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Pebble vs SlateDB

Pebble: Cockroach Labs' Go LSM engine, inspired by RocksDB and tuned for CockroachDB. SlateDB: Embedded LSM storage engine that writes straight to object storage like S3.

key differences

  • SlateDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Pebble (≤ 10 TB).
  • Transactions: Pebble offers limited ACID; SlateDB offers full.
  • Only Pebble has encryption at rest.
  • Only SlateDB has transactions, ttl / expiry, time travel.

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 slatedb for

  • +State backends for stream processors and serverless compute
  • +Metadata stores for object-storage-native systems
  • +Durable logs and queues on S3
  • +Embedding a KV engine in diskless containers

best at · Embedded, Streaming, Metadata

PebbleCockroach Labs' Go LSM engine, inspired by RocksDB and tuned for CockroachDB.
SlateDBEmbedded LSM storage engine that writes straight to object storage like S3.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
–
–
Type
Embedded library
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Cockroach Labs
SlateDB contributors (Commonhaus Foundation)
First release
2020
2024
Latest version
2.1.7 (Aug 24, 2026)
0.17.0 (Sep 29, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)BSD 3-Clause License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
5.6
19.7
Rank
#379
#163
GitHub stars
6.1K
3.6K
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
None
None
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Limited
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Schemaless
Schemaless
Architecture
Embedded
Embedded, Shared storage
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
Rust API
Client languages
Go
Rust, Go, Java, JavaScript, Python
Best for
Embedded, OLTP, Metadata
Embedded, Streaming, Metadata
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

Pebble vs SlateDB: FAQ

What is the difference between Pebble and SlateDB?

Pebble: Cockroach Labs' Go LSM engine, inspired by RocksDB and tuned for CockroachDB. SlateDB: Embedded LSM storage engine that writes straight to object storage like S3. SlateDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 1 PB) than Pebble (≤ 10 TB). Transactions: Pebble offers limited ACID; SlateDB offers full. Only Pebble has encryption at rest.

When should I choose Pebble over SlateDB?

Choose Pebble for storage engine for Go databases, blockchain node state (Geth) and write-heavy embedded key-value stores in Go services. Choose SlateDB for state backends for stream processors and serverless compute; metadata stores for object-storage-native systems; and durable logs and queues on S3.

Is Pebble or SlateDB more popular?

SlateDB ranks #163 on the WhichDB Score (19.7/100) and Pebble ranks #379 (5.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are Pebble and SlateDB open source?

Yes. Pebble is open source. License: BSD 3-Clause License. Yes. SlateDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.