vs

libmdbx vs RocksDB

libmdbx: Heavily reworked LMDB descendant: memory-mapped ACID B+tree with auto-growing files. RocksDB: Meta's embeddable LSM-tree key-value engine, the storage layer under dozens of databases.

key differences

  • Only RocksDB has ttl / expiry, compression.

choose libmdbx for

  • +Blockchain node state and indexes
  • +Read-heavy embedded storage needing LMDB semantics
  • +Replacing LMDB where auto-resizing is needed

best at · Embedded, Metadata

choose rocksdb for

  • +Storage engine for a custom database or service
  • +Stream-processing state stores (Kafka Streams, Flink)
  • +MySQL storage engine via MyRocks
  • +Write-heavy local indexes and caches on SSD

best at · Embedded, OLTP, Streaming

overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
–
–
Type
Embedded library
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Leonid Yuriev
Meta
First release
2015
2013
Latest version
0.14.4 (Sep 19, 2026)
11.12 (Oct 26, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 or GPL-2.0 (dual)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
4.9
48.2
Rank
#394
#30
GitHub stars
1.5K
32.2K
Stack Overflow questions
–
504
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
Embedded
Embedded
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
C API
C++ API
Client languages
C, C++, Rust, Go, Python, JavaScript
C++, C, Java
Best for
Embedded, Metadata
Embedded, OLTP, Streaming, Metadata

libmdbx vs RocksDB: FAQ

What is the difference between libmdbx and RocksDB?

libmdbx: Heavily reworked LMDB descendant: memory-mapped ACID B+tree with auto-growing files. RocksDB: Meta's embeddable LSM-tree key-value engine, the storage layer under dozens of databases. Only RocksDB has ttl / expiry, compression.

When should I choose libmdbx over RocksDB?

Choose libmdbx for blockchain node state and indexes; read-heavy embedded storage needing LMDB semantics; and replacing LMDB where auto-resizing is needed. Choose RocksDB for storage engine for a custom database or service; stream-processing state stores (Kafka Streams, Flink); and MySQL storage engine via MyRocks.

Is libmdbx or RocksDB more popular?

RocksDB ranks #30 on the WhichDB Score (48.2/100) and libmdbx ranks #394 (4.9/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are libmdbx and RocksDB open source?

Yes. libmdbx is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. RocksDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 or GPL-2.0 (dual).