ScyllaDB Reviews

Name: ScyllaDB
Brand: ScyllaDB
Rating: 3.9 (12 reviews)

3.9 out of 5

12 reviews
91% willing to recommend

What is ScyllaDB?

ScyllaDB is an open-source, distributed NoSQL wide-column datastore (a highly scalable NoSQL database), known for its compatibility with Apache Cassandra, and for supporting the same protocols as Cassandra (CQL and Thrift) and the same file formats (SSTable). ScyllaDB is designed for high throughput and low latency, making it suitable for data-intensive applications. Its architecture allows it to deliver remarkable performance on a massive scale, utilizing modern multi-core servers to their fullest potential

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ScyllaDB is the #2 ranked solution in top NoSQL Databases. PeerSpot users give ScyllaDB an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. ScyllaDB is most commonly compared to MongoDB: ScyllaDB vs MongoDB. ScyllaDB is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 61% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 18% of all views.

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Featured reviews

ArpitShah

Software Analyst at CLSA

It seems we have better options available. So probably don't go for ScyllaDB. The reason is, first, it's very high. It's not as straightforward as, like, Postgres or ClickHouse to set up. It requires a complex setup. The other problem is what they call. For example, they will say that for up to a million operations, you experience this. But the problem is if they have nine servers, then your one operation is counted as nine operations, not one. So, even though you have one write, they count it as nine. It's like it's just not false premises. You can always host it yourself, but then it's way more complex. The benefits are not substantially more than those of other databases. It's not that it's slow or anything. It's good enough and all. But it's just that ClickHouse or other databases are simpler and faster and probably provide more features. So, I kind of burn out from the database, and that's why I would keep it small.

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Uttam Giri

Lead Network Engineer at First Orion

The best features of ScyllaDB are how it synchronizes data and its failover system. There's a unique formula to decide the number of nodes you need and the minimum required, which I find helpful. It also offers encryption and supports APIs, making it great for distributed systems and scaling databases across different regions. While it's easy to use, having prior experience helps configure it properly. There are many configurations; if you don't understand them, you might mess up the design. So, understanding your system's needs, like whether it requires more read or write operations, is crucial for setting up the correct configuration.

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Atul Kumar Awasthi

Senior Software Engineer at Extramarks Education India

When it comes to the performance, it's not as good compared to MongoDB or Postgres. However, performance is not a big issue in ScyllaDB. If you have a very large scale of data, it takes at least five milliseconds more time to execute the query compared to MongoDB or Postgres. This is the little drawback in ScyllaDB. But on the safer side for CDC, read and write, and all things are good in ScyllaDB. There are some extra packages we can apply on ScyllaDB separately. We can add some extra layers on top of ScyllaDB to improve the performance. So, it can improve throughput, latency, scalability, and performance. The documentation is not well established for new developers. If a developer is starting their career, it's not ready to use. MongoDB and other things are very scalable and everything is documented. But here, everything is not documented. You have to go to the GitHub repo, Stack Overflow, or Google things. The documentation is not well maintained. But if a developer is experienced, like two or three years in MongoDB, they can make the wrapper cluster and use ScyllaDB easily. If anyone is pressured, it takes some time to adjust to ScyllaDB because the scalability and performance on the internet are not well improved, and the documentation is not well written or maintained.

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ScyllaDB mindshare

As of January 2025, the mindshare of ScyllaDB in the NoSQL Databases category stands at 11.5%, up from 8.9% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NoSQL Databases

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	NoSQL Databases	Jan 14, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Jan 14, 2025	Download
Comparison	ScyllaDB vs MongoDB	Jan 14, 2025	Download
Comparison	ScyllaDB vs Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB	Jan 14, 2025	Download
Comparison	ScyllaDB vs Couchbase	Jan 14, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
MongoDB	4.1	22.9%	92%	78 interviews Add to research
Redis	4.4	N/A	100%	21 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

ScyllaDB's key features include lightweight infrastructure requirements and user-defined types for data consistency. Its performance excels in speed and efficiency. It allows seamless integration with Cassandra SDK and migration from DynamoDB. High availability, partitioning, and excellent failover systems enhance reliability. Fine-tuning capabilities enable efficient table structures and data synchronization. Innovative I/O optimization supports distributed systems, maintaining speed under heavy data loads. Encryption and API support simplify use and scaling across regions.

"The performance and scalability are good, and we hardly see any major issues with ScyllaDB."
"The best features of ScyllaDB are how it synchronizes data and its failover system. There's a unique formula to decide the number of nodes you need and the minimum required, which I find helpful. It also offers encryption and supports APIs, making it great for distributed systemsand scaling databases across different regions. While it's easy to use, having prior experience helps configure it properly. There are many configurations; if you don't understand them, you might mess up the design. So, understanding your system's needs, like whether it requires more read or write operations, is crucial for setting up the correct configuration."
"I like how fast it is to query data from the ScyllaDB node!"

