CovenantSQL
maintenanceby Covenant Labs · since 2018 · also known as CQL
Byzantine-fault-tolerant, blockchain-backed SQL database built on SQLite; dormant since 2021.
maintenance. Dormant: no release since v0.8.1 (Feb 2021) and no commits since Aug 2021.
Overview
CovenantSQL (CQL) is a decentralized SQL database from Covenant Labs that runs SQLite-based storage engines on a network of miners coordinated by a blockchain. A global main chain matches clients with miners and settles payments, each database gets its own shard chain that signs and records every query so history is immutable and auditable, and the datastore layer supports most of SQL-92 with column-level ACLs and encryption. Databases can be created in a strong-consistency mode using Kayak, a BFT-Raft implementation with two-phase commit, or an eventually consistent mode using DPoS block production. It was promoted around 2018–2019 as an open-source QLDB alternative and backend for dApps, but there has been no release since v0.8.1 in February 2021 and no commits since August 2021.
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
- +SQL (most of SQL-92) on a decentralized, Byzantine-fault-tolerant network
- +Every query is signed and chained, giving an immutable, auditable history
- +Per-database choice between strong (BFT-Raft) and eventual (DPoS) consistency
- +Column-level ACLs and storage encryption
Trade-offs
- −Dormant since 2021; the public network and token economics are not maintained
- −Low throughput compared with conventional databases
- −Small community and little production evidence
Great for
- +Studying blockchain-backed SQL database designs
- +Prototypes needing tamper-evident query history
Think twice for
- −Production systems that need support
- −High-throughput OLTP
- −Regulated ledgers needing a maintained product
Capabilities
Native or official first-party support · 6 of 25 tracked
Scale & consistency
- Comfortable data size
- Small · ≤ 100 GB
- Horizontal scaling
- Native
- Multi-region
- Active active
- Transactions
- Limited ACID
- Consistency
- Strong, Eventual
- Schema
- Strict
- Architecture
- Distributed
- Query languages
- SQL
Each database is replicated across a chosen number of miner nodes; the vendor's benchmark claimed ~1.9k tx/s in strong mode.
Deployment
Ecosystem
Alternatives to CovenantSQL
Immutable, tamper-evident database with cryptographic proofs, offering key-value, SQL and document APIs.
covenantsql vs immudb →Blockchain-style database combining MongoDB storage with Tendermint BFT consensus; dormant since 2020.
covenantsql vs bigchaindb →Lightweight distributed database that replicates SQLite over Raft behind a simple HTTP API.
covenantsql vs rqlite →Canonical's embeddable C library that makes SQLite highly available with Raft replication.
covenantsql vs dqlite →The in-process SQL engine that ships in every phone, browser and OS: one file, zero servers.
covenantsql vs sqlite →Purpose-built financial transactions database: double-entry accounts and transfers at very high throughput.
covenantsql vs tigerbeetle →CovenantSQL FAQ
What is CovenantSQL?
CovenantSQL is a relational database by Covenant Labs, first released in 2018. CovenantSQL (CQL) is a decentralized SQL database from Covenant Labs that runs SQLite-based storage engines on a network of miners coordinated by a blockchain. A global main chain matches clients with miners and settles payments, each database gets its own shard chain that signs and records every query so history is immutable and auditable, and the datastore layer supports most of SQL-92 with column-level ACLs and encryption. Databases can be created in a strong-consistency mode using Kayak, a BFT-Raft implementation with two-phase commit, or an eventually consistent mode using DPoS block production. It was promoted around 2018–2019 as an open-source QLDB alternative and backend for dApps, but there has been no release since v0.8.1 in February 2021 and no commits since August 2021.
Is CovenantSQL open source?
Yes. CovenantSQL is open source. License: Apache License 2.0.
Does CovenantSQL support ACID transactions?
Partly. CovenantSQL offers limited ACID guarantees (for example, single-record or single-partition transactions), with strong, eventual consistency.
Does CovenantSQL scale horizontally?
CovenantSQL scales horizontally out of the box, with built-in sharding or partitioning. It is comfortable at small scale (≤ 100 GB). It supports active-active multi-region writes.
How can I run CovenantSQL?
You can self-host it.
What is CovenantSQL best for?
CovenantSQL is a strong fit for studying blockchain-backed SQL database designs and prototypes needing tamper-evident query history. Think twice for production systems that need support.
What are the best alternatives to CovenantSQL?
Common alternatives to CovenantSQL include immudb, BigchainDB, rqlite, dqlite and SQLite. The right choice depends on your workload, scale and hosting; WhichDB's smart match ranks them against your requirements.
Is CovenantSQL still maintained?
CovenantSQL is in maintenance mode. Dormant: no release since v0.8.1 (Feb 2021) and no commits since Aug 2021.
How popular is CovenantSQL?
CovenantSQL ranks #425 of 844 databases on the WhichDB Score (3.8/100), and #135 among relational databases. The score combines public adoption signals such as package downloads, GitHub activity, job posts and developer discussion.