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BaikalDB vs TiDB

BaikalDB: Baidu's MySQL-compatible distributed HTAP database on RocksDB and Raft, with full-text and vector indexes. TiDB: MySQL-compatible distributed SQL with a row store for OLTP and a columnar replica for real-time analytics.

key differences

  • TiDB is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than BaikalDB (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only BaikalDB has full-text search.
  • Only TiDB has change data capture, encryption at rest, role-based access, time travel, branching.
  • TiDB has a serverless option; BaikalDB does not.

choose baikaldb for

  • +Scaling out MySQL-style OLTP workloads
  • +HTAP reporting on live transactional data
  • +Combining SQL filters with full-text or vector similarity search

best at · HTAP, OLTP, OLAP

choose tidb for

  • +Replacing hand-sharded MySQL
  • +HTAP dashboards on live transactional data
  • +SaaS platforms with very large tenant counts
  • +Payment and order systems at internet scale

best at · OLTP, HTAP, Real-time analytics

BaikalDBBaidu's MySQL-compatible distributed HTAP database on RocksDB and Raft, with full-text and vector indexes.
TiDBMySQL-compatible distributed SQL with a row store for OLTP and a columnar replica for real-time analytics.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Vector, Search Engine
Document, Columnar / OLAP, Vector
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Baidu
PingCAP
First release
2018
2017
Latest version
5.0.0 (Jun 15, 2026)
8.5.8 (Aug 27, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
2.3
35.9
Rank
#478
#56
GitHub stars
1.2K
40.7K
Stack Overflow questions
–
102
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Distributed
Distributed, Client server, Serverless
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
✓
Serverless
—
✓
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
–
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Alibaba 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
SQL (MySQL dialect)
SQL
Client languages
Any MySQL driver
Java, Go, Python, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, PHP, Rust
Best for
HTAP, OLTP, OLAP, Search
OLTP, HTAP, Real-time analytics, Vector search
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

BaikalDB vs TiDB: FAQ

What is the difference between BaikalDB and TiDB?

BaikalDB: Baidu's MySQL-compatible distributed HTAP database on RocksDB and Raft, with full-text and vector indexes. TiDB: MySQL-compatible distributed SQL with a row store for OLTP and a columnar replica for real-time analytics. TiDB is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than BaikalDB (≤ 1 PB). Only BaikalDB has full-text search. Only TiDB has change data capture, encryption at rest, role-based access, time travel, branching.

When should I choose BaikalDB over TiDB?

Choose BaikalDB for scaling out MySQL-style OLTP workloads, HTAP reporting on live transactional data and combining SQL filters with full-text or vector similarity search. Choose TiDB for replacing hand-sharded MySQL, HTAP dashboards on live transactional data and SaaS platforms with very large tenant counts.

Is BaikalDB or TiDB more popular?

TiDB ranks #56 on the WhichDB Score (35.9/100) and BaikalDB ranks #478 (2.3/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are BaikalDB and TiDB open source?

Yes. BaikalDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. TiDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.