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Apache Cassandra vs Riak KV

Apache Cassandra: Masterless wide-column database built for always-on writes across data centers. Riak KV: Erlang-based, Dynamo-style key-value store built to stay up through ugly failures.

key differences

  • Apache Cassandra is primarily a wide-column database; Riak KV is key-value.
  • Apache Cassandra is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Riak KV (≤ 1 PB).
  • Transactions: Apache Cassandra offers limited ACID; Riak KV offers none.
  • Only Apache Cassandra has vector search, json, change data capture, triggers, role-based access.

choose apache-cassandra for

  • +Write-heavy event and telemetry ingestion
  • +Messaging and activity feeds
  • +Multi-region user and device data
  • +Time-series with TTL-based expiry

best at · OLTP, Time-series, IoT

choose riak-kv for

  • +Highly available session and profile storage
  • +Healthcare or betting systems needing extreme uptime
  • +Object and blob metadata stores
  • +Shopping carts with CRDT merges

best at · OLTP, Sessions, Metadata

Apache CassandraMasterless wide-column database built for always-on writes across data centers.
Riak KVErlang-based, Dynamo-style key-value store built to stay up through ugly failures.
overview
Primary model
Wide-Column
Key-Value
Also supports
Key-Value, Vector
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
OpenRiak (Erlang Ecosystem Foundation)
First release
2008
2009
Latest version
5.0.9 (Jul 2026)
3.4.1 (Jun 29, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
55.9
18.1
Rank
#20
#184
GitHub stars
10.1K
56
Stack Overflow questions
20.9K
772
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
Active active
ACID
Limited
None
Consistency
Tunable, Eventual
Eventual, Causal
Schema
Strict
Schemaless
Architecture
Distributed, Multi primary, Client server
Distributed, Multi primary, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, IBM Cloud
–
capabilities
Transactions
—
—
Joins
—
—
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
—
—
Vector search
✓
—
Geospatial
—
—
JSON
✓
—
Change data capture
✓
—
Triggers
✓
—
Stored procedures
—
—
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
✓
✓
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
—
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
✓
Encryption at rest
—
—
Role-based access
✓
—
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
✓
—
Streaming ingest
✓
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
CQL
Riak HTTP API, Protocol Buffers API
Client languages
Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, C#, C++, Rust, Ruby
Erlang, Java, Python, Go, C#, Ruby, JavaScript
Best for
OLTP, Time-series, IoT, Observability
OLTP, Sessions, Metadata, Content
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache Cassandra vs Riak KV: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Cassandra and Riak KV?

Apache Cassandra: Masterless wide-column database built for always-on writes across data centers. Riak KV: Erlang-based, Dynamo-style key-value store built to stay up through ugly failures. Apache Cassandra is primarily a wide-column database; Riak KV is key-value. Apache Cassandra is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than Riak KV (≤ 1 PB). Transactions: Apache Cassandra offers limited ACID; Riak KV offers none.

When should I choose Apache Cassandra over Riak KV?

Choose Apache Cassandra for write-heavy event and telemetry ingestion; messaging and activity feeds; and multi-region user and device data. Choose Riak KV for highly available session and profile storage; healthcare or betting systems needing extreme uptime; and object and blob metadata stores.

Is Apache Cassandra or Riak KV more popular?

Apache Cassandra ranks #20 on the WhichDB Score (55.9/100) and Riak KV ranks #184 (18.1/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Cassandra and Riak KV open source?

Yes. Apache Cassandra is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. Riak KV is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.