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BaikalDB vs Vitess

BaikalDB: Baidu's MySQL-compatible distributed HTAP database on RocksDB and Raft, with full-text and vector indexes. Vitess: CNCF-graduated sharding and clustering layer that makes a fleet of MySQL servers look like one database.

key differences

  • Vitess is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than BaikalDB (≤ 1 PB).
  • Transactions: BaikalDB offers full ACID; Vitess offers limited.
  • Only BaikalDB has vector search, ttl / expiry, columnar storage.
  • Only Vitess has change data capture, materialized views, role-based access.

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 vitess for

  • +Scaling a large MySQL application beyond one primary
  • +Multi-tenant SaaS sharded by customer
  • +Consolidating many MySQL databases under one routing layer
  • +Zero-downtime schema migrations on huge tables

best at · OLTP, Metadata, Content

BaikalDBBaidu's MySQL-compatible distributed HTAP database on RocksDB and Raft, with full-text and vector indexes.
VitessCNCF-graduated sharding and clustering layer that makes a fleet of MySQL servers look like one database.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Vector, Search Engine
Document
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Baidu
Vitess Authors (CNCF; maintained largely by PlanetScale)
First release
2018
2012
Latest version
5.0.0 (Jun 15, 2026)
24.0.5 (Oct 13, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
2.3
21.2
Rank
#478
#142
GitHub stars
1.2K
21.4K
Stack Overflow questions
–
54
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Distributed
Distributed, Primary replica, Client server
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 (MySQL dialect)
SQL
Client languages
Any MySQL driver
Java, Go, Python, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, C#
Best for
HTAP, OLTP, OLAP, Search
OLTP, Metadata, Content
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

BaikalDB vs Vitess: FAQ

What is the difference between BaikalDB and Vitess?

BaikalDB: Baidu's MySQL-compatible distributed HTAP database on RocksDB and Raft, with full-text and vector indexes. Vitess: CNCF-graduated sharding and clustering layer that makes a fleet of MySQL servers look like one database. Vitess is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than BaikalDB (≤ 1 PB). Transactions: BaikalDB offers full ACID; Vitess offers limited. Only BaikalDB has vector search, ttl / expiry, columnar storage.

When should I choose BaikalDB over Vitess?

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 Vitess for scaling a large MySQL application beyond one primary, multi-tenant SaaS sharded by customer and consolidating many MySQL databases under one routing layer.

Is BaikalDB or Vitess more popular?

Vitess ranks #142 on the WhichDB Score (21.2/100) and BaikalDB ranks #478 (2.3/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are BaikalDB and Vitess open source?

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