SurrealDB
activeby SurrealDB Ltd · since 2022 · also known as Surreal
Rust multi-model database (documents, graph, vectors, live queries) that runs embedded, in WASM or clustered.
Overview
SurrealDB is a Rust database that combines document, graph (record links and RELATE edges), key-value, full-text and vector search behind SurrealQL, a SQL-like language with graph traversal syntax. The same engine runs in-memory, on disk via RocksDB or SurrealKV, in the browser through WebAssembly, or distributed on TiKV. It adds row-level permissions, so clients can connect directly. Version 3.0 (February 2026) focused on stability and AI-agent memory use cases, and 3.3.4 shipped in October 2026. It is ambitious and evolving quickly, so it is well suited to new apps that want one flexible backend, but check the BSL terms and test maturity for heavy production.
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
- +Documents, graph edges, vectors and full-text search in one engine and one query language
- +Runs embedded, in the browser via WASM, single-node or on TiKV
- +LIVE SELECT pushes realtime changes to clients
- +Row-level permissions and built-in auth let frontends query directly
- +Schemafull or schemaless per table
Trade-offs
- −Young engine; performance and stability have varied between releases
- −BSL licence prohibits offering it as a commercial DBaaS
- −Distributed mode depends on operating a separate TiKV cluster
- −Tooling, ORMs and operational knowledge are still thin
Great for
- +Greenfield apps wanting one backend for documents and relationships
- +Agent memory and knowledge graphs for AI applications
- +Local-first or in-browser data with WASM
- +Realtime collaborative features
Think twice for
- −Conservative enterprises needing a decade of production track record
- −Large analytical workloads
- −Companies planning to resell it as a hosted service
Capabilities
Native or official first-party support · 17 of 25 tracked
Scale & consistency
- Comfortable data size
- Medium · ≤ 10 TB
- Horizontal scaling
- Addon
- Multi-region
- No
- Transactions
- Full ACID
- Consistency
- Strong
- Schema
- Flexible
- Architecture
- Single node, Embedded, Distributed, Client server, In memory
- Query languages
- SurrealQL, GraphQL
Single-node by default; horizontal scale comes from running compute nodes over a distributed TiKV storage cluster.
Deployment
available on · AWS · Google Cloud · Azure
Ecosystem
Alternatives to SurrealDB
Native multi-model database: documents, graphs, search and vectors behind one query language.
surrealdb vs arangodb →The default document database: flexible BSON documents, rich queries and built-in sharding.
surrealdb vs mongodb →The default property-graph database, with Cypher, a big ecosystem and a managed cloud.
surrealdb vs neo4j →The extensible, standards-first open-source relational database.
surrealdb vs postgresql →Open-source backend in one Go binary: SQLite database, auth, files, realtime and admin UI.
surrealdb vs pocketbase →Graph-relational database on Postgres with EdgeQL; the company shut down and the team joined Vercel.
surrealdb vs edgedb-gel →SurrealDB FAQ
What is SurrealDB?
SurrealDB is a document database by SurrealDB Ltd, first released in 2022. SurrealDB is a Rust database that combines document, graph (record links and RELATE edges), key-value, full-text and vector search behind SurrealQL, a SQL-like language with graph traversal syntax. The same engine runs in-memory, on disk via RocksDB or SurrealKV, in the browser through WebAssembly, or distributed on TiKV. It adds row-level permissions, so clients can connect directly. Version 3.0 (February 2026) focused on stability and AI-agent memory use cases, and 3.3.4 shipped in October 2026. It is ambitious and evolving quickly, so it is well suited to new apps that want one flexible backend, but check the BSL terms and test maturity for heavy production.
Is SurrealDB open source?
Not in the OSI sense. SurrealDB is source-available: you can read the code, but the license restricts some uses, typically offering it as a competing managed service. License: Business Source License 1.1 (converts to Apache 2.0 after 4 years).
Does SurrealDB support ACID transactions?
Yes. SurrealDB supports full ACID transactions, with strong consistency.
Does SurrealDB scale horizontally?
SurrealDB scales horizontally through an official extension, proxy or edition rather than in the core engine. It is comfortable at medium scale (≤ 10 TB).
How can I run SurrealDB?
You can self-host it, embed it in your application, use the vendor's managed cloud and run it at the edge. Managed offerings include Surreal Cloud. It is available on AWS, Google Cloud and Azure.
What is SurrealDB best for?
SurrealDB is a strong fit for greenfield apps wanting one backend for documents and relationships; agent memory and knowledge graphs for AI applications; and local-first or in-browser data with WASM. Think twice for conservative enterprises needing a decade of production track record.
What are the best alternatives to SurrealDB?
Common alternatives to SurrealDB include ArangoDB, MongoDB, Neo4j, PostgreSQL and PocketBase. The right choice depends on your workload, scale and hosting; WhichDB's smart match ranks them against your requirements.
How popular is SurrealDB?
SurrealDB ranks #94 of 844 databases on the WhichDB Score (28.8/100), and #9 among document databases. The score combines public adoption signals such as package downloads, GitHub activity, job posts and developer discussion.