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ActorDB

actordb.com

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Spec score 7.8 #13 of 25 in Distributed SQL Databases

What it is

ActorDB is an open-source distributed relational SQL database from Biokoda that organizes data into independent actors. SQLite handles SQL queries and LMDB provides storage. Applications connect through the MySQL protocol or Thrift, and the FAQ recommends Thrift; default MySQL drivers also work. ActorDB uses Raft for distributed consensus and write replication, and describes itself as strongly consistent. Transactions can span multiple actors and are described as ACID compliant. It can also provide a sharded key-value store with structured values, multiple columns, and foreign tables. The maker says horizontal scaling can reach hundreds of nodes and petabytes when data is spread across actors. If a server fails, a follower can lead an actor while a cluster majority remains online. Recommended cluster sizes are 1, 3, or 5 nodes. Supported downloads include Windows, Mac OS X, CentOS, and Ubuntu, with version 0.10.29 dated 1 October 2019 shown as the latest stable release.

Spec sheet

Product
ActorDB is a distributed relational SQL database.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Platforms
The downloads page lists distributions for Windows, Mac OS X, CentOS, and Ubuntu.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
License
ActorDB is an open source project licensed under Mozilla Public License 2.0.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Maker
The product site identifies Biokoda as ActorDB's maker.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Architecture
ActorDB uses the Raft distributed consensus algorithm and splits data into small independent chunks inspired by the actor model.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Availability
The maker says ActorDB has no single point of failure and that a follower can become an actor's leader when a server goes offline.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Cluster sizing
The FAQ recommends odd cluster sizes of 1, 3, or 5 nodes; a single-node cluster has no redundancy.Read 4 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Connections
ActorDB accepts connections over the MySQL protocol and Thrift, and works with default MySQL drivers.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Consistency
The maker describes ActorDB as strongly consistent, rather than eventually consistent.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Database engine
The documentation says ActorDB uses SQLite for SQL queries and LMDB for storage.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Failover
If a server goes offline, a follower can become leader for an actor; writes succeed while a cluster majority remains online.Read 4 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Interfaces
Clients can connect through the MySQL protocol or Thrift, and the FAQ recommends Thrift.Read 4 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Key/value
ActorDB can also provide a sharded key/value store with structured values that may contain multiple columns and foreign tables.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Notable limit
The documentation cautions against putting many gigabytes of data inside a single actor and recommends spreading data across actors.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Release
The downloads page identifies version 0.10.29, dated 1 October 2019, as the latest stable release.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Scaling
The maker says ActorDB can scale horizontally to hundreds of nodes and petabytes of data.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Suggested use case
The documentation presents file synchronization applications as a suitable use case.Read 4 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Supported releases
The downloads page lists Windows, Mac OS X, CentOS, and Ubuntu distributions, with version 0.10.29 dated 1 October 2019 as the latest stable release shown.Read 4 Oct 2026 · actordb.com
Transactions
Transactions affect only the actors that participate in them, and the product supports ACID transactions across multiple actors.Read 7 Oct 2026 · actordb.com

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Open source under MPL 2.0
  • Raft consensus and write replication
  • ACID transactions across actors
  • MySQL protocol compatibility
  • Horizontal scaling across actors

Limits

  • Latest listed stable release dates to 2019
  • Map/reduce is unavailable
  • Single-node clusters have no redundancy
  • Requires self-hosted deployment

Who it suits

ActorDB suits self-hosted teams needing distributed SQL, actor-based partitioning, or a sharded key-value store. File synchronization is presented as a suitable use case.

Verdict

ActorDB offers distributed SQL and key-value capabilities with Raft-based failover and MySQL connectivity. Its older listed release and absent map/reduce support deserve review before adoption.

Where Specifiction places it

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