RethinkDB
RethinkDB is an open-source, distributed NoSQL document database built for real-time applications, letting clients subscribe to live query results ("changefeeds") that push updates as matching data changes.
Definition
RethinkDB is an open-source, distributed NoSQL document database built for real-time applications, letting clients subscribe to live query results ("changefeeds") that push updates as matching data changes.
Overview
RethinkDB was open-sourced in the early 2010s with a specific goal: instead of the typical "poll" pattern most databases use, it pioneered a "push" query model aimed squarely at building real-time, collaborative applications. It stores schema-flexible JSON documents in a way broadly similar to MongoDB, and exposes ReQL, a chainable query language embedded directly in application code. Its signature feature is changefeeds: a client can subscribe to a query and receive a continuous stream of diffs whenever matching documents are inserted, updated, or deleted, removing the need for manual polling or a separate pub/sub layer bolted on top of the database. The company behind RethinkDB struggled to find a sustainable business model and shut down commercial operations, after which the open-source project continued under community stewardship. Today it's a niche choice, largely superseded in new projects by databases and platforms with real-time subscriptions built in, such as Firebase, Supabase, or Convex, though it remains a notable early influence on real-time-first database design.
Key Features
- Changefeeds that push live updates to subscribed clients instead of requiring polling
- ReQL, a composable query language embedded directly in application code
- Schema-flexible JSON document storage
- Built-in horizontal sharding and replication for distributed deployments
- Admin UI for cluster monitoring and query exploration
- Joins, aggregations, and geospatial queries within ReQL