etcd vs TiKV
etcd: Raft-based, strongly consistent key-value store that holds Kubernetes' cluster state. TiKV: CNCF-graduated, Raft-replicated transactional key-value store in Rust; the storage layer of TiDB.
key differences
- TiKV is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than etcd (≤ 100 GB).
- Horizontal scaling is none in etcd and native in TiKV.
- Only etcd has pub/sub, role-based access.
- Only TiKV has change data capture, compression, encryption at rest.
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 tikv for
- +Storage layer for distributed SQL (TiDB)
- +Metadata for distributed file systems (JuiceFS)
- +Large-scale transactional key-value services
- +Redis-protocol or custom data layers needing strong consistency
best at · OLTP, Metadata, HTAP
etcd vs TiKV: FAQ
What is the difference between etcd and TiKV?
etcd: Raft-based, strongly consistent key-value store that holds Kubernetes' cluster state. TiKV: CNCF-graduated, Raft-replicated transactional key-value store in Rust; the storage layer of TiDB. TiKV is built for larger datasets (Multi-PB) than etcd (≤ 100 GB). Horizontal scaling is none in etcd and native in TiKV. Only etcd has pub/sub, role-based access.
When should I choose etcd over TiKV?
Choose etcd for kubernetes and control-plane state; service discovery and dynamic configuration; and distributed locks and leader election. Choose TiKV for storage layer for distributed SQL (TiDB), metadata for distributed file systems (JuiceFS) and large-scale transactional key-value services.
Is etcd or TiKV more popular?
etcd ranks #71 on the WhichDB Score (32.4/100) and TiKV ranks #148 (20.8/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.
Are etcd and TiKV open source?
Yes. etcd is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. TiKV is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.