Clickhouse vs YugabyteDB: What are the differences?

Key Differences between ClickHouse and YugabyteDB

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the key differences between ClickHouse and YugabyteDB, two popular database management systems.

1. Architecture: ClickHouse is a columnar database designed for analytical workloads, while YugabyteDB is a distributed SQL database that supports both analytical and transactional workloads. ClickHouse's architecture focuses on high-performance analytics with a focus on read-heavy workloads, whereas YugabyteDB's architecture is designed for global data distribution and high availability across multiple regions.

2. Data Model: ClickHouse follows a table-based data model, where data is organized into tables and columns. It supports structured and semi-structured data formats, such as JSON and XML. On the other hand, YugabyteDB uses a distributed key-value store with support for structured and relational data. It offers a flexible schema design with support for JSON and other data formats.

3. Consistency Model: ClickHouse sacrifices some level of consistency for high performance. It follows an eventually consistent model, where data replication and synchronization may take some time. YugabyteDB, on the other hand, provides strong consistency guarantees by default. It ensures that all read and write operations are immediately consistent across all replicas.

4. Scaling: ClickHouse offers horizontal scaling by splitting data across multiple shards and replicas. It supports automatic data distribution and replication for high availability. YugabyteDB also provides horizontal scaling by distributing data across multiple nodes and regions. It leverages distributed consensus protocols to ensure fault tolerance and scalability.

5. SQL Compatibility: ClickHouse supports a subset of SQL with some proprietary extensions. It provides a wide range of analytical functions and SQL constructs suitable for analytical workloads. YugabyteDB, on the other hand, aims to provide full SQL compatibility and supports features like distributed transactions, secondary indexes, and joins, making it suitable for both analytical and OLTP workloads.

6. Ecosystem Integration: ClickHouse has a mature ecosystem with various connectors and integrations with popular tools like Apache Kafka, Apache Spark, and more. It also provides built-in support for data ingestion and export in various formats. YugabyteDB is compatible with PostgreSQL, enabling easy integration with existing PostgreSQL tools, applications, and libraries. It also offers native integrations with popular databases like Elasticsearch and Apache Cassandra.

In summary, ClickHouse is a columnar analytics database with a strong focus on high-performance analytical workloads, while YugabyteDB is a distributed SQL database that supports both analytical and transactional workloads with strong consistency guarantees and PostgreSQL compatibility.