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Lazer Database vs TinyDB

Lazer Database: PHP library that treats JSON files as database tables, with an ORM-style query builder and relations. TinyDB: Pure-Python document store that keeps every table in one human-readable JSON file.

key differences

  • Only Lazer Database has joins.
  • Only TinyDB has in-memory.

choose lazer for

  • +Small PHP sites on hosts without a database server
  • +Prototypes and admin tools needing simple structured storage
  • +Config or content stored as diff-able JSON files

best at · Embedded, Content

choose tinydb for

  • +State and config storage for CLI tools and scripts
  • +Prototypes and test fixtures
  • +Small single-user desktop or hobby apps
  • +Collecting small scraped or logged datasets

best at · Embedded, Coordination, Metadata

overview
Primary model
Document
Document
Also supports
Relational
–
Type
Embedded library
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Grzegorz Kuźnik and the Lazer-Database contributors
Markus Siemens and contributors
First release
2013
2013
Latest version
2.0.6 (Oct 20, 2026)
4.9.0 (Aug 6, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
1.4
21.3
Rank
#555
#139
GitHub stars
282
7.6K
Stack Overflow questions
–
95
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
None
None
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Strict
Schemaless
Architecture
Embedded
Embedded, Single node
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
PHP fluent query API
Python Query API
Client languages
PHP
Python
Best for
Embedded, Content
Embedded, Coordination, Metadata

Lazer Database vs TinyDB: FAQ

What is the difference between Lazer Database and TinyDB?

Lazer Database: PHP library that treats JSON files as database tables, with an ORM-style query builder and relations. TinyDB: Pure-Python document store that keeps every table in one human-readable JSON file. Only Lazer Database has joins. Only TinyDB has in-memory.

When should I choose Lazer Database over TinyDB?

Choose Lazer Database for small PHP sites on hosts without a database server; prototypes and admin tools needing simple structured storage; and config or content stored as diff-able JSON files. Choose TinyDB for state and config storage for CLI tools and scripts; prototypes and test fixtures; and small single-user desktop or hobby apps.

Is Lazer Database or TinyDB more popular?

TinyDB ranks #139 on the WhichDB Score (21.3/100) and Lazer Database ranks #555 (1.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Lazer Database and TinyDB open source?

Yes. Lazer Database is open source. License: MIT License. Yes. TinyDB is open source. License: MIT License.