CouchDB vs CouchBase: Differences and Similarities between CouchDB and CouchBase

CouchDB vs CouchBase: Differences and Similarities between CouchDB and CouchBase

Apache CouchDB and CouchBase, both are Free, Open Source, NoSQL document databases using JSON as their document format. Apache CouchDB and CouchBase have a lot of similarities and differences. Basically CouchBase is made up by combining the features of CouchDB and MemBase databases. CouchDB's document-oriented data model, indexing and querying capabilities are combined with MemBase's distributed key-value data model, high performance, easily scalable, always-on capabilities are combined to form CouchBase. 

In short, we can say:

CouchBase = CouchDB + MemBase

But, CouchBase is not a new version of CouchDB but it is in fact a new version of MemBase. CouchBase Server is actually a new name for the MemBase Server. CouchBase is not a drop-in replacement for CouchDB but is a drop-in replacement for Memcached.  CouchBase still uses the Memcached protocol and not the RESTful API of CouchDB. Meanwhile CouchDB is still CouchDB, actively maintained and enhanced as an Apache project. Also, CouchDB is not obsoleted by the CouchBase. CouchDB is an actively maintained open-source project and CouchBase is a completely separate project. 

Similarities between CouchDB and CouchBase

1. CouchDB and CouchBase, both are NoSQL document databases using JSON as their document format. 

2. Both CouchDB and CouchBase use the same approach to indexing and querying.

3. Both CouchDB and CouchBase use the same replication system except peer to peer replication.

Although CouchBase has been developed by combining the exciting features of CouchDB and MemBase, both CouchDB and CouchBase have a lot of differences with respect to their clustering, caching and licensing systems.

Differences between CouchDB and CouchBase

1. Clustering System

CouchBase has a built-in clustering system that allows data to be automatically spread across multiple nodes. Apache CouchDB, on the other hand, is a single node solution with peer-to-peer replication technology and is better suited for decentralized systems and for holding data amounts that do not need to be spread out across multiple nodes.

2. Caching System

CouchBase - like MemBase - has a built-in, Memcached-based caching technology that consistently provides sub millisecond read/write performance and is capable of hundreds of thousands of ops per second per node. Apache CouchDB is a disk-based database that usually is better suited for use cases where super low latency or high throughput is not a requirement. 

3. Licensing System

The CouchBase is not entirely open-source/free software. There are two versions: Community Edition (free but no latest bug fixes) and Enterprise Edition (there are restrictions on usage, confidentiality provisions, audits by CouchBase Inc. and other terms typical to proprietary software that many people may find unacceptable).

CouchDB is an open-source/free software (no strings attached) project of The Apache Software Foundation and is released under the Apache License, Version 2.0.

4. Other Differences

CouchBase does not support following features of CouchDB:

A) RESTful API (only for views, not for CRUD operations)

B) Peer-to-peer replication

C) CouchApps

D) Futon (there is a different administration interface available)

E) Document IDs

F) Notion of databases (there are only buckets)

G) Replication between a CouchDB database and CouchBase Server

H) Explicit attachments (you have to store additional files as new key/value pairs)

I) HTTP API for everything is not available in CouchBase unlike CouchDB (you need to use the Couchbase Server SDKs or one of the Experimental Client Libraries at Couchbase Develop so no experiments with curl and wget)

J) CouchDB API (it uses the Memcached API instead)

K) You can't do everything from the browser in CouchBase unlike CouchDB (you have to write a server-side application)

L) No two-tier architecture for Web apps is possible in CouchBase unlike CouchDB(you have to write a server-side application to sit between the browser and the database, like with relational databases)

M) Leventual consistency