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Apache Cassandra vs ScyllaDB

Apache Cassandra: Masterless wide-column database built for always-on writes across data centers. ScyllaDB: C++ rewrite of Cassandra with shard-per-core design; also speaks the DynamoDB API.

key differences

  • Licensing: Apache Cassandra is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); ScyllaDB is source-available (ScyllaDB Software License Agreement 1.1).
  • Only Apache Cassandra has vector search, triggers.
  • Only ScyllaDB has materialized views, encryption at rest.

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 scylladb for

  • +Chat and messaging history at very high volume
  • +Low-latency feature stores for ML
  • +Cassandra or DynamoDB migration targets
  • +IoT and telemetry ingestion

best at · OLTP, Time-series, IoT

Apache CassandraMasterless wide-column database built for always-on writes across data centers.
ScyllaDBC++ rewrite of Cassandra with shard-per-core design; also speaks the DynamoDB API.
overview
Primary model
Wide-Column
Wide-Column
Also supports
Key-Value, Vector
Key-Value
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
ScyllaDB Inc.
First release
2008
2015
Latest version
5.0.9 (Jul 2026)
2026.3.4 (Oct 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Source-availableScyllaDB Software License Agreement 1.1
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
55.9
45.9
Rank
#20
#36
GitHub stars
10.1K
15.8K
Stack Overflow questions
20.9K
381
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
Active active
ACID
Limited
Limited
Consistency
Tunable, Eventual
Tunable, Eventual
Schema
Strict
Strict
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
AWS, Google 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
CQL, DynamoDB API
Client languages
Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, C#, C++, Rust, Ruby
Java, Python, Go, Rust, C++, C#, JavaScript, Scala
Best for
OLTP, Time-series, IoT, Observability
OLTP, Time-series, IoT, Feature store
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache Cassandra vs ScyllaDB: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Cassandra and ScyllaDB?

Apache Cassandra: Masterless wide-column database built for always-on writes across data centers. ScyllaDB: C++ rewrite of Cassandra with shard-per-core design; also speaks the DynamoDB API. Licensing: Apache Cassandra is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); ScyllaDB is source-available (ScyllaDB Software License Agreement 1.1). Only Apache Cassandra has vector search, triggers. Only ScyllaDB has materialized views, encryption at rest.

When should I choose Apache Cassandra over ScyllaDB?

Choose Apache Cassandra for write-heavy event and telemetry ingestion; messaging and activity feeds; and multi-region user and device data. Choose ScyllaDB for chat and messaging history at very high volume; low-latency feature stores for ML; and cassandra or DynamoDB migration targets.

Is Apache Cassandra or ScyllaDB more popular?

Apache Cassandra ranks #20 on the WhichDB Score (55.9/100) and ScyllaDB ranks #36 (45.9/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Cassandra and ScyllaDB open source?

Yes. Apache Cassandra is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Not in the OSI sense. ScyllaDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: ScyllaDB Software License Agreement 1.1.