vs

DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) vs Percona Server for MongoDB

DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based): MIT-licensed, MongoDB-compatible document engine built as PostgreSQL extensions, run by the Linux Foundation. Percona Server for MongoDB: Drop-in MongoDB Community build with enterprise features like encryption, LDAP and hot backup.

key differences

  • Licensing: DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) is open source (permissive) (MIT License); Percona Server for MongoDB is source-available (Server Side Public License v1).
  • Percona Server for MongoDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) (≤ 10 TB).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) and native in Percona Server for MongoDB.
  • Only DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) has vector search.
  • Only Percona Server for MongoDB has change data capture, materialized views, in-memory, compression, encryption at rest.

choose documentdb-postgres for

  • +Self-hosted MongoDB-compatible database without SSPL
  • +Migrating MongoDB apps onto PostgreSQL infrastructure
  • +Document plus vector storage for RAG on Kubernetes
  • +Local development matching Azure DocumentDB

best at · OLTP, Content, Vector search

choose percona-server-mongodb for

  • +Self-hosted MongoDB in regulated environments needing encryption and audit
  • +Replacing MongoDB Enterprise Advanced to cut licence costs
  • +MongoDB on Kubernetes with an open operator

best at · OLTP, Content, Metadata

overview
Primary model
Document
Document
Also supports
Vector, Spatial
Spatial, Time-Series
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
DocumentDB project (Linux Foundation; originated at Microsoft)
Percona
First release
2025
2015
Latest version
1.0 (Oct 19, 2026)
8.0.34-15 (Oct 22, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Source-availableServer Side Public License v1
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
5.4
5.9
Rank
#386
#372
GitHub stars
3.5K
251
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Native
Multi-region
Read replicas
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Tunable, Causal
Schema
Schemaless
Flexible
Architecture
Primary replica, Client server
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
MongoDB Query API (MQL), Aggregation pipeline, SQL (via PostgreSQL)
MongoDB Query API (MQL), Aggregation pipeline
Client languages
Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, C#, Rust
C, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby
Best for
OLTP, Content, Vector search, RAG
OLTP, Content, Metadata, Time-series

DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) vs Percona Server for MongoDB: FAQ

What is the difference between DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) and Percona Server for MongoDB?

DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based): MIT-licensed, MongoDB-compatible document engine built as PostgreSQL extensions, run by the Linux Foundation. Percona Server for MongoDB: Drop-in MongoDB Community build with enterprise features like encryption, LDAP and hot backup. Licensing: DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) is open source (permissive) (MIT License); Percona Server for MongoDB is source-available (Server Side Public License v1). Percona Server for MongoDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) (≤ 10 TB). Horizontal scaling is none in DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) and native in Percona Server for MongoDB.

When should I choose DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) over Percona Server for MongoDB?

Choose DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) for self-hosted MongoDB-compatible database without SSPL, migrating MongoDB apps onto PostgreSQL infrastructure and document plus vector storage for RAG on Kubernetes. Choose Percona Server for MongoDB for self-hosted MongoDB in regulated environments needing encryption and audit; replacing MongoDB Enterprise Advanced to cut licence costs; and MongoDB on Kubernetes with an open operator.

Is DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) or Percona Server for MongoDB more popular?

Percona Server for MongoDB ranks #372 on the WhichDB Score (5.9/100) and DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) ranks #386 (5.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) and Percona Server for MongoDB open source?

Yes. DocumentDB (open-source, PostgreSQL-based) is open source. License: MIT License. Not in the OSI sense. Percona Server for MongoDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: Server Side Public License v1.