whichdb
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CockroachDB vs OceanBase

CockroachDB: Postgres-wire distributed SQL built to survive node, zone and region failures with serializable transactions. OceanBase: Alipay-proven distributed SQL with MySQL (and Oracle, in Enterprise) compatibility, HTAP and vector search.

key differences

  • Licensing: CockroachDB is source-available (CockroachDB Software License); OceanBase is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 (Community Edition)).
  • OceanBase is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than CockroachDB (≤ 1 PB).
  • Only CockroachDB has ttl / expiry.
  • Only OceanBase has columnar storage.
  • CockroachDB has a serverless option; OceanBase does not.

choose cockroachdb for

  • +Global payments and ledger systems of record
  • +Identity, account and session metadata across regions
  • +Inventory and order management with strict consistency
  • +Data-residency workloads that must pin rows to a country

best at · OLTP, Geo, Metadata

choose oceanbase for

  • +Core banking and payment systems
  • +Oracle-to-distributed-SQL migrations
  • +Consolidating many MySQL instances into one multi-tenant cluster
  • +HTAP reporting on live order data

best at · OLTP, HTAP, Real-time analytics

CockroachDBPostgres-wire distributed SQL built to survive node, zone and region failures with serializable transactions.
OceanBaseAlipay-proven distributed SQL with MySQL (and Oracle, in Enterprise) compatibility, HTAP and vector search.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Document, Spatial, Vector
Document, Columnar / OLAP, Vector, Spatial
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Cockroach Labs
OceanBase (Ant Group)
First release
2015
2010
Latest version
26.3 (Aug 19, 2026)
5.0.1 CE (Aug 6, 2026)
License
Source-availableCockroachDB Software License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 (Community Edition)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
47.1
19.4
Rank
#33
#168
GitHub stars
32.6K
10.4K
Stack Overflow questions
467
20
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Massive (Multi-PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
Active active
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Distributed, Multi primary, Client server, Serverless
Distributed, Client server, Single node
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
✓
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud, Tencent 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, PL/pgSQL
SQL, PL/SQL (Enterprise Oracle mode)
Client languages
Java, Go, Python, JavaScript, C#, Ruby, Rust, PHP
Java, Python, Go, C, JavaScript, C#
Best for
OLTP, Geo, Metadata, Ledger
OLTP, HTAP, Real-time analytics, Vector search
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

CockroachDB vs OceanBase: FAQ

What is the difference between CockroachDB and OceanBase?

CockroachDB: Postgres-wire distributed SQL built to survive node, zone and region failures with serializable transactions. OceanBase: Alipay-proven distributed SQL with MySQL (and Oracle, in Enterprise) compatibility, HTAP and vector search. Licensing: CockroachDB is source-available (CockroachDB Software License); OceanBase is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 (Community Edition)). OceanBase is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than CockroachDB (≤ 1 PB). Only CockroachDB has ttl / expiry.

When should I choose CockroachDB over OceanBase?

Choose CockroachDB for global payments and ledger systems of record; identity, account and session metadata across regions; and inventory and order management with strict consistency. Choose OceanBase for core banking and payment systems; oracle-to-distributed-SQL migrations; and consolidating many MySQL instances into one multi-tenant cluster.

Is CockroachDB or OceanBase more popular?

CockroachDB ranks #33 on the WhichDB Score (47.1/100) and OceanBase ranks #168 (19.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are CockroachDB and OceanBase open source?

Not in the OSI sense. CockroachDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: CockroachDB Software License. Yes. OceanBase is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 (Community Edition).