YugabyteDB vs CockroachDB
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1. YugabyteDB is the Most PostgreSQL-Compatible Distributed SQL Database
YugabyteDB reuses PostgreSQL’s query layer due to its openness, maturity, and feature completeness. Developers get all the PostgreSQL features they know—like stored procedures, triggers, and native read committed isolation levels—plus the extensions and tools they love. The Yugabyte database also uniquely offers a bimodal query execution layer for both local and distributed execution, meeting your specific needs. This feature allows you to experience PostgreSQL-like performance for almost any sized application. By reusing PostgreSQL’s query layer YugabyteDB delivers an enhanced optimizer, while focusing on new innovations in our purpose-built, distributed storage layer underneath.
Why We Built YugabyteDB by Reusing the PostgreSQL Query Layer >
2. xCluster Asynchronous Replication Provides the Most Comprehensive Set of Multi-Region Deployment Options
YugabyteDB is a geo-distributed SQL database easily deployed across multiple data centers and/or clouds—whether it is to bring data close to customers for quick access or for compliance reasons. YugabyteDB natively supports the broadest range of deployment options, including globally-consistent multi-region clusters, read replicas, xCluster asynchronous replication for DR and two-data-center configurations, row-level geo-partitioning, and more.
3. YugabyteDB’s Advanced Architecture is Built to Perform at Scale
Designed to deliver high performance at both the query and storage layers, customers repeatedly share how YugabyteDB consistently outperforms CockroachDB across important benchmarks. Due to key architectural differences YugabyteDB offers features like column-level locking and efficient garbage collection, which in turn drives optimal performance at scale.
4. Unified Data Migration Accelerates Cloud Native Adoption
YugabyteDB Voyager provides a unified solution to simplify the migration of both schema and data to YugabyteDB from a wide range of legacy and single-cloud databases—including live migration from Oracle. New fall forward capabilities also mimimize migration risks. We are committed to simplifying the full migration lifecycle for enterprises with large portfolios of databases. CockroachDB offers a schema conversion toolkit, but requires AWS Data Migration Service (DMS) for data loading, limiting the source or target to AWS.
Live Migration with Fall Forward Adds Power to YugabyteDB Voyager >
5. YugabyteDB is 100% Open Source with No Feature Gating
We’re building the default database for the digital age. Doing so requires us to collaborate and work in the open, alongside customers, users, and partners in the YugabyteDB community. Unlike CockroachDB that gates access to key features, all of YugabyteDB’s features are freely available to all under the Apache 2.0 license.
6. You Can Run SQL and NoSQL Workloads on a Single Distributed SQL Database
To support a diverse range of SQL workloads, YugabyteDB supports two SQL APIs: YSQL, a fully-relational API that is runtime compatible with PostgreSQL, and YCQL, a flexible-schema API with roots in Apache Cassandra QL best suited for internet-scale OLTP apps.
7. YugabyteDB’s Advanced Security is Built For Today’s Cloud Native World
Security has been a key design principle from the start. While end-to-end encryption is available in both solutions, advanced security features like column-level security and row-level security (RLS) are unique to YugabyteDB. Additionally, Yugabyte’s database offers SOC II Type 2 accreditation and ISO 27001, ISO 22301, and ISO 9001 certification, the latter ISO certifications are not available from Cockroach. Yugabyte was also awarded CSA’s Trusted Cloud Provider trustmark in April 2023.
YugabyteDB Supports More Widely Used SQL Features
Better native PostgreSQL compatibility means greater productivity from day one.
FeatureCockroachDB V23.1YugabyteDB V2.19PostgreSQL Runtime CompatibilityNoYesBuilt-In Connection PoolingNoYesBi-Modal Query ExecutionNoYesUser-Defined Functions (UDFs)YesYesStored Procedures (SQL, pl-pgsql)NoYesTriggersNoYesRead Committed Isolation LevelNoYesRow-Level SecurityNoYesColumn-Level LockingNoYesxCluster Asynchronous ReplicationNoYesFull Cursor SupportNoYesForeign Data WrappersNoYes, in betaMeet Our Customers
“We evaluated CockroachDB, but decided to go with YugabyteDB because we got 3x better performance with fewer resources, while avoiding the significant hiccups in latency we saw with CockroachDB.
James Hartig
Co-Founder“When it comes to providing solutions that make blockchain and cryptocurrencies safe and secure, CipherTrace’s customers require immediate and accurate results when querying large data sets. We were able to quickly switch from DataStax Enterprise to YugabyteDB which offered more compelling features for our developers. Features like global secondary indexes, multi-terabyte data node density and pagination support.
Shannon Holland
Chief Technical Officer“Our stack has been redesigned to be cloud native, microservices based and running both on-premises and on public clouds. We have been leveraging YugabyteDB as the distributed SQL database running natively inside Kubernetes to power the business-critical apps that require scale and high availability.
Sriram Samu
VP Engineering, Customer Technology, Kroger
How Do You Evaluate PostgreSQL Compatibility?
In this technical overview, Yugabyte Director of Developer Relations, Denis Magda, analyzes feature-level compatibility with the help of four popular databases, including YugabyteDB and CockroachDB. To know more about PostgreSQL compatibility, check out the entire series.
