CockroachDB Reviews

We have been using CockroachDB for the last two years. From 2023, we started working on a product similar to Google Capture. We decided to work with CockroachDB with Hasura. Hasura is a UI for the database CockroachDB that provides a playground to work with the API and data. Since CockroachDB primarily supports SQL, we didn't want to use plain SQL in our programming, so we decided to go with ORM and selected Hasura. With Hasura, we sometimes require GraphQL. Besides using GraphQL, we have also used SQL with CockroachDB directly to get data and perform insert and update operations.

Regarding our operations, CockroachDB equals PostgreSQL plus Google Spanner, and we can remove scalability, then add resilience across regions.

For CockroachDB multi-active availability, all replicas of our data are active and can serve read and write simultaneously. Currently, we are not using these features because our database is not too large with only 20 customers using our application. MAA is a feature provided by CockroachDB, but they charge for this functionality. It has consequences by raft where each range of data is replicated with default three replicas. Writes go through raft consensus where a majority of replicas must agree, ensuring strong consistency even if some nodes or regions fail.

Regarding multi-region or global clusters, it allows spanning clusters across multiple regions. We are configured with AWS because we use Lambda functions on the server end. The zone configuration lets you control where replicas live, such as keeping EU customer data in EU and US customer data in US, though we aren't currently using this feature.

ACID transactions are not required in our application because we don't have any payment gateway currently. CockroachDB uses a two-phase commit protocol on top of raft consensus. If any part of the transaction fails, commits, times out, or node crashes, CockroachDB automatically rolls back.

The benefits include being developer-friendly, strong security with RBAC, encryption, and data residency laws by pinning data to specific regions. It is self-healing because if a node crashes, data automatically rebalances to healthy nodes without manual failover, replication, or clustering needed. Finally, it offers cost efficiency.

CockroachDB is excellent for managing relationships in RDBMS. There are multiple benefits such as the ability to create views and dynamic queries that save data and reduce the use of complex algorithms in code. Instead of writing algorithms to get desired output, we can directly call the views where predefined algorithms form the view to get the desired output.

CockroachDB's geo-distribution feature is superior to traditional databases. The admin UI can be used according to requirements. Compared to traditional databases PostgreSQL and MySQL, CockroachDB provides both SQL features and is horizontally scalable, meaning it is cloud-native. We can start with a single node and scale to hundreds of nodes across multiple regions. It automatically distributes data and workload without manual sharding.

The database offers high availability and fault tolerance with data replicated across nodes and regions. It is compatible with various drivers and ORMs including Prisma, Sequelize, and Hibernate. It provides automatic migrations and online schema changes. Security features include encryption in transit, role-based access control, and compliance with data residency laws by pinning data to specific regions.

CockroachDB supports ACID transactions and is cloud-native, allowing creation of hundreds of microservices with multiple regions. The automatic data and workload distribution eliminates the need for sharding, which is required in databases MongoDB.

The platform should provide a UI feature where users have the ability to manage it. The CockroachDB platform should have a chatbot where users can inquire about pricing or seek solutions for queries, rather than relying on email support.

The current UI only provides SQL playground, which is technical. There should be a UI playground where users with limited technical knowledge can run and update queries, similar to phpMyAdmin or Adminer.

Latency optimization could be improved for globally distributed applications, particularly in query routing. For multi-region deployment, CockroachDB requires at least three plus replicas across data centers to achieve strong consistency across regions, which increases infrastructure costs including compute, storage, and networking.

The disadvantages include cost-efficiency with multi-region deployment and schema migration speed, which should be faster compared to other drivers. The query optimizer should handle complex queries better through the UI interface.

Positive

The setup was very straightforward. Everything was mentioned in the documentation, and even a layman or business analyst can complete the setup without having technical knowledge.

The tech support deserves a rating of nine out of ten. My overall rating for CockroachDB is 8 out of 10.

Cockroach nodes were installed in the following:

1. Single host, triple nodes (containers): for evaluation on a low-end PC.

2. Single host, triple nodes (process): to test applications against a ~500GB database in-house.

3. Serverless: hosted in Google Cloud Platform (the main database).

A number of Python scripts and some Java applications are happily reading and writing to the database.

The solution allows for scaling in cases where a PostgreSQL server (unless you use sophisticated partitioning across some machines) would not be enough to handle the load. This kind of database is particularly used for backtests.

