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Apache Pinot vs Scuba

Apache Pinot: Real-time OLAP store from LinkedIn for user-facing analytics at very high query rates. Scuba: Meta's internal in-memory store for real-time event analytics; described at VLDB 2013, rebuilt as Kraken.

key differences

  • Licensing: Apache Pinot is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Scuba is proprietary (Internal (not distributed)).
  • Only Apache Pinot has joins, secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search, geospatial.
  • Only Scuba has in-memory.

choose apache-pinot for

  • +User-facing analytics in products
  • +Real-time business metrics and anomaly detection
  • +Ad and marketplace analytics
  • +Operational dashboards on streaming data

best at · Real-time analytics, OLAP, Observability

choose scuba for

  • +Design reference for real-time event analytics and observability systems
  • +Understanding sampled, in-memory log analytics at internet scale

best at · Real-time analytics, Observability, OLAP

Apache PinotReal-time OLAP store from LinkedIn for user-facing analytics at very high query rates.
ScubaMeta's internal in-memory store for real-time event analytics; described at VLDB 2013, rebuilt as Kraken.
overview
Primary model
Columnar / OLAP
Columnar / OLAP
Also supports
Relational, Time-Series
Time-Series
Type
Database engine
Research prototype
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Apache Software Foundation
Meta Platforms (Facebook)
First release
2015
2013
Latest version
1.5.1 (Jun 5, 2026)
–
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
ProprietaryInternal (not distributed)
Free tier
✓
—
popularity
WhichDB Score
29.9
0.5
Rank
#88
#638
GitHub stars
6.2K
–
Stack Overflow questions
23
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Massive (Multi-PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
None
None
Consistency
Eventual
Eventual
Schema
Strict
Flexible
Architecture
Distributed, Shared storage
Distributed, In memory
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
—
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
–
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
SQL (Calcite-based)
SQL (CLI), GUI query builder
Client languages
Java, Python, Go, JavaScript, C#
PHP, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript
Best for
Real-time analytics, OLAP, Observability
Real-time analytics, Observability, OLAP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Apache Pinot vs Scuba: FAQ

What is the difference between Apache Pinot and Scuba?

Apache Pinot: Real-time OLAP store from LinkedIn for user-facing analytics at very high query rates. Scuba: Meta's internal in-memory store for real-time event analytics; described at VLDB 2013, rebuilt as Kraken. Licensing: Apache Pinot is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); Scuba is proprietary (Internal (not distributed)). Only Apache Pinot has joins, secondary indexes, full-text search, vector search, geospatial. Only Scuba has in-memory.

When should I choose Apache Pinot over Scuba?

Choose Apache Pinot for user-facing analytics in products; real-time business metrics and anomaly detection; and ad and marketplace analytics. Choose Scuba for design reference for real-time event analytics and observability systems; and understanding sampled, in-memory log analytics at internet scale.

Is Apache Pinot or Scuba more popular?

Apache Pinot ranks #88 on the WhichDB Score (29.9/100) and Scuba ranks #638 (0.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Apache Pinot and Scuba open source?

Yes. Apache Pinot is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. No. Scuba is proprietary, closed-source software. License: Internal (not distributed).