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About TimescaleDB
TimescaleDB is a specialized time-series database built as an extension to PostgreSQL, combining the reliability and SQL compatibility of PostgreSQL with optimizations for time-series workloads. Developed by Timescale, it uses hypertables to automatically partition data across time and space dimensions, enabling efficient storage and querying of time-series data. TimescaleDB maintains full SQL compatibility while providing time-series specific functions, continuous aggregates, and data retention policies. It's particularly popular for IoT applications, financial data analysis, and infrastructure monitoring where PostgreSQL compatibility is essential.
GreptimeDB vs. TimescaleDB
| Feature/Aspect | GreptimeDB | TimescaleDB |
|---|---|---|
| Data Model | Unified Observability Database | PostgreSQL-based Time-Series Database |
| Value Model | Multi-Value (supports complex data structures) | Multi-Value (relational model with time-series optimization) |
| Multi-model Support | Metrics, Logs & Traces in one database | Time-series data only (requires separate systems for logs/traces) |
| Ingestion Protocols | SQL gRPC InfluxDB Line Protocol Prometheus Remote Storage OpenTelemetry HTTP API | SQL PostgreSQL protocol COPY commands Various connectors |
| Query Languages | SQL & PromQL (dual interface) | SQL (PostgreSQL-compatible) |
| Data Retention | Flexible TTL policies with automatic tiering | Data retention policies with automatic deletion |
| Continuous Aggregation | Built-in SQL aggregation, Pipeline ETL engine & Flow streaming computation | Continuous aggregates (materialized views) |
| Use Cases | Unified observability, real-time analytics, IoT monitoring, edge computing | Financial analytics, IoT applications, infrastructure monitoring, application metrics |
| Architecture | Cloud-native distributed with compute-storage separation | PostgreSQL extension with hypertable partitioning |
| Storage Format | Apache Parquet (columnar, compressed) | PostgreSQL heap storage Columnar storage (enterprise) |
| PostgreSQL Compatibility | Native SQL support with observability extensions | Full PostgreSQL compatibility and ecosystem |
| Scaling Model | Horizontal scaling with stateless compute nodes | Vertical scaling (open source) Distributed hypertables (enterprise) |
| High Availability | Native clustering with automatic failover | PostgreSQL HA solutions (streaming replication, etc.) |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Timescale License (community) Commercial (enterprise features) |
| Cloud Integration | Native object storage support with S3, GCS, etc. | TimescaleDB Cloud service |
| Deployment Options | Single-node, cluster, Kubernetes-native, edge-to-cloud with unified API | PostgreSQL-based deployment, managed cloud service |
| Written Language | Rust (memory safety, performance) | C (PostgreSQL extension) |
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