whichdb
vs

etcd vs rqlite

etcd: Raft-based, strongly consistent key-value store that holds Kubernetes' cluster state. rqlite: Lightweight distributed database that replicates SQLite over Raft behind a simple HTTP API.

key differences

  • etcd is primarily a key-value database; rqlite is relational.
  • Transactions: etcd offers full ACID; rqlite offers limited.
  • Only etcd has ttl / expiry, pub/sub, role-based access, time travel.
  • Only rqlite has joins, secondary indexes, full-text search, json, change data capture.

choose etcd for

  • +Kubernetes and control-plane state
  • +Service discovery and dynamic configuration
  • +Distributed locks and leader election
  • +Feature flags and small metadata for infrastructure

best at · Coordination, Metadata, Pub/Sub

choose rqlite for

  • +Control-plane and configuration state for distributed systems
  • +Small HA databases at the edge or in IoT gateways
  • +Service metadata where SQLite simplicity is wanted with failover
  • +Read-heavy reference data across sites

best at · Coordination, Metadata, Edge

etcdRaft-based, strongly consistent key-value store that holds Kubernetes' cluster state.
rqliteLightweight distributed database that replicates SQLite over Raft behind a simple HTTP API.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Relational
Also supports
–
–
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
etcd maintainers / CNCF
Philip O'Toole and contributors
First release
2013
2014
Latest version
3.7.3 (Oct 22, 2026)
10.6.5 (Oct 24, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
32.4
14.5
Rank
#71
#230
GitHub stars
52.4K
17.9K
Stack Overflow questions
478
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
Read replicas
ACID
Full
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Strong, Eventual
Schema
Schemaless
Flexible
Architecture
Distributed, Client server
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
etcd v3 API
SQL
Client languages
Go, Java, Python, JavaScript, Rust, C++
Go, Python, JavaScript, Java, Rust, C#
Best for
Coordination, Metadata, Pub/Sub
Coordination, Metadata, Edge, OLTP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

etcd vs rqlite: FAQ

What is the difference between etcd and rqlite?

etcd: Raft-based, strongly consistent key-value store that holds Kubernetes' cluster state. rqlite: Lightweight distributed database that replicates SQLite over Raft behind a simple HTTP API. etcd is primarily a key-value database; rqlite is relational. Transactions: etcd offers full ACID; rqlite offers limited. Only etcd has ttl / expiry, pub/sub, role-based access, time travel.

When should I choose etcd over rqlite?

Choose etcd for kubernetes and control-plane state; service discovery and dynamic configuration; and distributed locks and leader election. Choose rqlite for control-plane and configuration state for distributed systems; small HA databases at the edge or in IoT gateways; and service metadata where SQLite simplicity is wanted with failover.

Is etcd or rqlite more popular?

etcd ranks #71 on the WhichDB Score (32.4/100) and rqlite ranks #230 (14.5/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are etcd and rqlite open source?

Yes. etcd is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. rqlite is open source. License: MIT License.