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Couchbase Server vs Couchbase Capella

Couchbase Server: Memory-first distributed JSON database with SQL++, search, vector indexes and mobile sync. Couchbase Capella: Couchbase's managed DBaaS: Couchbase Server clusters plus App Services sync and AI tooling.

key differences

  • Licensing: Couchbase Server is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (source); commercial Enterprise Edition); Couchbase Capella is proprietary (Proprietary managed service).

choose couchbase for

  • +User profiles and session stores at high concurrency
  • +Travel, retail and gaming backends with strict latency SLAs
  • +Offline-first mobile and edge apps with Couchbase Lite
  • +Caching layer that also persists and can be queried

best at · OLTP, Cache, Sessions

choose couchbase-capella for

  • +Managed backends for mobile apps with offline sync
  • +Low-latency profile, session and catalog stores
  • +Multi-cloud deployments using XDCR

best at · OLTP, Cache, Sessions

Couchbase ServerMemory-first distributed JSON database with SQL++, search, vector indexes and mobile sync.
Couchbase CapellaCouchbase's managed DBaaS: Couchbase Server clusters plus App Services sync and AI tooling.
overview
Primary model
Document
Document
Also supports
Key-Value, Search Engine, Vector, Spatial
Key-Value, Search Engine, Vector
Type
Database engine
Managed service
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Couchbase, Inc.
Couchbase, Inc.
First release
2010
2021
Latest version
8.0.3 (Sep 2026)
–
License
Source-availableBusiness Source License 1.1 (source); commercial Enterprise Edition
ProprietaryProprietary managed service
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
27.5
0.0
Rank
#101
#703
GitHub stars
–
–
Stack Overflow questions
4.1K
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Native
Native
Multi-region
Active active
Active active
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Flexible
Flexible
Architecture
Distributed, Multi primary, In memory
Distributed, Multi primary
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
—
Vendor-managed cloud
✓
✓
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
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++ (N1QL), Full Text Search query DSL
SQL++ (N1QL), Full Text Search query DSL
Client languages
C, C#, Go, Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, PHP, Python
C, C#, Go, Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, PHP, Python
Best for
OLTP, Cache, Sessions, Search
OLTP, Cache, Sessions, Mobile/offline
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Couchbase Server vs Couchbase Capella: FAQ

What is the difference between Couchbase Server and Couchbase Capella?

Couchbase Server: Memory-first distributed JSON database with SQL++, search, vector indexes and mobile sync. Couchbase Capella: Couchbase's managed DBaaS: Couchbase Server clusters plus App Services sync and AI tooling. Licensing: Couchbase Server is source-available (Business Source License 1.1 (source); commercial Enterprise Edition); Couchbase Capella is proprietary (Proprietary managed service).

When should I choose Couchbase Server over Couchbase Capella?

Choose Couchbase Server for user profiles and session stores at high concurrency; travel, retail and gaming backends with strict latency SLAs; and offline-first mobile and edge apps with Couchbase Lite. Choose Couchbase Capella for managed backends for mobile apps with offline sync; low-latency profile, session and catalog stores; and multi-cloud deployments using XDCR.

Is Couchbase Server or Couchbase Capella more popular?

Couchbase Server ranks #101 on the WhichDB Score (27.5/100) and Couchbase Capella ranks #703 (0.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Couchbase Server and Couchbase Capella open source?

Not in the OSI sense. Couchbase Server is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: Business Source License 1.1 (source); commercial Enterprise Edition. No. Couchbase Capella is proprietary, closed-source software.