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TerminusDB vs XTDB

TerminusDB: Git-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel. XTDB: Bitemporal SQL database on object storage that keeps every version of every row.

key differences

  • TerminusDB is primarily a graph database; XTDB is relational.
  • Licensing: TerminusDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); XTDB is open source (copyleft) (Mozilla Public License 2.0).
  • XTDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than TerminusDB (≤ 100 GB).
  • Horizontal scaling is none in TerminusDB and manual in XTDB.
  • Only TerminusDB has role-based access, branching, online schema changes.
  • Only XTDB has columnar storage.

choose terminusdb for

  • +Collaborative curation of reference or master data
  • +Auditable knowledge graphs with review workflows
  • +Versioned configuration and product data
  • +Data products that need reproducible snapshots

best at · Knowledge graph, Content, Metadata

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

TerminusDBGit-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel.
XTDBBitemporal SQL database on object storage that keeps every version of every row.
overview
Primary model
Graph
Relational
Also supports
Document, RDF / Triple Store
Document, Columnar / OLAP
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Gettier (DFRNT AB) and TerminusDB community
JUXT Ltd
First release
2019
2019
Latest version
12.0.8 (Oct 12, 2026)
2.2.0 (Oct 21, 2026)
License
Open source (permissive)Apache License 2.0
Open source (copyleft)Mozilla Public License 2.0
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
21.0
8.3
Rank
#146
#328
GitHub stars
3.5K
3.1K
Stack Overflow questions
2
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
Strict
Flexible
Architecture
Single node, Client server
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
WOQL (Datalog), GraphQL
SQL, XTQL
Client languages
Python, JavaScript, Rust, Elixir
Java, Kotlin, Clojure, Python, JavaScript, Go
Best for
Knowledge graph, Content, Metadata
OLTP, Event sourcing, Ledger, HTAP
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

TerminusDB vs XTDB: FAQ

What is the difference between TerminusDB and XTDB?

TerminusDB: Git-for-data document and knowledge-graph database with branches, diffs and time travel. XTDB: Bitemporal SQL database on object storage that keeps every version of every row. TerminusDB is primarily a graph database; XTDB is relational. Licensing: TerminusDB is open source (permissive) (Apache License 2.0); XTDB is open source (copyleft) (Mozilla Public License 2.0). XTDB is built for larger datasets (≤ 10 TB) than TerminusDB (≤ 100 GB).

When should I choose TerminusDB over XTDB?

Choose TerminusDB for collaborative curation of reference or master data; auditable knowledge graphs with review workflows; and versioned configuration and product 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 TerminusDB or XTDB more popular?

TerminusDB ranks #146 on the WhichDB Score (21.0/100) and XTDB ranks #328 (8.3/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are TerminusDB and XTDB open source?

Yes. TerminusDB is open source. License: Apache License 2.0. Yes. XTDB is open source. License: Mozilla Public License 2.0.