What is Azure Cosmos DB used for?

Azure Cosmos DB is Microsoft's fully managed, globally distributed multi-model NoSQL database with serverless and vector search options. It is a good fit for low-latency apps serving users worldwide and storing embeddings next to application data.

Is Azure Cosmos DB free?

Yes. Azure Cosmos DB has a free plan.

Is Azure Cosmos DB open source?

No. Azure Cosmos DB is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Azure Cosmos DB include ArangoDB, SurrealDB and MongoDB.

What are some alternatives to Azure Cosmos DB?

Azure Cosmos DB competes with Amazon DynamoDB, MongoDB Atlas and Google Cloud Spanner. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Azure Cosmos DB alternatives.

Azure Cosmos DB: features, pricing and alternatives

About Azure Cosmos DB

Azure Cosmos DB is a fully managed NoSQL database service on Microsoft Azure. It is designed for globally distributed applications, with high availability, scalability and low latency, and it supports multiple data models and APIs so teams can choose the style that fits their application.

Microsoft's current description presents it as a serverless NoSQL vector database for modern app development, so it can store embeddings alongside operational data. Cosmos DB is a proprietary Microsoft service with no self-hosted edition, and Microsoft documents its APIs, consistency levels, regions and pricing on the Azure site.

Key features

Globally distributed NoSQL storage
Multiple data models and APIs
Serverless option with automatic scaling
Vector search for AI workloads
Managed service on Azure

Good fit for

→Low-latency apps serving users worldwide
→Storing embeddings next to application data

Tags: azure; nosql; multi-model; managed-database; vector-database; globally-distributed; dbaas

Azure Cosmos DB: questions and answers

What is Azure Cosmos DB used for?: Azure Cosmos DB is Microsoft's fully managed, globally distributed multi-model NoSQL database with serverless and vector search options. It is a good fit for low-latency apps serving users worldwide and storing embeddings next to application data.
Is Azure Cosmos DB free?: Yes. Azure Cosmos DB has a free plan.
Is Azure Cosmos DB open source?: No. Azure Cosmos DB is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Azure Cosmos DB include ArangoDB, SurrealDB and MongoDB.
What are some alternatives to Azure Cosmos DB?: Azure Cosmos DB competes with Amazon DynamoDB, MongoDB Atlas and Google Cloud Spanner. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Azure Cosmos DB alternatives.