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About Apache IoTDB
Apache IoTDB is a time-series database designed specifically for IoT and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) scenarios. Developed by the Apache Software Foundation, IoTDB features a tree-based data model optimized for hierarchical IoT device structures. It provides high write throughput, efficient compression, and rich query semantics for time-series data. IoTDB supports both standalone and distributed deployments, with native edge-cloud synchronization capabilities. It's particularly well-suited for industrial scenarios with massive sensor data, offering specialized features like out-of-order data handling and multi-level storage.
GreptimeDB vs. Apache IoTDB
| Feature/Aspect | GreptimeDB | Apache IoTDB |
|---|---|---|
| Data Model | Unified Observability Database | IoT-specific Time-Series Database |
| Value Model | Multi-Value (supports complex data structures) | Multi-Value (device-centric model) |
| Multi-model Support | Metrics, Logs & Traces in one database | Time-series metrics only |
| Query Languages | SQL & PromQL (dual interface) | IoTDB SQL (specialized for time-series) |
| Ingestion Protocols | SQL gRPC InfluxDB Line Protocol Prometheus Remote Storage OpenTelemetry Loki Push API Elasticsearch Bulk API HTTP API | IoTDB Protocol MQTT REST API CSV import |
| Data Retention | Flexible TTL policies with tiered storage | TTL-based automatic data deletion |
| Continuous Aggregation | Built-in SQL aggregation, Pipeline ETL engine & Flow streaming computation | Continuous queries and downsampling |
| Deployment Complexity | Single system deployment | Single node or cluster deployment |
| Use Cases | Unified observability, real-time analytics, IoT monitoring, edge computing | Industrial IoT, smart cities, connected vehicles, sensor networks |
| Architecture | Cloud-native distributed with compute-storage separation | Hierarchical architecture optimized for IoT device trees |
| Storage Format | Apache Parquet (columnar, compressed) | TsFile (custom time-series format) |
| Storage Scalability | Object storage integration with unlimited capacity | Local storage with multi-level tiering |
| High Availability | Native clustering with automatic failover | Master-slave replication with manual failover |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Apache 2.0 |
| Written Language | Rust (memory safety, performance) | Java (ecosystem compatibility) |
| Deployment Options | Single-node, cluster, Kubernetes-native, edge-to-cloud with unified API | Standalone, cluster, edge nodes with sync |
| Operational Complexity | Single unified system with simplified Kubernetes operations | Moderate complexity for IoT-specific deployments |
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