible  
Lists and sets support o    
Enterprise production ready
Developer GUI    
Map Reduce support    
Flexible views and querying    
Secure resource managed multi-tenancy   
Seamless upgrade path to Membase    
Flexible schema-less data repository
Full-featured REST API and CLI
User management
World-class support
Fast Membase Server Couchbase Single Server Membase Server
(memcached mode)

Durable speed w/o compromising safety

 
Managed memcached caching layer  
Indexing    
Sub-millisecond access latency  
Single-node ops/second ranges 50k-100k 2k-4k 50k-100k
High-speed failover    
In-memory key indexing  
Client-side proxy option    
Elastic Membase Server Couchbase Single Server Membase Server
(memcached mode)

Peer-to-peer replication

 
Mobile synchronization    
Multi-node clusters  
Zero downtime topology change    
Optional synchronous replication  
Configurable number of replicas  
Spreads data across clusters  
Caching and DB semantics in single cluster    
Guaranteed data consistency  
Configurable “Tap” interface    
Node homogeneity  

♦ = current feature
o = coming soon

Compare NoSQL Solutions

When we say we have a comprehensive NoSQL family, we are talking about a broad solution set with deep functionality that simply is not matched in the marketplace. Check it out for yourself.

  Couchbase Cassandra MongoDB

Performance

Highest r/w throughput
and lowest latency
High write, low read High r/w throughput,
unpredictable latency
Storage model – durability and safety
Acid guarantees;
durable, proven
o
With strong
consistency enabled

Unproven new feature
Comprehensive access control model o o
Efficient fault tolerance – all nodes alike o
Config servers, replica only nodes
Ease of deployment and reconfiguration
Easy to install,
expand/contract cluster
o
Complex

o

Basic config easy,

sharding harder

Live “schema” changes

Including validation

o
Complex, but possible

 

No validation support

Conflict management for (AP) operations

 

No support for (AP) operations

Live cluster reconfiguration and rebalance
Effortless and fully automated

o

Manual bootstrap and balancing

o

Balancing of existing nodes

Industry-standard protocols and formats

HTTP, JSON


Thrift, others

Proprietary protocol and format
Bi-directional replication o o
Geo-encoding capabilities
True R-tree implementation
o
Available – primitive

o

Primitive

Proven in large-scale production deployments  
Large, independent project communities and vendor support


Apache Foundation, Memcached,

multiple commercial suppliers

Apache Foundation,

single commerical supplier

o

Primarily 10gen employees

Technical maturity

8 years core technology development
and large-scale production use

Based on proven Google

and Amazon approaches

o

Clustering afterthought,
storage system rewrite

Large object support

o

Bolt-on capability –GridFS

Cross-platform, ready-to-use binaries o

Web application serving capabilities

CouchApps via HTTP

   
Real-time Map Reduce

o

Batch only

 
Changes feed (triggers and stored procedures)    
Insert validation    
Developer-friendly console  
Administrator-optimized web console  

o

External projects

In-memory key indexing  

♦ = current feature
0 = primitive feature