I am a freelancer. A client of mine wanted a solution that would allow them to scale yet not abandon the familiar PostgreSQL front-end (and rewrite a part of their source code).

Scalability aside, CockroachDB is a fine way forward from PostgreSQL and is not changing the client source code part of the system. If you are lucky and you do not use newer features from recent versions of PostgreSQL or PostgreSQL extensions, it's fine.

There are nice-to-have features for big organizations like regional tables. At the moment, my client simply does not use these. However, the serverless offer from CockroachDB is reacting well as data grows.

The main aspects that are valuable include:

• It is compatible with the wire protocol of PostgreSQL. All applications did not need to be modified. DBeaver and SquirrelSQL worked with the normal PostgreSQL JDBC drivers. Libraries for other languages (C++, Go) also worked.
• The subset of SQL that my client is using is completely supported.
• The Cockroach documentation is extensive.
• Cockroach University is a very good starting point to learn.
• The availability of the open source offer, no strings attached, allows a full evaluation of the product.

I find the serverless offer a bit confusing. The price is a function of the maximum database size.

A single SELECT can use a number of request units, for example. If the throughput is high enough, you could run out of request units and be throttled if you do not pay attention to how your database is used.

I've used the solution since 2020.

I have never had a crash for the workload I experimented with. However, this is not useful information, since you may always hit a bug or a daunting workload according to your necessities.

The scalability is very good, considering that it is a relational database.

I have no experience with technical support at the moment. 

Positive

CockroachDB is a big data substitute for PostgreSQL.

I have used a number of databases in my professional activity, and every tool has its drawbacks. For example, for certain kinds of jobs, when you do not need relations among tables, Apache Cassandra is a better choice for big data.

You have just to follow the instructions. Of course, installing and configuring all by yourself requires a skilled administrator.

I handled the setup in-house. The serverless solution is the one offered by Cockroach on Google Cloud Platform.

The ROI is good. At the moment the serverless solution is affordable according to the given workload.

For their use case, my client wanted a "certified" version that they would forget to administrate, and so, for the main database, they chose the serverless offer.

For experimenting in-house they like to use the freely downloadable open source version, which is very easy to install. The price is irresistible, and if some crash happens there is a reliable backup in the cloud.

I have evaluated TimescaleDB and Amazon RedShift. However, I chose CockroachDB as I had produced an experimental application some years ago using an older version and found it very easy to use.

It is a complex database under the hood. It scales using big data techniques, synchronizing among nodes using Raft and continually compacting.

The integrated web console makes it apparently easy to use. But be prepared to study and spend some quality time with Cockroach University and the documentation. This will be useful when performing optimizations on throughput.

Also, if you can distribute the load on multiple nodes (possibly more than three), you will gain in scalability. There are some little formulas that bind the replication factor to the number of nodes to use.

I am studying how to deploy CockroachDB and YugaByteDB, and learning some basic information about them. I am testing these databases as part of my school application to find a suitable database for our applications. Currently, I am using PostgreSQL, however, I want to try some distributed databases for testing purposes.

The most valuable feature is that CockroachDB is a distributed database, which can deploy nodes running in different regions. Geo-replication capabilities are also important for production applications. Having database servers close to my customers, for example, in the US or UK, would improve performance.

I would like CockroachDB to have more compatibility with PostgreSQL, especially with the connection string and technical integrations.

I have been studying and testing CockroachDB and YugaByteDB for about six months.

I did not contact the technical support by CockroachDB. However, their website has an AI chatbot, which I found to be very useful.

Positive

Currently, I am using PostgreSQL. I want to try some distributed databases for testing purposes.

I deployed a three-node database in a local system using Docker. I have successfully deployed a secure cluster.

I am not very familiar with the pricing as I am now only in the experimental phase.

I am also studying and testing YugaByteDB alongside CockroachDB.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

My company uses CockroachDB since it is a resilient distributed database.

The most valuable features of the solution are its resiliency features and the geo-partitioning capabilities.

CockroachDB's automatic failover capability is an area of concern where improvements are required.

I have been using CockroachDB for two years. My company previously had a partnership with CockroachDB, but now we are just customers.

It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight to nine out of ten.

More than 100 people in my company use the solution.

The product's initial setup phase was difficult since you need to follow certain standards set by CockroachDB. The product's initial setup process was cumbersome.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The time to deploy the solution varies depending on what you want to do.

