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SirixDB vs XTDB

SirixDB: Embeddable bitemporal database that keeps every revision of JSON and XML resources queryable. XTDB: Bitemporal SQL database on object storage that keeps every version of every row.

key differences

  • SirixDB is primarily a document database; XTDB is relational.
  • Licensing: SirixDB is open source (permissive) (BSD 3-Clause License); XTDB is open source (copyleft) (Mozilla Public License 2.0).
  • XTDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than SirixDB (≤ 100 GB).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in SirixDB and manual in XTDB.
  • Only SirixDB has secondary indexes.
  • Only XTDB has joins, columnar storage, compression.
  • SirixDB can run embedded in your application process.

choose sirixdb for

  • +Audit trails that must reconstruct any past state
  • +Versioned JSON or XML document storage
  • +Time-travel analytics over changing data
  • +Research and teaching on versioned storage engines

best at · Event sourcing, Content, Embedded

choose xtdb for

  • +Financial and insurance systems needing as-of reporting
  • +Audit trails with retroactive corrections
  • +Event-sourced systems wanting SQL over history

best at · OLTP, Event sourcing, Ledger

SirixDBEmbeddable bitemporal database that keeps every revision of JSON and XML resources queryable.
XTDBBitemporal SQL database on object storage that keeps every version of every row.
overview
Primary model
Document
Relational
Also supports
XML
Document, Columnar / OLAP
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
SirixDB open-source project (University of Konstanz origins)
JUXT Ltd
First release
2012
2019
Latest version
1.0.0-beta7 (Jul 15, 2026)
2.2.0 (Oct 21, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)BSD 3-Clause License
Open source (copyleft)Mozilla Public License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
6.0
8.3
Rank
#370
#328
GitHub stars
1.2K
3.1K
Stack Overflow questions
–
7
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Small (≤ 100 GB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
None
Manual
Multi-region
None
None
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong
Strong
Schema
Schemaless
Flexible
Architecture
Embedded, Client server, Single node
Distributed, 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
JSONiq, XQuery
SQL, XTQL
Client languages
Java, Kotlin
Java, Kotlin, Clojure, Python, JavaScript, Go
Best for
Event sourcing, Content, Embedded
OLTP, Event sourcing, Ledger, HTAP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

SirixDB vs XTDB: FAQ

What is the difference between SirixDB and XTDB?

SirixDB: Embeddable bitemporal database that keeps every revision of JSON and XML resources queryable. XTDB: Bitemporal SQL database on object storage that keeps every version of every row. SirixDB is primarily a document database; XTDB is relational. Licensing: SirixDB is open source (permissive) (BSD 3-Clause License); XTDB is open source (copyleft) (Mozilla Public License 2.0). XTDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than SirixDB (≤ 100 GB).

When should I choose SirixDB over XTDB?

Choose SirixDB for audit trails that must reconstruct any past state, versioned JSON or XML document storage and time-travel analytics over changing data. Choose XTDB for financial and insurance systems needing as-of reporting; audit trails with retroactive corrections; and event-sourced systems wanting SQL over history.

Is SirixDB or XTDB more popular?

XTDB ranks #328 on the WhichDB Score (8.3/100) and SirixDB ranks #370 (6.0/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are SirixDB and XTDB open source?

Yes. SirixDB is open source. License: BSD 3-Clause License. Yes. XTDB is open source. License: Mozilla Public License 2.0.