FoundationDB

FoundationDB

FoundationDB is a distributed database designed to handle large volumes of structured data across clusters of commodity servers. It is known for its strong consistency, ACID transactions, and ability to scale horizontally. FoundationDB is particularly notable for its multi-model capabilities, allowing developers to use different data models on top of a single, unified database engine.

History

FoundationDB was founded in 2009 by Nick Lavezzo, Dave Rosenthal, and Dave Scherer. The company aimed to create a database that combined the scalability of NoSQL systems with the reliability and consistency of traditional relational databases. In 2013, FoundationDB released its first public beta.

In March 2015, Apple Inc. acquired FoundationDB, and the database was subsequently pulled from the market. However, in April 2018, Apple open-sourced FoundationDB, making it available to the public under the Apache License 2.0.

Architecture

FoundationDB is built on a layered architecture, which allows it to support multiple data models. At its core, FoundationDB is a distributed key-value store that provides ACID transactions. On top of this core, various layers can be implemented to support different data models, such as document, graph, or relational models.

Key Features

• ACID Transactions: FoundationDB provides full ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) transactions, ensuring that all operations are completed reliably and consistently.
• Horizontal Scalability: The database is designed to scale out by adding more servers to the cluster, allowing it to handle increased loads and larger datasets.
• Fault Tolerance: FoundationDB is designed to be fault-tolerant, with automatic data replication and failover mechanisms.
• Multi-Model Support: Through its layered architecture, FoundationDB can support various data models, making it versatile for different application needs.

Use Cases

FoundationDB is suitable for a wide range of applications, particularly those requiring strong consistency and scalability. Common use cases include:

• Real-time analytics
• Financial services
• Large-scale web applications
• IoT data management

Community and Development

Since being open-sourced, FoundationDB has developed an active community of contributors and users. The project is hosted on GitHub, where developers can contribute to its ongoing development and improvement.

See Also

• NoSQL
• Distributed database
• ACID
• Apache License 2.0

External Links

• Official FoundationDB Website
• FoundationDB on GitHub