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Bedrock vs rqlite

Bedrock: Expensify's WAN-replicated SQLite server with Paxos leader election, MySQL protocol and job/cache plugins. rqlite: Lightweight distributed database that replicates SQLite over Raft behind a simple HTTP API.

key differences

  • Licensing: Bedrock is open source (copyleft) (GNU LGPL v3); rqlite is open source (permissive) (MIT License).
  • Bedrock is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than rqlite (≤ 100 GB).
  • Transactions: Bedrock offers full ACID; rqlite offers limited.
  • Only rqlite has full-text search, change data capture, triggers, in-memory.

choose bedrock for

  • +Highly available SQL backend spanning multiple data centres
  • +Durable job queues alongside relational data
  • +Teams that like SQLite semantics but need replication and failover

best at · OLTP, Queue, Cache

choose rqlite for

  • +Control-plane and configuration state for distributed systems
  • +Small HA databases at the edge or in IoT gateways
  • +Service metadata where SQLite simplicity is wanted with failover
  • +Read-heavy reference data across sites

best at · Coordination, Metadata, Edge

BedrockExpensify's WAN-replicated SQLite server with Paxos leader election, MySQL protocol and job/cache plugins.
rqliteLightweight distributed database that replicates SQLite over Raft behind a simple HTTP API.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
–
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Expensify
Philip O'Toole and contributors
First release
2016
2014
Latest version
2026-10-23 (Oct 23, 2026)
10.6.5 (Oct 24, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GNU LGPL v3
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
2.5
14.5
Rank
#474
#230
GitHub stars
1.3K
17.9K
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Strict
Flexible
Architecture
Distributed, Primary replica
Distributed, 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 (SQLite dialect)
SQL
Client languages
Any MySQL driver, PHP
Go, Python, JavaScript, Java, Rust, C#
Best for
OLTP, Queue, Cache
Coordination, Metadata, Edge, OLTP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Bedrock vs rqlite: FAQ

What is the difference between Bedrock and rqlite?

Bedrock: Expensify's WAN-replicated SQLite server with Paxos leader election, MySQL protocol and job/cache plugins. rqlite: Lightweight distributed database that replicates SQLite over Raft behind a simple HTTP API. Licensing: Bedrock is open source (copyleft) (GNU LGPL v3); rqlite is open source (permissive) (MIT License). Bedrock is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than rqlite (≤ 100 GB). Transactions: Bedrock offers full ACID; rqlite offers limited.

When should I choose Bedrock over rqlite?

Choose Bedrock for highly available SQL backend spanning multiple data centres; durable job queues alongside relational data; and teams that like SQLite semantics but need replication and failover. Choose rqlite for control-plane and configuration state for distributed systems; small HA databases at the edge or in IoT gateways; and service metadata where SQLite simplicity is wanted with failover.

Is Bedrock or rqlite more popular?

rqlite ranks #230 on the WhichDB Score (14.5/100) and Bedrock ranks #474 (2.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Bedrock and rqlite open source?

Yes. Bedrock is open source. License: GNU LGPL v3. Yes. rqlite is open source. License: MIT License.