What is Apache CouchDB used for?

Apache CouchDB is a document database with multi-primary replication, a JSON-over-HTTP API and an offline-first sync model that scales from servers to mobile devices. It is a good fit for offline-first mobile and web apps, syncing data between distributed sites, and simple HTTP-based document storage.

Is Apache CouchDB open source?

Yes. Apache CouchDB is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at apache/couchdb and is written mainly in Erlang.

Is Apache CouchDB free?

Yes. Apache CouchDB is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Apache CouchDB?

Yes. Apache CouchDB can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Apache CouchDB an alternative to?

Apache CouchDB is an open-source alternative to Amazon DynamoDB, Azure Cosmos DB, Couchbase Capella and Google Cloud Firestore. Other open-source alternatives to Amazon DynamoDB include MongoDB, RavenDB and Apache Cassandra.

Is Apache CouchDB actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Apache CouchDB was on 1 October 2026. The project has 7k stars on GitHub.

Apache CouchDB: open-source alternative to Amazon DynamoDB

About Apache CouchDB

Apache CouchDB is a database that stores JSON documents and is reached through an HTTP/JSON API. Its headline feature is multi-primary sync: the Couch Replication Protocol lets data flow between server clusters, mobile phones and web browsers, which supports offline-first applications that reconcile changes when connectivity returns.

It can run as a single-node database behind an application server or as a cluster, stores binary data alongside JSON, and offers a developer-friendly query language with optional MapReduce views. The protocol is implemented by a variety of projects and products across computing environments. CouchDB is written in Erlang, known for reliability, and the homepage presents the design as built for dependable operation.

Apache CouchDB is licensed under Apache-2.0 and runs on your own servers or with any cloud provider. Documentation, a technical overview and download packages are on the project site. It suits teams building apps that must keep working offline and sync later, or that want a simple, HTTP-native document store.

Key features

Multi-primary replication between nodes
JSON documents over an HTTP API
Offline-first sync to mobile and browsers
Binary attachments alongside JSON
Query language and MapReduce views
Single-node or clustered deployment

Good fit for

→Offline-first mobile and web apps
→Syncing data between distributed sites
→Simple HTTP-based document storage

Built with: Erlang; JavaScript
Tags: couchdb; document-database; nosql; replication; offline-first; erlang; http-api; json; apache

Apache CouchDB: questions and answers

What is Apache CouchDB used for?: Apache CouchDB is a document database with multi-primary replication, a JSON-over-HTTP API and an offline-first sync model that scales from servers to mobile devices. It is a good fit for offline-first mobile and web apps, syncing data between distributed sites, and simple HTTP-based document storage.
Is Apache CouchDB open source?: Yes. Apache CouchDB is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at apache/couchdb and is written mainly in Erlang.
Is Apache CouchDB free?: Yes. Apache CouchDB is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Apache CouchDB?: Yes. Apache CouchDB can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Apache CouchDB an alternative to?: Apache CouchDB is an open-source alternative to Amazon DynamoDB, Azure Cosmos DB, Couchbase Capella and Google Cloud Firestore. Other open-source alternatives to Amazon DynamoDB include MongoDB, RavenDB and Apache Cassandra.
Is Apache CouchDB actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Apache CouchDB was on 1 October 2026. The project has 7k stars on GitHub.