Open-source MarkLogic alternatives

SurrealDB is a Rust-based multi-model database that brings several data models into one engine: key-value, document, graph, relational, time-series and geospatial data. Search and retrieval options include full-text, vector and hybrid, and it adds real-time and event-driven capabilities, queried through its SQL-like language, SurrealQL.

Because it supports end-user authentication, SurrealDB can also act as a backend-as-a-service, reducing the amount of server-side code an app needs. It ships as a single Rust binary that can run embedded inside an application, in the browser via WebAssembly, at the edge, as a self-hosted single node, or as a distributed cluster in the cloud. Typical workloads include data-intensive systems that need several data types, storage for AI agents, knowledge graphs, live applications such as recommenders and fraud detection, and embedded or edge deployments.

The repository license is listed as 'Other' on GitHub, so confirm the terms before commercial use. SurrealDB also offers cloud-hosted database service, and topics tag it as a serverless, realtime database for the web.

ArangoDB is a multi-model database that stores documents, graphs and key-value data in a single engine. Instead of running separate systems for each data model, applications query connected data through one SQL-like language, with JavaScript extensions available for custom logic.

Every node in a graph is a JSON document, so existing document data can be imported and relationships can be queried across multiple levels of joins. ArangoSearch, an integrated search engine, adds text search and ranking. For scale and resilience the database can shard data horizontally across machines and replicate it to cluster nodes with automatic failover.

ArangoDB can be installed from a download or started in Docker, and runs on-premises or in any cloud. The Arango Managed Platform (AMP) creates deployments on major cloud providers and can be tried for free. A free Community Edition and a commercial Enterprise Edition without a dataset size limit are offered; the repository lists its license simply as Other, so check the terms before production use.

OrientDB is an open-source multi-model NoSQL database management system written in Java. It brings native graph, document, full-text search, reactive, geospatial and object-oriented concepts into one product, so one engine can serve several data shapes rather than needing separate databases for each.

Instead of expensive run-time joins, connections between records are stored as persistent pointers, which lets traversals cover thousands of records quickly. It supports schema-less, schema-full and mixed modes, has a security model based on users, roles and predicates, and offers SQL among its query languages so people with relational skills can adopt it easily. It can run distributed with a multi-master setup and supports ACID transactions, full-text indexing and reactive queries.

OrientDB is licensed under Apache-2.0 and is self-hosted on your own servers, either as a single node or distributed across several. It suits teams who want graph and document capabilities in one JVM-based database without running two separate systems.

RavenDB is a NoSQL document database that is fully ACID and secure by default. Its makers, frustrated with the state of the database industry, aim to combine strong performance with ease of use so developers can concentrate on their application instead of managing data infrastructure. It is built on .NET.

Repository topics list full-text search, indexing, sharding, spatial queries, time series, vector search and IoT use, and the README links to documentation, articles, a book and a try-from-your-browser option. It describes itself as completely open source under AGPLv3 and mentions a free developer license, while GitHub reports the license as 'Other', so confirm the terms for production use.

RavenDB can be run on your own servers or consumed as a managed cloud service from the vendor, which also sells commercial licenses. It suits .NET teams that want a document store with transactions, indexing and search built in.

ArcadeDB is a multi-model database management system created by Luca Garulli, the founder of OrientDB, and described as a conceptual fork of it. It stores graph, document, key-value and time-series data in one engine, and supports ACID transactions, structured and unstructured data, a native graph engine that uses links rather than joins, full-text indexing and geospatial queries.

It can be queried in several ways: SQL, Cypher, Gremlin, HTTP and JSON, and it offers compatibility with MongoDB and Redis protocols. It also supports vector embeddings for similarity search, which its topics tie to vector database use. The engine is written in low-level Java 21 or newer to reduce garbage collection pressure, and it can run from a Raspberry Pi to multiple servers, embedded in an application, or in Docker and Kubernetes.

ArcadeDB is licensed under Apache-2.0 and is self-hosted on your own hardware or cloud. It reuses a modified version of OrientDB's SQL engine. It suits developers who want one database for connected data, documents and vectors rather than running separate graph and document stores.