CSQL
discontinuedby Lakshya Solutions · since 2006 · also known as CSQL Main Memory Database, CSQL Cache
Open-source in-memory SQL engine and bidirectional cache for MySQL, Postgres and Oracle; inactive since 2011.
discontinued. No releases since CSQL 3.3 (May 2011); the vendor website is gone.
Overview
CSQL was an open-source suite from India's Lakshya Solutions built around a main-memory relational engine: it could run embedded in an application, as a standalone in-memory database server, or as an updatable, bidirectional table-level cache in front of disk-based databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL and Oracle, exposing everything through SQL with ODBC and JDBC interfaces. The pitch was microsecond-level response times for telecom and financial workloads by keeping hot tables in shared memory while the backing database remained the system of record. Version 3.3 binaries for Linux were the last files published on SourceForge, in May 2011. The company website no longer belongs to the project, so treat CSQL as discontinued and look at Oracle TimesTen, eXtremeDB or Redis-based caching instead.
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
- +Main-memory SQL engine usable embedded, as a server, or as a cache
- +Bidirectional table-level caching in front of MySQL, PostgreSQL or Oracle
- +Standard ODBC/JDBC access
Trade-offs
- −Inactive since 2011 with no maintainer
- −Single-host, memory-bound design
- −Sparse documentation now that the vendor site is gone
Great for
- +Maintaining legacy deployments that still use it
- +Studying main-memory database and cache designs
Think twice for
- −New projects
- −Datasets larger than RAM
Capabilities
Native or official first-party support · 5 of 25 tracked
Scale & consistency
- Comfortable data size
- Small · ≤ 100 GB
- Horizontal scaling
- None
- Multi-region
- No
- Transactions
- Full ACID
- Consistency
- Strong
- Schema
- Strict
- Architecture
- In memory, Embedded, Client server
- Query languages
- SQL
Data held in shared memory on a single host.
Deployment
Ecosystem
Alternatives to CSQL
Oracle's in-memory relational database: microsecond SQL, PL/SQL, and a cache tier for Oracle Database.
csql vs oracle-timesten →Embedded in-memory and hybrid database for devices, real-time systems and time-series analytics.
csql vs extremedb →The in-memory data structure server that became the default cache, now with search, JSON and vectors built in.
csql vs redis →Korean hybrid in-memory/on-disk RDBMS for telecom and finance, closed-source again since 2023.
csql vs altibase →The in-process SQL engine that ships in every phone, browser and OS: one file, zero servers.
csql vs sqlite →Desktop database and forms builder bundled with Microsoft 365; still everywhere in back offices.
csql vs microsoft-access →CSQL FAQ
What is CSQL?
CSQL is a relational database by Lakshya Solutions, first released in 2006. CSQL was an open-source suite from India's Lakshya Solutions built around a main-memory relational engine: it could run embedded in an application, as a standalone in-memory database server, or as an updatable, bidirectional table-level cache in front of disk-based databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL and Oracle, exposing everything through SQL with ODBC and JDBC interfaces. The pitch was microsecond-level response times for telecom and financial workloads by keeping hot tables in shared memory while the backing database remained the system of record. Version 3.3 binaries for Linux were the last files published on SourceForge, in May 2011. The company website no longer belongs to the project, so treat CSQL as discontinued and look at Oracle TimesTen, eXtremeDB or Redis-based caching instead.
Is CSQL open source?
Yes. CSQL is open source. License: GNU General Public License v2.
Does CSQL support ACID transactions?
Yes. CSQL supports full ACID transactions, with strong consistency.
Does CSQL scale horizontally?
CSQL does not scale horizontally; it runs on a single node, so you scale it up rather than out. It is comfortable at small scale (≤ 100 GB).
How can I run CSQL?
You can self-host it and embed it in your application.
What is CSQL best for?
CSQL is a strong fit for maintaining legacy deployments that still use it; and studying main-memory database and cache designs. Think twice for new projects.
What are the best alternatives to CSQL?
Common alternatives to CSQL include Oracle TimesTen, eXtremeDB, Redis, Altibase and SQLite. The right choice depends on your workload, scale and hosting; WhichDB's smart match ranks them against your requirements.
Is CSQL still maintained?
CSQL is discontinued. No releases since CSQL 3.3 (May 2011); the vendor website is gone.
How popular is CSQL?
CSQL has little measurable public adoption today, so it ranks near the bottom of the WhichDB Score.