vs

CastleDB vs TinyDB

CastleDB: Structured static database for game data: spreadsheet-style editor, typed sheets and diff-friendly JSON. TinyDB: Pure-Python document store that keeps every table in one human-readable JSON file.

key differences

  • Only TinyDB has in-memory.

choose castledb for

  • +Game design data such as items, monsters and quests
  • +Level and tile map authoring for Heaps games
  • +Version-controlled reference data edited by non-programmers

best at · Embedded, Content, Coordination

choose tinydb for

  • +State and config storage for CLI tools and scripts
  • +Prototypes and test fixtures
  • +Small single-user desktop or hobby apps
  • +Collecting small scraped or logged datasets

best at · Embedded, Coordination, Metadata

overview
Primary model
Document
Document
Also supports
–
–
Type
Embedded library
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Nicolas Cannasse
Markus Siemens and contributors
First release
2012
2013
Latest version
1.6.0 (Apr 9, 2018)
4.9.0 (Aug 6, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)ISC License
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
2.3
21.3
Rank
#480
#139
GitHub stars
611
7.6K
Stack Overflow questions
–
95
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
None
None
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Schemaless
Architecture
Embedded
Embedded, Single node
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
Haxe API
Python Query API
Client languages
Haxe
Python
Best for
Embedded, Content, Coordination
Embedded, Coordination, Metadata

CastleDB vs TinyDB: FAQ

What is the difference between CastleDB and TinyDB?

CastleDB: Structured static database for game data: spreadsheet-style editor, typed sheets and diff-friendly JSON. TinyDB: Pure-Python document store that keeps every table in one human-readable JSON file. Only TinyDB has in-memory.

When should I choose CastleDB over TinyDB?

Choose CastleDB for game design data such as items, monsters and quests; level and tile map authoring for Heaps games; and version-controlled reference data edited by non-programmers. Choose TinyDB for state and config storage for CLI tools and scripts; prototypes and test fixtures; and small single-user desktop or hobby apps.

Is CastleDB or TinyDB more popular?

TinyDB ranks #139 on the WhichDB Score (21.3/100) and CastleDB ranks #480 (2.3/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are CastleDB and TinyDB open source?

Yes. CastleDB is open source. License: ISC License. Yes. TinyDB is open source. License: MIT License.