EJDB vs Nitrite

EJDB: Embeddable JSON document database in C, with a JQL query language and optional HTTP/WebSocket server. Nitrite: Embedded NoSQL document store for Java and Android with pluggable MVStore or RocksDB storage.

key differences

Only Nitrite has transactions, full-text search, geospatial, in-memory.

choose ejdb for

+Embedded JSON storage in desktop or IoT apps
+Mobile apps needing a local document store
+Lightweight local services with an HTTP API

best at · Embedded, Mobile/offline, IoT

choose nitrite for

+Desktop Java apps needing local document storage
+Android apps preferring a document API over SQLite
+Test fixtures and caches in JVM services

best at · Embedded, Mobile/offline, Coordination

EJDBEmbeddable JSON document database in C, with a JQL query language and optional HTTP/WebSocket server.

NitriteEmbedded NoSQL document store for Java and Android with pluggable MVStore or RocksDB storage.

overview

Primary model

Document

Also supports

–

Key-Value, Spatial

Type

Embedded library

Status

Active

Developer

Softmotions (Anton Adamansky)

Nitrite project (Anindya Chatterjee)

First release

2012

2017

Latest version

2.95 (Oct 22, 2026)

5.4.2 (Oct 22, 2026)

License

Open source (permissive)MIT License

Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0

Free tier

✓

popularity

WhichDB Score

4.5

2.7

Rank

#401

#466

GitHub stars

1.5K

920

Stack Overflow questions

–

scale & guarantees

Comfortable data size

Small (≤ 100 GB)

Horizontal scaling

None

Multi-region

None

ACID

Limited

Consistency

Strong

Schema

Schemaless

Architecture

Embedded, Single node

Embedded, In memory

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

JQL

Nitrite filter API (Java/Kotlin)

Client languages

C, JavaScript, Java, Swift, Dart, Kotlin

Java, Kotlin, Dart

Best for

Embedded, Mobile/offline, IoT, Coordination

Embedded, Mobile/offline, Coordination

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EJDB vs Nitrite: FAQ

What is the difference between EJDB and Nitrite?

EJDB: Embeddable JSON document database in C, with a JQL query language and optional HTTP/WebSocket server. Nitrite: Embedded NoSQL document store for Java and Android with pluggable MVStore or RocksDB storage. Only Nitrite has transactions, full-text search, geospatial, in-memory.

When should I choose EJDB over Nitrite?

Choose EJDB for embedded JSON storage in desktop or IoT apps, mobile apps needing a local document store and lightweight local services with an HTTP API. Choose Nitrite for desktop Java apps needing local document storage; android apps preferring a document API over SQLite; and test fixtures and caches in JVM services.

Is EJDB or Nitrite more popular?

EJDB ranks #401 on the WhichDB Score (4.5/100) and Nitrite ranks #466 (2.7/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are EJDB and Nitrite open source?

Yes. EJDB is open source. License: MIT License. Yes. Nitrite is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.