Open-Source Databases · filodb

FiloDB

FiloDB is a distributed, in-memory time series database compatible with Prometheus queries. It ingests metrics from Kafka, stores them efficiently in columnar format across a cluster, and serves low-latency queries with tag-based indexing.

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Source: GitHub — github.com/filodb/FiloDB

1.5k

GitHub stars

238

Forks

Scala

Primary language

Apache-2.0

License (OSI-approved)

Key facts

Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.

Field	Value
Repository	filodb/FiloDB
Owner	filodb
Primary language	Scala
License	Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved
Stars	1.5k
Forks	238
Open issues	69
Latest release	v0.9.17.2 (2022-11-18)
Last updated	2026-07-07
Source	https://github.com/filodb/FiloDB

What FiloDB is

Scala-based distributed database using Akka Cluster for peer-to-peer coordination, Kafka for streaming ingestion, and Cassandra for persistence. Provides PromQL query support, columnar compression, off-heap memory management, and multi-schema support for operational metrics and events.

Quickstart

Get the FiloDB source

Clone the repository and explore it locally.

terminalbash

1git clone https://github.com/filodb/FiloDB.git2cd FiloDB3# follow the project's README for install & configuration

Need it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.

Best use cases

Real-time operational metrics dashboards and alerting

Designed for high-concurrency, low-latency access to metrics for dashboarding and alerting systems. Supports immediate availability of ingested data with tag-based filtering.

Distributed tracing and event storage

Multi-schema support allows storage and querying of different event types. Fast tag-based indexing supports complex trace queries similar to Zipkin.

Large-scale multi-tenant metrics ingestion

Sharding across multiple processes handles millions of entities. Designed for dual-datacenter operation with fault tolerance and no single point of failure.

Implementation considerations

Multi-component deployment: Kafka, Cassandra, and FiloDB nodes all required. Schema creation via CQL scripts must be run pre-deployment.
Sharding strategy must be determined upfront—ordinal-based assignment via server startup parameters. Plan shard distribution across node count.
Memory management is off-heap; monitor JVM and off-heap allocation carefully. Columnar compression requires tuning for your data distribution.
Requires Prometheus-compatible scraper or direct Kafka producer integration. Gateway component available for metric forwarding.
PromQL query support but with FiloDB-specific extensions; verify exact PromQL compatibility for your alerting/querying needs.

When to avoid it — and what to weigh

Transactional or update-heavy workflows — Explicitly anti-use-case per documentation. Architecture optimized for append-only metrics, not ACID transactions or frequent updates.
OLAP / analytical aggregation workloads — Not designed for complex analytical queries. Optimized for operational metrics and real-time queries, not batch analytics.
Managed SaaS required — Self-hosted only. Requires operational expertise to run Kafka, Cassandra, and FiloDB cluster. No managed service available.
Budget for minimal dependencies — Requires Java 11, Scala runtime, Kafka, Cassandra, Rust toolchain, and C compiler. Significant operational footprint.

License & commercial use

Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0). Permissive OSI-approved license allowing commercial use, modification, and distribution under standard Apache terms.

Apache-2.0 permits commercial use without explicit permission requests. Typical Apache obligations apply: retain license/copyright notices, disclose source modifications, provide CHANGES file. Standard indemnification and warranty disclaimers apply. No special commercial restrictions observed in license.

DEV.co evaluation signals

Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.

Signal	Assessment
Maintenance	Moderate
Documentation	Adequate
License clarity	Clear
Deployment complexity	High
DEV.co fit	Possible
Assessment confidence	Medium

Security considerations

No security audit, vulnerability disclosure policy, or threat model provided in available data. Akka Cluster uses peer-to-peer communication without evident encryption discussion. Cassandra backend security (authentication, encryption) delegated to Cassandra configuration. Off-heap memory reduces JVM-level attacks but introduces new memory safety considerations. Kafka integration requires Kafka broker security setup. Review Akka documentation and Cassandra hardening; no audit history available.

Alternatives to consider

Prometheus + Thanos

Native Prometheus compatibility with superior query language maturity, larger ecosystem, and managed service options. Thanos adds long-term storage and distributed querying. Simpler operational model for small-to-medium deployments.

InfluxDB (OSS or Cloud)

Purpose-built time series database with simpler deployment, native clustering, and InfluxQL/Flux query languages. Cloud option available. Lower operational overhead than FiloDB's multi-component stack.

VictoriaMetrics

Lightweight, single-binary time series database with high ingestion rates, PromQL support, and lower resource overhead. Simpler operational model and superior compression. Growing ecosystem.

Software development agency

Build on FiloDB with DEV.co software developers

FiloDB requires significant operational effort but scales to millions of metrics with low-latency queries. Assess your team's Scala/JVM and distributed systems expertise before adoption. Consider alternatives like Prometheus+Thanos or VictoriaMetrics for simpler deployments.

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FiloDB FAQ

Is FiloDB production-ready?

Last release was November 2022. Repository shows recent activity (July 2026 push) but low release cadence. Suitable for production if your team can operate the multi-component stack and accept maintenance responsibility. No 'stable' production guarantee stated.

Does FiloDB support PromQL queries?

Yes, with some FiloDB-specific extensions. Documentation mentions 'PromQL Extensions' and first-class histogram support. Verify exact compatibility with your alert rules or queries before migration.

What is the learning curve?

Moderate-to-high. Requires understanding Akka clustering, Kafka partitioning, Cassandra schema design, and distributed systems concepts. Strong Scala/JVM background helpful. Setup is documented but not trivial.

Can FiloDB run on a single machine?

Technically yes for development (scripts provided), but not recommended for production. Architecture assumes multi-node cluster for sharding and fault tolerance. Single-machine deployments will not achieve designed scalability or fault tolerance.

Software development & web development with DEV.co

From first prototype to production, DEV.co delivers software development services around tools like FiloDB. Our software development agency staffs experienced software developers and web developers for custom software development, web development, integrations, and ongoing support across open-source databases and beyond.

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