The product's price depends on the user's company and the contract model they enter into with CockroachDB. Depending on the contract model one enters into with CockroachDB, the product may or may not be expensive.

CockroachDB is the best relational database and also a cloud-native database.

I rate the overall tool an eight and a half out of ten.

We have a legal and compliance team. We have a compliance request that the personal data from the EU must stay in the EU, and the data from Singapore must stay in Singapore. CockroachDB is a distributed database system. It exactly fits our requirement to keep the data isolated. At the same time, we can have multiple instances globally. We cannot keep the nodes in different locations in a relational database like Oracle or MySQL.

The distributed nature of CockroachDB helps us isolate the data when required. We also have some application logic that determines where the data must go. The best feature of CockroachDB is the ability to keep the nodes in different locations. It solves many problems.

The product is not an enterprise-level solution. The product must improve its disaster recovery features. It must also improve on support, logging, and backup restore.

I have been using the solution for almost three to three and a half years.

We haven't encountered many problems with the tool’s stability. It is pretty stable.

The tool is easily scalable. One of the reasons we chose it is its scalability. If a CPU hits 80%, by default, it can spin off new instances and provide quick support. Overall, we have 1000 people using the solution in our organization. We have 200 concurrent users. We plan to use it more in the future.

The technical support team is getting better. The support is pretty good. The team wants good customer feedback and takes the product to the next level. Initially, we had some issues getting support 24/7. Over time, the support has improved. I rate the technical support a seven or eight out of ten. We need to pay a little if we want enterprise-level support.

Neutral

We were using MySQL. We had difficulties in isolating the data, so we switched to CockroachDB. CockroachDB is an open-source tool. The support is pretty good, and the support fee is much lower than the competitors. There were only three to four products in the market at that time.

The initial setup is simple and straightforward. The default out-of-the-box solution comes with the basic setup. We can set it up quickly. We need some technical knowledge for disaster recovery and backup restorations, but it is not that complex.

The solution is worth the money.

We evaluated another product, but it was very expensive compared to CockroachDB.

I will advise people to use the product. It will be beneficial in the long run. Overall, I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

What I like best is its ability to solve data residency issues. The main advantage is auto geo partitioning, built into the product. This means we don't have to spin up separate servers in each region, which would be much more costly.

Performance-wise, it's great once you know how to use it properly. The key benefit is that data sits on the edge closest to the user, regardless of their location. This leads to improved speed.

However, there's a downside - if you don't understand how it works, your queries might run everywhere. You need to fine-tune your queries to avoid this issue.

I think the engine itself could be improved. If you miss a partition key, it should be able to be modeled. This is where AI could be really helpful. For example, if a user is from Australia, the system should know to look for their data there first instead of searching in the US or another continent.

We went into production four months ago. We have been doing a proof of concept for the last eight months, so I have used it for less than a year.

We've had some issues with stability. They don't thoroughly test all their patches for all use cases. Given the complexity, I'm not sure how they could do that anyway. Some of their patch releases have burned us. We had to do rollbacks and fix things ad hoc. I rate it a seven point five out of ten. 

The tool has auto-scaling features. It can adjust automatically in the background. 

The support team is not as responsive as we'd like. Their support is not as robust as that of some other providers. It's kind of hit or miss, depending on who you get to help you.

We had to migrate from PostgreSQL. It was very complex. Depending on your current model, it can be complicated. But if everything is somewhat similar to what CockroachDB expects, then it's not too bad.

We did the tool's deployment in-house. 

The solution is worth its money if you use case fits. I've seen value and impact from this tool. Cost-wise, it's quite good compared to setting up a dedicated environment at each location. It leverages cloud providers like Google and AWS, using their servers, which makes it much cheaper. This makes it well worth it. 

The solution's pricing is not cheap. However, the good thing is that customers are willing to pay for it if they want it. 

There is a learning curve with this tool. People who are coming from traditional databases and coders need to adjust. You have to know how to do distributed database calls. So, there's a learning curve for those who manage it and write code against it.

I would recommend CockroachDB to others, especially if they need an SQL database with solid transaction capabilities. For advice, understand each database's strengths and match them to your use case. There is a learning curve, so always try to learn what problems the database solves and how it fits your needs.

I rate the overall product an eight out of ten. 

