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Pebble vs RocksDB

Pebble: Cockroach Labs' Go LSM engine, inspired by RocksDB and tuned for CockroachDB. RocksDB: Meta's embeddable LSM-tree key-value engine, the storage layer under dozens of databases.

key differences

  • Transactions: Pebble offers limited ACID; RocksDB offers full.
  • Only Pebble has encryption at rest.
  • Only RocksDB has transactions, ttl / expiry.

choose pebble for

  • +Storage engine for Go databases
  • +Blockchain node state (Geth)
  • +Write-heavy embedded key-value stores in Go services

best at · Embedded, OLTP, 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

PebbleCockroach Labs' Go LSM engine, inspired by RocksDB and tuned for CockroachDB.
RocksDBMeta's embeddable LSM-tree key-value engine, the storage layer under dozens of databases.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
–
–
Type
Embedded library
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Cockroach Labs
Meta
First release
2020
2013
Latest version
2.1.7 (Aug 24, 2026)
11.12 (Oct 26, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)BSD 3-Clause License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 or GPL-2.0 (dual)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
5.6
48.2
Rank
#379
#30
GitHub stars
6.1K
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
Limited
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
Go API
C++ API
Client languages
Go
C++, C, Java
Best for
Embedded, OLTP, Metadata
Embedded, OLTP, Streaming, Metadata
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Pebble vs RocksDB: FAQ

What is the difference between Pebble and RocksDB?

Pebble: Cockroach Labs' Go LSM engine, inspired by RocksDB and tuned for CockroachDB. RocksDB: Meta's embeddable LSM-tree key-value engine, the storage layer under dozens of databases. Transactions: Pebble offers limited ACID; RocksDB offers full. Only Pebble has encryption at rest. Only RocksDB has transactions, ttl / expiry.

When should I choose Pebble over RocksDB?

Choose Pebble for storage engine for Go databases, blockchain node state (Geth) and write-heavy embedded key-value stores in Go services. 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 Pebble or RocksDB more popular?

RocksDB ranks #30 on the WhichDB Score (48.2/100) and Pebble ranks #379 (5.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Pebble and RocksDB open source?

Yes. Pebble is open source. License: BSD 3-Clause License. Yes. RocksDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 or GPL-2.0 (dual).