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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Databases
  4. Databases
  5. InfluxDB vs RethinkDB

InfluxDB vs RethinkDB

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

RethinkDB
RethinkDB
Stacks292
Followers406
Votes307
GitHub Stars27.0K
Forks1.9K
InfluxDB
InfluxDB
Stacks1.0K
Followers1.2K
Votes175

InfluxDB vs RethinkDB: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this Markdown code, we will explore the key differences between InfluxDB and RethinkDB. Both databases are popular choices for different use cases and have distinct features and functionalities. Below, we will outline six key differences between these two databases.

  1. Data Model: InfluxDB is a time series database designed specifically for handling time-stamped data and time series analysis. It provides efficient storage, retrieval, and analysis of time-based data, making it ideal for monitoring systems, IoT applications, and real-time analytics. On the other hand, RethinkDB is a distributed document-oriented database that focuses on real-time updates and scalability. It offers a flexible JSON-like data model and supports ad-hoc queries and indexing, making it well-suited for applications that require real-time data synchronization and high availability.

  2. Query Language: InfluxDB uses an SQL-like query language called InfluxQL, which is optimized for querying time series data. It includes specialized functions and operators for filtering, aggregating, and transforming time series. RethinkDB, on the other hand, uses ReQL (RethinkDB Query Language), which provides a fluent and composable API for querying and manipulating JSON-like documents. ReQL offers powerful filtering, grouping, and aggregation capabilities, making it suitable for a wide range of use cases.

  3. Replication and High Availability: InfluxDB supports high availability through clustering and replication. It offers various replication configurations, including synchronous and asynchronous replication, and supports automatic failover and data synchronization. RethinkDB, on the other hand, uses a distributed consensus algorithm called Raft to ensure data consistency and high availability across a cluster of nodes. It provides automatic replication and failover, allowing applications to seamlessly handle node failures and maintain data durability.

  4. Scaling: InfluxDB provides horizontal scalability through sharding, which allows data to be distributed across multiple nodes. It supports both auto-sharding and user-defined sharding strategies, enabling efficient distribution and load balancing of time series data. RethinkDB also supports horizontal scalability through sharding, allowing data to be divided into smaller subsets and distributed across a cluster of nodes. It automatically rebalances data and provides built-in support for distributing queries across shards.

  5. Integration and Ecosystem: InfluxDB has a wide range of integrations and a vibrant ecosystem. It provides native support for popular programming languages, such as Go, Python, and JavaScript, and offers integrations with various visualization tools, including Grafana and Chronograf. InfluxDB also integrates well with other data processing frameworks and technologies, such as Apache Kafka and Apache Spark. RethinkDB, on the other hand, has a smaller ecosystem but provides integrations with popular programming languages and frameworks, such as Node.js and Ruby.

  6. Durability: InfluxDB ensures data durability through its replication mechanisms and by leveraging data compression and compaction techniques. It provides various durability levels, allowing users to balance data durability and storage efficiency. RethinkDB also ensures data durability by automatically replicating data across multiple nodes. It provides configurable durability options, allowing users to trade off durability for performance or storage efficiency.

In summary, InfluxDB and RethinkDB differ in their data models, query languages, replication and high availability mechanisms, scaling capabilities, integration ecosystems, and durability options. These differences make them suitable for different use cases and highlight their unique strengths in handling time series data and real-time synchronization, respectively.

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Advice on RethinkDB, InfluxDB

Deepak
Deepak

Sep 6, 2021

Needs adviceonJSONJSONInfluxDBInfluxDB

Hi all, I am trying to decide on a database for time-series data. The data could be tracking some simple series like statistics over time or could be a nested JSON (multi-level nested). I have been experimenting with InfluxDB for the former case of a simple list of variables over time. The continuous queries are powerful too. But for the latter case, where InfluxDB requires to flatten out a nested JSON before saving it into the database the complexity arises. The nested JSON could be objects or a list of objects and objects under objects in which a complete flattening doesn't leave the data in a state for the queries I'm thinking.

[ 
  { "timestamp": "2021-09-06T12:51:00Z",
    "name": "Name1",
    "books": [
        { "title": "Book1", "page": 100 },
        { "title": "Book2", "page": 280 },
    ]
  },
 { "timestamp": "2021-09-06T12:52:00Z",
   "name": "Name2",
   "books": [
       { "title": "Book1", "page": 320},
       { "title": "Book2", "page": 530 },
       { "title": "Book3", "page": 150 },
   ]
 }
]

Sample query: With a time range, for name xyz, find all the book title for which # of page < 400.

If I flatten it completely, it will result in fields like books_0_title, books_0_page, books_1_title, books_1_page, ... And by losing the nested context it will be hard to return one field (title) where some condition for another field (page) satisfies.

Appreciate any suggestions. Even a piece of generic advice on handling the time-series and choosing the database is welcome!

