#55th of 9 in Backends and databases
spacetimedb
Relational database that runs your app logic as modules and syncs clients live
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- Stars
- 25.3k
- License
- custom license
- Last commit
- Oct 2026
- Last release
- Oct 2026
- Language
- Rust
23,844 on 25 Mar 202625,295 on 14 Oct 2026
From GitHub's daily star counts.
Checked on GitHub.
Overview
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
What it needs
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- port 3000
Also in Backends and databases
See all 9| Rank | Project | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | appwriteSelf-hostable backend with auth, databases, storage, functions, messaging and hosting | 93 out of 100 |
| 2 | supabasePostgres backend with auth, storage, realtime and edge functions | 73 out of 100 |
| 3 | parse-serverNode.js backend with REST and GraphQL APIs on MongoDB or PostgreSQL | 67 out of 100 |
| #4 | graphql-engineGraphQL API layer over Postgres, MongoDB, ClickHouse and SQL Server | 65 out of 100 |
| #6 | insforgePostgres-based backend platform that coding agents operate through an MCP server | 65 out of 100 |