whichdb
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RocksDB vs WiredTiger

RocksDB: Meta's embeddable LSM-tree key-value engine, the storage layer under dozens of databases. WiredTiger: MongoDB's default storage engine: MVCC B-tree with compression and snapshot isolation.

key differences

  • Licensing: RocksDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 or GPL-2.0 (dual)); WiredTiger is open source (copyleft) (GNU GPL v2 or v3, or MongoDB commercial license).
  • Only RocksDB has ttl / expiry.
  • Only WiredTiger has columnar storage, encryption at rest, time travel.

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

choose wiredtiger for

  • +Storage engine inside MongoDB
  • +Embedding a transactional engine in a custom C system
  • +Research on MVCC B-tree storage

best at · Embedded, OLTP

RocksDBMeta's embeddable LSM-tree key-value engine, the storage layer under dozens of databases.
WiredTigerMongoDB's default storage engine: MVCC B-tree with compression and snapshot isolation.
overview
Primary model
Key-Value
Key-Value
Also supports
–
Columnar / OLAP
Type
Embedded library
Embedded library
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Meta
MongoDB Inc.
First release
2013
2010
Latest version
11.12 (Oct 26, 2026)
11.3.1 (Nov 15, 2024)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0 or GPL-2.0 (dual)
Open source (copyleft)GNU GPL v2 or v3, or MongoDB commercial license
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
48.2
20.6
Rank
#30
#155
GitHub stars
32.2K
2.4K
Stack Overflow questions
504
170
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, Java
C, Python, Java
Best for
Embedded, OLTP, Streaming, Metadata
Embedded, OLTP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

RocksDB vs WiredTiger: FAQ

What is the difference between RocksDB and WiredTiger?

RocksDB: Meta's embeddable LSM-tree key-value engine, the storage layer under dozens of databases. WiredTiger: MongoDB's default storage engine: MVCC B-tree with compression and snapshot isolation. Licensing: RocksDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0 or GPL-2.0 (dual)); WiredTiger is open source (copyleft) (GNU GPL v2 or v3, or MongoDB commercial license). Only RocksDB has ttl / expiry. Only WiredTiger has columnar storage, encryption at rest, time travel.

When should I choose RocksDB over WiredTiger?

Choose RocksDB for storage engine for a custom database or service; stream-processing state stores (Kafka Streams, Flink); and MySQL storage engine via MyRocks. Choose WiredTiger for storage engine inside MongoDB, embedding a transactional engine in a custom C system and research on MVCC B-tree storage.

Is RocksDB or WiredTiger more popular?

RocksDB ranks #30 on the WhichDB Score (48.2/100) and WiredTiger ranks #155 (20.6/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are RocksDB and WiredTiger open source?

Yes. RocksDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0 or GPL-2.0 (dual). Yes. WiredTiger is open source. License: GNU GPL v2 or v3, or MongoDB commercial license.