spacetimedb vs prest
Two of the top projects in Backends and databases, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
spacetimedb
Relational database that runs your app logic as modules and syncs clients live
prest
REST and read-only MCP API generated from a PostgreSQL or MySQL database
Verdict
spacetimedb ranks higher, 73 to 72. Of the 5 score parts we measure for both, spacetimedb leads on 3, prest on 1 and 1 is even.
- Adoptionspacetimedb leads by 49 points, 69 to 20: a wide gap.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenancespacetimedb leads by 3 points, 83 to 80: close to even.
- Easy to runprest leads by 50 points, 100 to 50: a wide gap.
- Agent-readyspacetimedb leads by 70 points, 70 to 0: a wide gap.
Pick spacetimedb if you are
Developers building realtime web apps or multiplayer games, no separate server
- Replaces the API server and pub/sub layer: clients subscribe to tables and get pushed updates
- Module languages: Rust, C#, TypeScript, C++; client SDKs include React hooks, Unity and Unreal
Pick prest if you are
Developers who want an instant REST or MCP API over an existing SQL database
- Generates CRUD REST routes straight from an existing Postgres or MySQL schema
- Custom SQL query scripts support bound parameters via sqlVal, sqlList and ident helpers
| What we compare | spacetimedb | prest |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 69, popular | 20, niche |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 83, healthy | 80, healthy |
| Easy to run | 50, easy | 100, very easy |
| Agent-ready | 70, partly | 0, none |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 25.3k | 4.6k |
| License | custom license (read the license) | MIT (permissive) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Docker | Yes | Yes |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Mentioned | Mentioned |
spacetimedb
SpacetimeDB is a relational database that doubles as the application server. You write tables and reducers as a module in Rust, C#, TypeScript or C++, upload it, and clients connect directly, subscribe to tables and receive committed changes automatically. State is held in memory with an on-disk commit log for durability, and reducers run as ACID transactions.
Who it is for: Developers building realtime web apps or multiplayer games, no separate server
Strengths
- Replaces the API server and pub/sub layer: clients subscribe to tables and get pushed updates
- Module languages: Rust, C#, TypeScript, C++; client SDKs include React hooks, Unity and Unreal
- Reducers are ACID transactions; confirmed reads wait for commit log durability by default
- Used for the full backend of the MMORPG BitCraft Online
Weaknesses
- BSL 1.1 license, converting to AGPL v3.0 with linking exception after a few years
- Aimed at low-latency transactional workloads, not batch or analytical queries
- Application logic lives inside the database, tying the app to its module model
- RAM requirements are unknown, though all application state is held in memory
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- port 3000
prest
pREST is a Go service that exposes tables in an existing PostgreSQL (9.5+) or MySQL (8.0.19+) database as REST endpoints at /{database}/{schema}/{table}, with auth, ACL and custom SQL routes. It also serves a read-only MCP endpoint so AI clients can query the same data. It can serve several databases from a registry or an allow-list.
Who it is for: Developers who want an instant REST or MCP API over an existing SQL database
Strengths
- Generates CRUD REST routes straight from an existing Postgres or MySQL schema
- Custom SQL query scripts support bound parameters via sqlVal, sqlList and ident helpers
- Serves multiple databases via a [[databases]] registry or pg.allowed_databases
- Built-in read-only MCP endpoint, plus auth and ACL configuration
Weaknesses
- Only PostgreSQL and MySQL; MariaDB, TiDB and Aurora MySQL are roadmap items
- Interpolated query-script values are screened and rejected if they contain quotes or SQL keywords
- MySQL support is newer (v2.5.0) and with prepare = false interpolates placeholders
- MCP endpoint is read-only, so AI clients cannot write through it
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- Needs PostgreSQL 9.5+ or MySQL 8.0.19+
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