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Apache AsterixDB
Apache AsterixDB · founded 2009
What it is
Apache AsterixDB is a free, open-source Big Data Management System for ingesting, storing, indexing, querying, and analyzing data. Its Asterix Data Model extends JSON with object-database concepts, while SQL++ and AQL provide declarative ways to query semistructured information. Storage uses partitioned LSM-based native structures and supports B+ tree, R-tree, and inverted keyword secondary indexes. External datasets can be queried without loading everything into AsterixDB, using adapters for HDFS and local filesystems. Continuous feeds can ingest sources including Twitter, RSS, and socket connections. The HTTP query API accepts SQL++ and supports immediate, deferred, or asynchronous results. AsterixDB is self-hosted, with installation options through NCService, Ansible, and Amazon Web Services. Its Hyracks parallel runtime has been scale-tested on more than 1000 cores and 500 disks. Documentation describes basic transactional concurrency and recovery, and identifies web data warehousing and social data storage and analysis as suitable uses.
For and against
For
- Free and open source
- Queries external data without full loading
- Continuous ingestion adapters for several sources
- Multiple secondary index types
- HTTP API supports asynchronous results
Against
- Self-hosted deployment required
- No managed service is listed
- Operational setup uses deployment tooling
- Documentation describes basic transactional capabilities
The verdict
AsterixDB combines semistructured data modeling, query APIs, external-data access, streaming feeds, and distributed storage. It is most appropriate when your team wants an open-source, self-managed platform.
Who it suits
It suits teams building self-managed systems for semistructured, web, or social data. Users should be comfortable deploying and operating infrastructure on supported environments.
Plans and prices
Apache AsterixDB
Open source Big Data Management System · self-managed cluster
Read 9 Oct 2026 · asterixdb.apache.org
On the record
- Audience
- The documentation says AsterixDB is well suited to web data warehousing and social data storage and analysis.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- AWS requirements
- The AWS installation instructions list Linux and macOS as supported client operating systems and Linux for AWS instances.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Data model
- Its semistructured Asterix Data Model extends JSON with object database ideas.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- The documentation provides installation options using NCService, Ansible, and Amazon Web Services.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- External data
- External datasets can be queried without loading all data into AsterixDB, with built-in adapters for HDFS and local filesystems.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- HTTP API
- The HTTP query API accepts SQL++ statements and supports immediate, deferred, and asynchronous result delivery.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Apache AsterixDB is a scalable, open source Big Data Management System for ingesting, storing, indexing, querying, and analyzing data.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Query languages
- The documentation describes SQL++ and AQL as declarative query languages for semistructured data.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Scale
- The project documentation says its Hyracks parallel runtime query engine has been scale-tested on up to 1000+ cores and 500+ disks.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Storage and indexes
- AsterixDB uses partitioned LSM-based native storage and supports B+ tree, R-tree, and inverted keyword secondary indexes.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Streaming ingestion
- Data feeds can continuously ingest external data, and built-in adapters include Twitter, RSS, and socket sources.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The project directs users to its users mailing list for AsterixDB questions and also lists an IRC channel where developers may be contacted.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
- Transactions
- The documentation describes basic transactional concurrency and recovery capabilities akin to those of a NoSQL store.asterixdb.apache.org · read 9 Oct 2026
