vs

rasdaman vs TileDB

rasdaman: Array database for massive multidimensional rasters, with SQL-style queries and OGC WCPS services. TileDB: Embeddable multidimensional array storage engine for dense and sparse data on object storage.

key differences

  • Licensing: rasdaman is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 server / LGPL-3.0 clients (community); proprietary enterprise); TileDB is open source (permissive) (MIT License).
  • Horizontal scaling is addon in rasdaman and manual in TileDB.
  • Transactions: rasdaman offers full ACID; TileDB offers limited.
  • Only rasdaman has transactions, geospatial.
  • Only TileDB has vector search, columnar storage, encryption at rest, time travel.
  • TileDB can run embedded in your application process.

choose rasdaman for

  • +Earth observation datacube services
  • +Climate and weather model output analysis
  • +Serving rasters via OGC WCS/WCPS

best at · Scientific, Geo, OLAP

choose tiledb for

  • +Population genomics and single-cell datasets
  • +Satellite imagery and raster archives
  • +Large sparse matrices for ML
  • +Vector search over embeddings stored on object storage

best at · Scientific, Geo, Vector search

overview
Primary model
Array / Scientific
Array / Scientific
Also supports
Spatial
Vector, Columnar / OLAP
Type
Database engine
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
rasdaman GmbH (with Constructor University)
Tile.ai (formerly TileDB, Inc.)
First release
1996
2017
Latest version
–
2.30.1 (Feb 25, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GPL-3.0 server / LGPL-3.0 clients (community); proprietary enterprise
Open source (permissive)MIT License
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
3.9
10.5
Rank
#423
#298
GitHub stars
–
2.1K
Stack Overflow questions
–
–
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Large (≤ 1 PB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
Manual
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Limited
Consistency
Strong
Eventual
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Client server, Distributed
Embedded, Serverless
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
rasql, OGC WCPS
TileDB API (subarray queries), SQL via integrations
Client languages
C++, Java, Python
C, C++, Python, R, Java, Go, C#
Best for
Scientific, Geo, OLAP
Scientific, Geo, Vector search, OLAP

rasdaman vs TileDB: FAQ

What is the difference between rasdaman and TileDB?

rasdaman: Array database for massive multidimensional rasters, with SQL-style queries and OGC WCPS services. TileDB: Embeddable multidimensional array storage engine for dense and sparse data on object storage. Licensing: rasdaman is open source (copyleft) (GPL-3.0 server / LGPL-3.0 clients (community); proprietary enterprise); TileDB is open source (permissive) (MIT License). Horizontal scaling is addon in rasdaman and manual in TileDB. Transactions: rasdaman offers full ACID; TileDB offers limited.

When should I choose rasdaman over TileDB?

Choose rasdaman for earth observation datacube services; climate and weather model output analysis; and serving rasters via OGC WCS/WCPS. Choose TileDB for population genomics and single-cell datasets; satellite imagery and raster archives; and large sparse matrices for ML.

Is rasdaman or TileDB more popular?

TileDB ranks #298 on the WhichDB Score (10.5/100) and rasdaman ranks #423 (3.9/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are rasdaman and TileDB open source?

Yes. rasdaman is open source. License: GPL-3.0 server / LGPL-3.0 clients (community); proprietary enterprise. Yes. TileDB is open source. License: MIT License.