LinDB

LinDB is a free, open-source distributed time-series database for monitoring IoT and IT operations metrics across IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and application layers. Its schema-free model organizes data as metrics, tags, and fields. Users can insert and query data through client libraries and an HTTP REST API, while LinQL provides SQL-like syntax. Documented ingestion options include FlatBuffers, Protocol Buffers, and InfluxDB protocols. LinDB separates computation from storage, identifies ETCD as its only external dependency, and supports standalone or cluster deployment. It offers replicas, horizontal scaling, and operation across multiple IDCs, with automatic minute, hour, and day rollups. The product page says a single server could support more than one million write transactions per second. Guides cover Linux, Windows, and macOS deployment, with a Docker guide for Linux. LinDB currently handles numeric time-series data with accuracy up to the second; its documentation says it is not suitable for text records or finer time precision. The project is open source under Apache 2.0.

LinDB provides a self-hostable, scalable database for numeric monitoring metrics, with multiple ingestion and query options. Its second-level time precision and numeric-only data support are important constraints to check before adoption.

LinDB suits teams building IoT or IT operations monitoring systems that need to store and analyze numeric time-series metrics. It is not suited to text records or requirements for finer than second-level time accuracy.

LinDB is an open-source database for monitoring metrics from infrastructure, applications, and IoT systems. It suits teams prepared to run their own database and ETCD, especially when scaling across data centers matters. Its numeric-only data model and second-level timestamp precision are decisive limits.

Overview

LinDB organizes monitoring data as metrics, tags, and fields in a schema-free multidimensional model. That approach fits teams collecting varied operational metrics without wanting to define a fixed schema first. The maker says a single server could support more than one million write transactions per second, a stated capacity that does not establish performance for every workload.

Computation and storage are separated, and ETCD is LinDB’s only external dependency. That keeps the dependency set focused, but self-hosting still means operating ETCD alongside the database.

Key features

• Scaling and availability: Horizontal scaling, multiple replicas, and operation across multiple IDCs support growing or geographically distributed monitoring deployments. LinDB is described as able to continue with one replica alive, which can help keep monitoring running through replica loss.
• Multi-IDC operation: Writes can go to either IDC, with queries and aggregation across IDCs. This is useful when monitoring data is spread across data centers and needs a combined view.
• Automatic rollups: Minute-, hour-, and day-level rollups are supported automatically after database creation, reducing the need to set up those aggregation intervals separately.
• Ingestion and querying: Client libraries, an HTTP REST API, and an HTTP endpoint accepting InfluxDB Line Protocol provide several ways to insert data. Documented ingestion protocols also include FlatBuffers and Protocol Buffers; Go and Java client libraries are available, with contributions invited for other languages. LinQL uses SQL-like syntax for querying and cluster or database operations.
• Data constraints: LinDB records numeric time-series data with precision up to the second. It is a poor fit for text records or workloads requiring finer time accuracy, so teams with either requirement should look elsewhere.
• Security and support: The introduction identifies self-governance and defensive capability against malicious users as features. GitHub channels handle feature requests, bug reports, and questions.

Pricing

LinDB is open source under Apache 2.0, with its LinDB plan priced as free. It is the straightforward choice for teams able to host and operate the software themselves; there is no free trial because the software is free. No paid tier is given, so there is no stated hosted-service option to trade operational work for.

Platforms

LinDB supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows. Deployment documentation covers standalone and cluster modes, with installation as a binary and ETCD as the external dependency; a Docker deployment guide is provided for Linux.

Who it's for

LinDB is aimed at IT operations monitoring and IoT, including metrics from IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, and application layers. It is best for operators who need horizontal growth, replicas, or multi-IDC queries and can accept numeric-only records at second-level precision. It is not the right choice for text-heavy data or sub-second time-series workloads.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Horizontal scaling, replicas, and cross-IDC writes, queries, and aggregation support distributed monitoring deployments.
• Pro: Automatic minute, hour, and day rollups offer useful aggregation intervals without separate rollup setup.
• Pro: Apache 2.0 open-source availability avoids a software license charge for self-hosting.
• Con: Numeric-only support and second-level precision exclude text records and finer-grained timing needs.
• Con: Self-hosting with ETCD as a required external dependency puts deployment and operations on the adopting team.

Alternatives

Consider GreptimeDB if you want a freemium option with a free plan and a published managed enterprise plan at $290 a month. InfluxDB is another freemium option with a free plan and a pay-for-what-you-use Cloud Serverless Data In plan at no cost; it also offers a single-node InfluxDB 3 Core plan with no listed price. Amazon Timestream is a paid option for API and web platforms, with on-demand pricing based on usage and no minimum fees or upfront commitments.

DolphinDB offers a free Community Edition with a perpetual license, up to two nodes, and limits of two CPU cores and 8 GB RAM per node. Grafana k6 has a free Linux plan capped at 500 virtual user hours per month, plus a Pro plan at $19 a month. QuestDB offers a free, self-managed, single-instance Apache 2.0 open-source core with community support. TDengine has a free tier and an open-source TSDB-OSS with clustering under the AGPL license. VictoriaMetrics offers free open-source single-node and cluster versions.

Verdict

Choose LinDB if you need a self-hostable, horizontally scalable metrics database with multi-IDC operation and can work within its numeric-only, second-precision model. Its strongest case is combining distributed monitoring features with an Apache 2.0 license; look elsewhere if your records are textual or your timestamps need finer precision.