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Apache Druid vs Hydrolix

Apache Druid: Real-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data. Hydrolix: Streaming data lake for log-scale event data, with ClickHouse-based SQL over object storage.

key differences

  • Licensing: Apache Druid is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Hydrolix is proprietary (Proprietary).
  • Transactions: Apache Druid offers limited ACID; Hydrolix offers none.
  • Only Apache Druid has geospatial.

choose apache-druid for

  • +User-facing analytics dashboards
  • +Clickstream and ad-tech analytics
  • +Network and application telemetry
  • +Real-time operational monitoring

best at · Real-time analytics, OLAP, Time-series

choose hydrolix for

  • +CDN and edge log analytics
  • +Security and bot detection data
  • +Video streaming quality telemetry
  • +Long-term retention of SIEM-scale logs

best at · Observability, Real-time analytics, Time-series

Apache DruidReal-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data.
HydrolixStreaming data lake for log-scale event data, with ClickHouse-based SQL over object storage.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Time-Series, Relational
Time-Series
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
Hydrolix
First release
2012
2020
Latest version
38.0.0 (Oct 1, 2026)
6.4.14 (Oct 23, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
ProprietaryProprietary
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
35.0
0.2
Rank
#58
#667
GitHub stars
14.1K
–
Stack Overflow questions
620
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
None
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Flexible
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Shared storage
Distributed, Shared storage
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Akamai
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
Druid SQL, Druid native JSON queries
SQL (ClickHouse dialect)
Client languages
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript
Java, Python
Best for
Real-time analytics, OLAP, Time-series, Observability
Observability, Real-time analytics, Time-series, OLAP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache Druid vs Hydrolix: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Druid and Hydrolix?

Apache Druid: Real-time analytics database for sub-second slice-and-dice over streaming event data. Hydrolix: Streaming data lake for log-scale event data, with ClickHouse-based SQL over object storage. Licensing: Apache Druid is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Hydrolix is proprietary (Proprietary). Transactions: Apache Druid offers limited ACID; Hydrolix offers none. Only Apache Druid has geospatial.

When should I choose Apache Druid over Hydrolix?

Choose Apache Druid for user-facing analytics dashboards; clickstream and ad-tech analytics; and network and application telemetry. Choose Hydrolix for CDN and edge log analytics; security and bot detection data; and video streaming quality telemetry.

Is Apache Druid or Hydrolix more popular?

Apache Druid ranks #58 on the WhichDB Score (35.0/100) and Hydrolix ranks #667 (0.2/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Druid and Hydrolix open source?

Yes. Apache Druid is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. No. Hydrolix is proprietary, closed-source software.