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ActorDB
What it is
ActorDB is Biokoda's open-source distributed relational SQL database, organizing data into independent actors or small chunks. SQLite handles SQL queries and LMDB provides storage. Clients can connect through the MySQL protocol or Thrift, with the FAQ recommending Thrift, and default MySQL drivers are supported. ActorDB uses Raft for distributed consensus and write replication, and its maker describes it as strongly consistent. Transactions may span multiple actors and are described as ACID compliant. The system can also act as a sharded key-value store with structured values, multiple columns, and foreign tables. Biokoda says data spread across actors can scale horizontally across hundreds of nodes and petabytes. If a server goes offline, a follower can become leader for an actor while writes continue with a cluster majority online. The FAQ recommends one-, three-, or five-node clusters; one node has no redundancy. ActorDB is self-hosted, supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and API access, and version 0.10.29 is the latest stable release shown.
For and against
For
- Open source under MPL 2.0
- Raft consensus and write replication
- ACID transactions can span actors
- MySQL protocol and Thrift connections
- Horizontal scaling across actors
Against
- Map/reduce is currently unavailable
- Single-node clusters have no redundancy
- Latest stable release shown is from 2019
The verdict
ActorDB combines actor-oriented partitioning with distributed SQL, key-value storage, and failover behavior. It offers broad deployment choices, but the documented release age and missing map/reduce should be considered before adoption.
Who it suits
ActorDB suits teams building self-hosted distributed SQL or sharded key-value systems. Its documented file-synchronization use case and MySQL compatibility may help applications needing those connection options.
On the record
- Architecture
- ActorDB uses the Raft distributed consensus algorithm and splits data into small independent chunks inspired by the actor model.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Availability
- The maker says ActorDB has no single point of failure and that a follower can become an actor's leader when a server goes offline.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Cluster sizing
- The FAQ recommends odd cluster sizes of 1, 3, or 5 nodes; a single-node cluster has no redundancy.actordb.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Connections
- ActorDB accepts connections over the MySQL protocol and Thrift, and works with default MySQL drivers.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Consistency
- The maker describes ActorDB as strongly consistent, rather than eventually consistent.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Database engine
- The documentation says ActorDB uses SQLite for SQL queries and LMDB for storage.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Failover
- If a server goes offline, a follower can become leader for an actor; writes succeed while a cluster majority remains online.actordb.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Interfaces
- Clients can connect through the MySQL protocol or Thrift, and the FAQ recommends Thrift.actordb.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Key/value
- ActorDB can also provide a sharded key/value store with structured values that may contain multiple columns and foreign tables.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- License
- ActorDB is an open source project licensed under Mozilla Public License 2.0.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Maker
- The product site identifies Biokoda as ActorDB's maker.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Notable limit
- The documentation cautions against putting many gigabytes of data inside a single actor and recommends spreading data across actors.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Product
- ActorDB is a distributed relational SQL database.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Release
- The downloads page identifies version 0.10.29, dated 1 October 2019, as the latest stable release.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Scaling
- The maker says ActorDB can scale horizontally to hundreds of nodes and petabytes of data.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Suggested use case
- The documentation presents file synchronization applications as a suitable use case.actordb.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Supported releases
- The downloads page lists Windows, Mac OS X, CentOS, and Ubuntu distributions, with version 0.10.29 dated 1 October 2019 as the latest stable release shown.actordb.com · read 4 Oct 2026
- Transactions
- Transactions affect only the actors that participate in them, and the product supports ACID transactions across multiple actors.actordb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
