CHALLENGER
IOTDB
Custom TsFile format · IoT device hierarchy model · no PromQL or OTLP
GREPTIMEDB
GreptimeDB
Observability-native with SQL + PromQL, unified metrics/logs/traces
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IOTDB comparison at a glance.
See what changes operationally at scale.
Apache IoTDB is a time-series database designed for IoT data management. Uses a custom TsFile format (open-source Apache project, but not widely adopted outside the IoTDB ecosystem) with a tree-based data model optimized for hierarchical IoT device structures. Supports standalone and distributed deployments with edge-cloud synchronization. Supports SQL queries, but lacks PromQL and OpenTelemetry integration for observability workflows.
Feature comparison
| Feature/Aspect | GreptimeDB | Apache IoTDB |
|---|---|---|
| Data Model | Metrics, Logs & Traces in one database | IoT-specific Time-Series Database |
| Value Model | Multi-Value (supports complex data structures) | Multi-Value (device-centric model) |
| Multi-model Support | Metrics, Logs & Traces in one database | Time-series metrics only |
| Query Languages | SQL & PromQL (dual interface) | SQL (no PromQL or OpenTelemetry support) |
| Ingestion Protocols | SQL gRPC InfluxDB Line Protocol Prometheus Remote Storage OpenTelemetry Loki Push API Elasticsearch Bulk API HTTP API | IoTDB Protocol MQTT REST API CSV import |
| Data Retention | Flexible TTL policies with tiered storage | Flexible TTL policies with tiered storage |
| Continuous Aggregation | Built-in SQL aggregation, Pipeline ETL engine & Flow streaming computation | Continuous queries and downsampling |
| Deployment Complexity | Single system deployment | Single node or cluster deployment |
| Use Cases | Unified observability, real-time analytics, IoT monitoring, edge computing | Industrial IoT, smart cities, connected vehicles, sensor networks |
| Architecture | Cloud-native distributed with compute-storage disaggregation | Supports both hierarchical and table model architectures |
| Storage Format | Apache Parquet (columnar, compressed) | TsFile (open-source custom format, not widely adopted outside IoTDB) |
| Storage Scalability | Object storage integration with unlimited capacity | Local storage with multi-level tiering |
| High Availability | Native clustering with automatic failover | Native clustering with automatic failover |
| License | Apache 2.0 | Apache 2.0 |
| Written Language | Rust (memory safety, performance) | Java (ecosystem compatibility) |
| Deployment Options | Single-node, cluster, Kubernetes-native, edge-to-cloud with unified API | Standalone, cluster, edge nodes with sync |
| Operational Complexity | Single unified system with simplified Kubernetes operations | Moderate complexity for IoT-specific deployments |
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