Room for Improvement

ScyllaDB users highlight several areas needing improvement: better documentation and support, efficient management of deletions, and improved data modeling and scalability. Users mention complexities in setup and integration, compatibility issues, and communication in transactions. Performance is seen as suboptimal compared to alternatives like MongoDB or Postgres, especially in large-scale data handling. There are also concerns about the sales promises not aligning with actual ROI and compaction benefits. Additional features and faster support response are desired.

"From a sales pitch standpoint, it needs to deliver on promises of better ROI and compaction."
"We faced several challenges while integrating ScyllaDB into our AWS environment. One common issue was that a security port wasn’t opened on one node, preventingdata synchronization across clusters. We noticed the data wasn’t syncing correctly when we saw different record counts in other regions. After investigating, we found that the port was closed in one AWS region. Once we opened the port, the data synchronization across all nodes resumed as expected."
"Some of the regular commands in NoSQL do not work."

Pricing

ScyllaDB offers a free basic option, a more advanced self-managed enterprise option, and a fully managed cloud database option - providing flexible NoSQL database solutions for different needs and scales.

Open Source - Free version with basic features like clustering, replication, Cassandra compatibility, lightweight transactions, role-based access control, change data capture, secondary indexes, and materialized views. Automation for recurrent tasks, such as backups and repairs limited to 5 nodes.
Enterprise - Adds advanced features like workload prioritization, incremental compaction, encryption, auditing, and authentication. Also includes dedicated community support, long-term release support, 24/7 critical issue hot fixes.
Cloud - Fully-managed database-as-a-service. Includes all Enterprise features in a serverless platform.

"The paid version of ScyllaDB is not that expensive. The main advantage of the paid version is direct support from the ScyllaDB team, which can resolve issues faster—typically within a day, compared to two to three days with the free version. The paid version also offers better guidance and support, while the free version has good documentation and is more high-level. I’d rate their support team nine out of ten because of the quick responses from their community."
"It's a bit expensive."
"It's free."

Popular Use Cases

Companies primarily use ScyllaDB for cache storage, enabling rapid data queries and updates during loads, migration from Postgres, handling large systems requiring real-time information, and storing diverse data types including images and audit logs. It supports ad data management, offers a secure alternative to MongoDB, facilitates distributed systems, and enhances read/write operations for heavy workloads. Businesses utilize ScyllaDB across different regions and industries like telecommunications for seamless data management at scale.

Service and Support

Customer service and support for ScyllaDB show mixed results. Some find support responsive and knowledgeable, though there are areas needing improvement. Many appreciate the technical team's expertise but seek better ticketing and response times. Several experience effective assistance but note extra costs involved. Others manage without needing support due to seamless operation. Documentation is praised for clarity. ScyllaDB is acknowledged for potential advantages over competitors like ClickHouse and Cassandra, yet widespread adoption is still growing.

Deployment

Users found ScyllaDB's initial setup to vary in complexity, depending on resources and infrastructure. Docker installations were generally easy, while remote setups required managed solutions. Proper documentation aided in simplification, ensuring accessibility. Adequate computing resources facilitated installation; without them, setup was harder. Migrating from MongoDB needed careful handling of configurations. A straightforward process was noted when switching from community to enterprise versions, though reverting posed challenges. Efficient team involvement minimized setup time.

Scalability

ScyllaDB's scalability is positively received. Users appreciate its ability to add nodes, supporting many users effectively. Despite some only deploying prototypes, most indicate its performance meets demands. Teams of various sizes use it, spanning different projects and organizations. Some projects are transitioning from other databases, reflecting confidence in ScyllaDB’s capabilities. There is general satisfaction with scalability options, even though specific benefits weren't uniformly emphasized across feedback.

Stability

ScyllaDB is generally stable, rating a nine out of ten for reliability. Users have experienced occasional performance challenges and node-related issues, but these are often infrastructure-related rather than inherent flaws. The managed service catches issues quickly, deploying regular patches. Users indicate the database itself rarely goes down, with any challenges usually resolved promptly. While some have encountered minor bugs, especially with ScyllaDB Manager, the recent version has shown improvement.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our ScyllaDB Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

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Top industries

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Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Media Company

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Government

University

Hospitality Company

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Healthcare Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Non Profit

Insurance Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Transportation Company

Construction Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

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Legal Firm

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Learn more about ScyllaDB

ScyllaDB utilizes a similar architecture, data format, and query language as Apache Cassandra, providing compatibility while dramatically improving speed and scalability.

The key advantages of ScyllaDB include its rewritten C++ implementation that eliminates Cassandra's expensive Java garbage collection pauses, built-in caching for fast access to frequently used data, and shard-aware drivers for direct routing of requests. This enables it to fully leverage modern multi-core servers for massive parallelism. The community is active and the latest major release, ScyllaDB Enterprise 2023.1.0 LTS, incorporates over 5,000 code commits focused on enhancing capabilities.

ScyllaDB supports wide-column data modeling for fast read performance at scale. It includes integrated monitoring and management tools to track database health and performance. For organizations looking to boost speed and reduce costs for NoSQL workloads, ScyllaDB offers a drop-in replacement for Cassandra that delivers lower latency, higher throughput, and increased scalability with fewer nodes. Its seamless migration path makes switching from Cassandra seamless, requiring minimal code changes.