CouchDB vs MongoDB
| Feature | CouchDB | MongoDB |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Databases | Databases |
| Sub-category | Document | Document |
| Maturity | mature | mature |
| Complexity | beginner | beginner |
| Performance tier | medium | medium |
| License | Apache-2.0 | SSPL |
| License type | permissive | source-available |
| Pricing | fully free | fully free |
| GitHub stars | 6.0K | 27.0K |
| Contributors | 200 | 1.0K |
| Commit frequency | weekly | weekly |
| Plugin ecosystem | none | none |
| Docs quality | good | good |
| Backing org | Apache Foundation | MongoDB Inc |
| Funding model | foundation | open_core |
| Min RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Min CPU cores | 1 | 2 |
| Scaling pattern | horizontal | horizontal |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| K8s native | No | No |
| Offline capable | Yes | Yes |
| Vendor lock-in | none | none |
| Languages | Erlang | C++ |
| API type | REST | REST |
| Protocols | HTTP | HTTP |
| Deployment | docker, apt, binary | docker, apt, binary |
| SDK languages | — | — |
| Team size fit | solo, small, medium, enterprise | solo, small, medium, enterprise |
| First release | 2020 | 2020 |
| Latest version | — | — |
When to use CouchDB
- ✓ Primary: offline-first-apps
- ✓ Primary: mobile-data-sync
- ✓ Primary: distributed-web-apps
When to use MongoDB
- ✓ Primary use: content-management
- ✓ Primary use: catalog-storage
- ✓ Primary use: real-time-analytics
CouchDB anti-patterns
- ✕ Limited query capabilities vs MongoDB
- ✕ MapReduce can be slow
- ✕ Smaller ecosystem than MongoDB