FoundationDB: An Open Source Distributed Transactional Key-Value Store

FoundationDB: An Open Source Distributed Transactional Key-Value Store

Summary

FoundationDB is an open-source, distributed, transactional key-value store developed by Apple. It is designed to manage large volumes of structured data across clusters, offering strong ACID transaction guarantees for all operations. This robust database is well-suited for both read/write and write-intensive workloads, providing excellent performance.

Repository Info

Updated on January 2, 2026
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foundationdbdistributed-databasekey-value-storeacidtransactionalC++databaseopen-source

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Introduction

FoundationDB is an open-source, distributed, transactional key-value store developed by Apple. It is engineered to manage vast amounts of structured data across clusters of commodity servers, organizing data as an ordered key-value store. A core feature of FoundationDB is its strong adherence to ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) transactions for all operations, ensuring data integrity and reliability. It excels in handling both read/write and write-intensive workloads with excellent performance. Users interact with the database through various API language bindings.

Installation

Getting started with FoundationDB can be done in a few ways:

  • Binary Downloads: The easiest way to begin is by downloading and installing a pre-built binary package. You can find a list of available packages on the official releases page.
  • Compiling from Source: For developers who need to build from source, either because a binary package isn't available for their OS or they wish to contribute, FoundationDB provides comprehensive instructions. The recommended method for building is to use the official Docker image, foundationdb/build, which includes all necessary dependencies.
    • Docker Build: The official Docker image simplifies the build process significantly.
    • Local Build: For local compilation, you will need dependencies such as CMake (3.24.2+), Mono, and Ninja. Specific instructions are available for various operating systems, including FreeBSD, macOS, and Windows, often requiring additional tools like Visual Studio with ClangCl for Windows. Refer to the official documentation for detailed, OS-specific build guides.

Examples

FoundationDB supports various API language bindings for interaction. Comprehensive examples demonstrating API usage, design philosophy, and extensive usage scenarios are available in the official documentation. To explore how to integrate and use FoundationDB in your projects, please visit the FoundationDB documentation website.

Why Use FoundationDB?

FoundationDB stands out for several compelling reasons:

  • ACID Transactions: It guarantees strong data consistency and reliability through full ACID compliance for all operations, a critical feature for many applications.
  • Distributed and Scalable: Designed from the ground up as a distributed database, it can scale horizontally across clusters of commodity servers to handle large datasets and high throughput.
  • High Performance: It offers excellent performance for a wide range of workloads, including both read/write and particularly write-intensive scenarios.
  • Open Source: Released under the Apache-2.0 license, FoundationDB benefits from an active community and transparent development.
  • Ordered Key-Value Store: Its data model as an ordered key-value store provides flexibility and efficiency for various data structures.

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