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FiloDB
What it is
FiloDB is a free, open-source distributed database for real-time time-series, event, and operational data. It runs as self-hosted cluster processes on Linux, macOS, and through APIs. The system is designed to ingest and query many millions of time series, distributing data across processes for distributed querying. Columnar compression and off-heap memory management support in-memory storage while reducing garbage collection. PromQL is available through an HTTP API and command-line interface, with the README describing support as about 60 percent. Histograms are stored as a first-class column type, which the project says can improve compression and query speeds by up to two orders of magnitude. Real-time ingestion commonly uses Apache Kafka, while the Gateway accepts Influx Line Protocol over TCP. Grafana can use its Prometheus-compatible API, and Cassandra is identified as the persistence store. SQL is not supported.
For and against
For
- Free, open-source Apache-2.0 database
- Handles many millions of time series
- PromQL available through HTTP API and CLI
- Supports Kafka and Influx Line Protocol ingestion
- Includes retention policies and horizontal scaling
Against
- PromQL support is described as about 60%
- SQL support is not included
- Gateway is labeled experimental
- Build requires several infrastructure prerequisites
The verdict
FiloDB targets distributed, real-time time-series and event workloads with PromQL access and self-managed deployment. Its documented anti-use-cases include heavily transactional updates and OLAP or analytics.
Who it suits
It suits teams needing a self-managed time-series system with PromQL, Kafka or Influx ingestion, retention policies, and horizontal scaling. Documented uses include operational metrics, distributed tracing, application-metric debugging, and real-time event storage.
Plans and prices
FiloDB
Open-source database · Self-managed deployment
Read 10 Oct 2026 · github.com
On the record
- Deployment
- FiloDB is deployed as standalone processes in a cluster and requires Java, Cassandra, Kafka, Rust, and a C compiler to build; SBT is also listed as a build prerequisite.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Gateway
- The Gateway accepts metrics over TCP and currently supports Influx Line Protocol; its only tested setup uses Telegraf with a Prometheus endpoint source.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Histograms
- It stores histograms as a first-class column type and says this can improve compression and query speeds by up to two orders of magnitude.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Ingestion
- Its usual real-time ingestion setup consumes directly from Apache Kafka, with cluster processes coordinated using Akka Cluster.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The README describes using FiloDB as a Grafana data source through its Prometheus-compatible HTTP API and identifies Cassandra as its persistence store.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository identifies Apache-2.0 as its license.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Maturity
- The README labels FiloDB Standalone stable and tested at scale, Gateway experimental, Cassandra and Kafka stable, and Spark deprecated.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Not for
- The project lists heavily transactional update-oriented workflows and OLAP or analytics as anti-use-cases.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Product
- FiloDB is an open-source distributed, real-time, in-memory time-series, event, and operational database with Prometheus query support.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Querying
- FiloDB supports PromQL through an HTTP API and CLI, and the README says its PromQL support is about 60%.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Scale
- It is designed to ingest and query many millions of time series, with data sharded across processes and distributed querying built in.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Storage
- Columnar compression and off-heap memory management help it store substantial data in memory while reducing garbage collection.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Support
- The repository invites contributions; it does not state a paid support plan on the README page.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
- Use cases
- Documented uses include operational metrics, distributed tracing storage, ad-hoc application-metric debugging, and real-time event storage and querying.github.com · read 10 Oct 2026