30.5k views30.5k
Comments
Anonymous
Anonymous

Apr 21, 2020

Needs advice

We are building an IOT service with heavy write throughput and fewer reads (we need downsampling records). We prefer to have good reliability when comes to data and prefer to have data retention based on policies.

So, we are looking for what is the best underlying DB for ingesting a lot of data and do queries easily

381k views381k
Comments
T
T

Feb 24, 2022

Decided

I’m newbie I was developing a pouchdb and couchdb app cause if the sync. Lots of learning very little code available. I dropped the project cause it consumed my life. Yeats later I’m back into it. I researched other db and came across rethinkdb and mongo for the subscription features. With socketio I should be able to create and similar sync feature. Attempted to use mongo. I attempted to use rethink. Rethink for the win. Super clear l. I had it running in minutes on my local machine and I believe it’s supposed to scale easy. Mongo wasn’t as easy and there free online db is so slow what’s the point. Very easy to find mongo code examples and use rethink code in its place. I wish I went this route years ago. All that corporate google Amazon crap get bent. The reason they have so much power in the world is cause you guys are giving it to them.

79.7k views79.7k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

RethinkDB
RethinkDB
InfluxDB
InfluxDB

RethinkDB is built to store JSON documents, and scale to multiple machines with very little effort. It has a pleasant query language that supports really useful queries like table joins and group by, and is easy to setup and learn.

InfluxDB is a scalable datastore for metrics, events, and real-time analytics. It has a built-in HTTP API so you don't have to write any server side code to get up and running. InfluxDB is designed to be scalable, simple to install and manage, and fast to get data in and out.

JSON data model and immediate consistency.;Distributed joins, subqueries, aggregation, atomic updates.;Secondary, compound, and arbitrarily computed indexes.;Hadoop-style map/reduce.;Friendly web and command-line administration tools.;Takes care of machine failures and network interrupts.;Multi-datacenter replication and failover.;Sharding and replication to multiple nodes.;Queries are automatically parallelized and distributed.;Lock-free operation via MVCC concurrency.
Time-Centric Functions;Scalable Metrics; Events;Native HTTP API;Powerful Query Language;Built-in Explorer
Statistics
GitHub Stars
27.0K
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Forks
1.9K
GitHub Forks
-
Stacks
292
Stacks
1.0K
Followers
406
Followers
1.2K
Votes
307
Votes
175
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 48
    Powerful query language
  • 46
    Excellent dashboard
  • 42
    JSON
  • 41
    Distributed database
  • 38
    Open source
Pros
  • 59
    Time-series data analysis
  • 30
    Easy setup, no dependencies
  • 24
    Fast, scalable & open source
  • 21
    Open source
  • 20
    Real-time analytics
Cons
  • 4
    Instability
  • 1
    HA or Clustering is only in paid version
  • 1
    Proprietary query language
Integrations
Amazon EC2
Amazon EC2
No integrations available

What are some alternatives to RethinkDB, InfluxDB?

MongoDB

MongoDB

MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents that can vary in structure, offering a dynamic, flexible schema. MongoDB was also designed for high availability and scalability, with built-in replication and auto-sharding.

MySQL

MySQL

The MySQL software delivers a very fast, multi-threaded, multi-user, and robust SQL (Structured Query Language) database server. MySQL Server is intended for mission-critical, heavy-load production systems as well as for embedding into mass-deployed software.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an advanced object-relational database management system that supports an extended subset of the SQL standard, including transactions, foreign keys, subqueries, triggers, user-defined types and functions.

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.

SQLite

SQLite

SQLite is an embedded SQL database engine. Unlike most other SQL databases, SQLite does not have a separate server process. SQLite reads and writes directly to ordinary disk files. A complete SQL database with multiple tables, indices, triggers, and views, is contained in a single disk file.

Cassandra

Cassandra

Partitioning means that Cassandra can distribute your data across multiple machines in an application-transparent matter. Cassandra will automatically repartition as machines are added and removed from the cluster. Row store means that like relational databases, Cassandra organizes data by rows and columns. The Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is a close relative of SQL.

Memcached

Memcached

Memcached is an in-memory key-value store for small chunks of arbitrary data (strings, objects) from results of database calls, API calls, or page rendering.

MariaDB

MariaDB

Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry. MariaDB is designed as a drop-in replacement of MySQL(R) with more features, new storage engines, fewer bugs, and better performance.

ArangoDB

ArangoDB

A distributed free and open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values. Build high performance applications using a convenient SQL-like query language or JavaScript extensions.

CouchDB

CouchDB

Apache CouchDB is a database that uses JSON for documents, JavaScript for MapReduce indexes, and regular HTTP for its API. CouchDB is a database that completely embraces the web. Store your data with JSON documents. Access your documents and query your indexes with your web browser, via HTTP. Index, combine, and transform your documents with JavaScript.

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