Apache HBase vs ScyllaDB Manager
Apache HBase
hbase.apache.orgScyllaDB Manager
manager.docs.scylladb.comSide by side
| Figure | Apache HBase | ScyllaDB Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Wide-Column Databases | 8.7 (#2) | 6.9 (#12) |
| Spec score · NoSQL Databases | 8.6 (#9) | 6.9 (#28) |
| Encryption | The documentation describes transparent encryption for HFiles and the write-ahead log on the underlying filesystem. | The Manager Agent communicates over HTTPS and supports configurable TLS versions and cipher suites. |
| Support | The HBase project team assumes no responsibility for users' clusters, configuration, or data; commercial technical support is provided by Hadoop vendors. | The documentation directs users with questions or problems to the ScyllaDB Manager Slack channel. |
| System requirements | The current compatibility table marks HBase 2.6 as compatible with JDK 8, 11, 17 and JDK 21 from version 2.6.8 onward; unlisted combinations are treated as unsupported. | A minimal Manager server can run with 2 cores and 1GB RAM, while the recommended configuration is 2 vCPUs and 8GB or more of DRAM. |
Plans
In their own words
Apache HBase
Apache HBase is a distributed data store for applications that need random, real-time reads and writes with strict consistency. It runs on Hadoop and HDFS, with automatic failover and sharding, and is designed to scale across commodity clusters. The project describes hosting tables with billions of rows and millions of columns. Clients can connect through a Java API or REST and Thrift gateways. Highlighted workloads include time-series and metrics, IoT telemetry, ad tech and personalization, message and audit logs, security analytics, and genomics and research. HBase is free and self-hosted, with Linux and API platforms listed; version 3.0.0 is listed as a release artifact. Operators must configure authentication and authorization because the default configuration does not enable them. Security guidance covers Kerberos, SASL, access control lists, visibility labels, and optional TLS, and recommends keeping services within a trusted network perimeter rather than exposing them to the public internet. Operating a distributed deployment requires systems, software, and networking skills.
ScyllaDB Manager
ScyllaDB Manager is a free, open-source, self-hosted tool for automating operations on ScyllaDB clusters. It schedules backups, repairs, and cluster-status checks, and can coordinate tasks across multiple clusters. The system includes a Manager Server daemon with a REST API, the sctool command-line client, and an Agent daemon on every ScyllaDB node. The Server stores its data in a local or external ScyllaDB cluster. A monitoring dashboard is included, while ScyllaDB Monitoring Stack can add metrics and alerts. Documented backup destinations include Amazon S3, compatible S3 storage, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, and local storage. Agents communicate over HTTPS with configurable TLS settings. Installation guidance covers Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and 9, Debian 11 and 12, and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04. A minimal server needs 2 cores and 1GB RAM; the recommended setup is 2 vCPUs and at least 8GB DRAM.