We use CockroachDB as the main database to handle the high-velocity data and ensure real-time processing for a music platform. It enables the processing of a large volume of credit scoring records online within a limited timeframe. It helps us distribute the workload among nodes and create a cluster to improve performance and scalability. It is useful for applications that don't require Postgres-specific features. Also, its compatibility with Postgres makes switching between the databases easier.

The product has valuable security features. It is easy to set up SSL certificates for communication between nodes. It has a user-friendly observability feature in terms of UI, helping us monitor login performance, identify slow queries, and view latency between the nodes. It is very adaptable, allowing us to tune specific details easily. It is based on a distributed architecture that determines and manages the number of nodes. It has an automatic rebalancing feature to manage the scenarios where nodes go offline and return online. It provides good performance if used for the right use case. Additionally, its compatibility with Postgres is a valuable feature as well.

The platform could be more extensible. At the moment, I have to use Postgres for extension issues. There needs to be better integration features. Additionally, the product’s Change Data Capture Integrations with tools such as Kafka needs improvement.

We have been using CockroachDB for two years.

The product is very stable. Sometimes, queries overuse the memory, leading to downtime. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

The product is scalable. Its scalability is a nine or ten out of ten. The number of users depends on the client’s organization and ranges from a few thousand to millions of users.

While learning its functionality, I contacted the product’s technical support team regarding extensibility issues.

I used Postgres, I switched because I needed a distributed version with Postgres-like functionality and high resilience.

The initial setup was quite easy for me. The process of security setting and certificate generation may be complicated. It requires experience and knowledge of using the Linux administration system.

In-house

The product generates a return on investment.

The platform is affordable even for the enterprise version. It provides value for investment in terms of performance.

I rate CockroachDB a nine out of ten. It is a reliable and best operational database product for higher use cases.

The closer they can make CockroachDB to being completely compatible with Postgres, the better. It's almost compatible, but not completely. If it was, it would be nice to just be able to use Postgres libraries without any fiddling.

I have been using CockroachDB for approximately two years.

 CockroachDB is highly reliable.

I rate the stability of CockroachDB a ten out of ten.

The scalability of the solution is good.

We haven't scaled it, but from what they claim it's one of the main reasons we're using it. We can go from very small to very big without having to constantly recharge and re-architect everything.

We have five to six users using this solution in my organization.

I have not contacted the support from the vendor.

I used Google Spanner when Spanner first came out, I did enjoy it. However, Google Spanner can't be installed on a small scale. When you start off it cost seven dollars an hour. However, CockroachDB lets us do more than Google Spanner could. We are able to start small. If there's a transaction an hour running on CockroachDB at the moment, that's a lot.

We used CockroachDB in the cloud and all we have to do is set up an instance. It's similar to setting up a virtual machine on Amazon or Google.

A beginner can create a virtual machine. You need to know the database language to set up CockroachDB but it is easy.

I rate the initial setup of CockroachDB an eight out of ten.

I've used CockroachDB at a small scale on the free accounts because we are only testing.

We were interested in CockroachDB because a few of us had experienced it long ago with Postgres and that was one of the attractions. However, there are limitations to the exact compatibility. My advice to others is before you choose CockroachDB it would be good to check if it does everything you typically use in Postgres. Cross-check that it doesn't miss something you want or need or are very used to.

We used CockroachDB on a small scale and it's been great. Nominally it looks really good. Our fear is we'll scale it up and it won't scale. However, it is supposed to specifications are great. We've done spiky testing and it's never been a problem.

I rate CockroachDB an eight out of ten.

CockroachDB helped us sync the nodes in a short time. 

The tool's most valuable feature is node syncing, which takes only 0.54 milliseconds. 

CockroachDB needs to improve store processes. 

The tool is stable. 

CockroachDB is scalable. We have more than 35 million records. 

CockroachDB's support is good, though they take some time to reply. 

Neutral

If you do it for the first time, the tool's deployment is complex. Once you get an overview, it is easy. 

I rate CockroachDB an eight out of ten. 

I use CockroachDB to test big data samples and to create the best structure for databases. We have four users and required 10 people for deployment and maintenance. 

Cockroach does not support all types of protocols. I need to improve it myself to support a CouchDB on my network.

I have been using this solution for two years. 

This is a stable solutions, although we have experienced some issues with the many protocols we need to follow. 

The customer service and support for this solution is not very good. 

The initial setup was straightforward. It took one week to deploy. 

 I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.