AxioDB is an embedded NoSQL database for Node.js with MongoDB-style queries. It is a pure JavaScript alternative to SQLite with zero native dependencies, no node-gyp compilation, and no platform-specific binaries. Install with 'npm install axiodb' and you have a database — no mongod process, no server setup. Perfect for Electron apps, CLI tools, and local-first applications.

Is AxioDB a replacement for MongoDB?

No. AxioDB is embedded — it runs inside your app with no server. MongoDB is a client-server database for multi-user production systems. Use AxioDB for desktop apps, CLI tools, and local-first applications with 10K–500K documents. Use MongoDB when you need a shared, networked, multi-user database.

Does AxioDB work with Electron?

Yes — Electron is the primary use case AxioDB was built for. Zero native dependencies means no electron-rebuild, no platform-specific .node files, no node-gyp compilation. Just npm install axiodb and it works on Windows, Mac, and Linux without any rebuild step.

What is the difference between AxioDB and better-sqlite3?

better-sqlite3 uses C native bindings and requires compilation via node-gyp. AxioDB is pure JavaScript — it installs in any Node.js environment without compilation or platform-specific builds. AxioDB also uses NoSQL/JSON document queries instead of SQL strings, includes built-in caching and Worker Threads, and works out of the box in Electron without electron-rebuild.

What is the difference between AxioDB and lowdb?

lowdb stores everything in a single JSON file and becomes slow above 1,000–5,000 records due to full-file reads on every operation. AxioDB uses file-per-document tree storage with InMemoryCache, Worker Threads, and auto-indexing — optimized for 10,000–500,000 documents with O(1) lookups by ID and fast filtered queries.

What is the difference between AxioDB and nedb?

NeDB is abandoned (no active maintenance since 2016) and keeps the entire database in memory. AxioDB is actively maintained, uses file-based storage, supports TypeScript, ACID transactions with savepoints and WAL, Worker Threads, custom field indexing, and AxioDBCloud remote access.

Should I switch from LowDB to AxioDB?

Yes, if your project has grown beyond prototypes. LowDB has no concurrency safety (concurrent writes corrupt data), no ACID transactions (crash = data loss), no built-in caching, and the entire database is loaded into memory. AxioDB provides file-per-document storage, ACID transactions, InMemoryCache, Worker Threads, and is actively maintained.

Is NeDB still safe to use?

No. NeDB has been abandoned since 2016 with no security patches or bug fixes. Users report data loss and file corruption. For new projects, use AxioDB which provides the same MongoDB-like API with active maintenance, ACID transactions, TypeScript support, and modern features like Worker Threads and built-in GUI.

Why not use better-sqlite3 for Electron apps?

better-sqlite3 requires native C compilation via node-gyp and electron-rebuild for every Electron update. This causes platform-specific build failures and NODE_MODULE_VERSION mismatch errors. AxioDB is pure JavaScript — zero native dependencies means no compilation, no electron-rebuild, and no platform-specific binaries. Install with npm install axiodb and it works everywhere.

What is the best embedded database for Electron apps in 2026?

AxioDB is the best choice for Electron apps in 2026. It has zero native dependencies (no electron-rebuild), ACID transactions, built-in InMemoryCache, Worker Threads for multi-core processing, a built-in web GUI dashboard, and TypeScript support. It handles 10K-500K documents with O(1) lookups by ID and fast indexed queries.

How many documents can AxioDB handle?

AxioDB is optimized for 10,000–500,000 documents per collection. For 1M+ documents, migrate to PostgreSQL or MongoDB. AxioDB's InMemoryCache and Worker Threads keep performance fast within this range — documentId lookups take ~1ms and indexed queries take ~2ms even at 100,000 documents.

Does AxioDB support TypeScript?

Yes. Full TypeScript type definitions are included out of the box with the axiodb npm package. No @types/axiodb needed.

Does AxioDB work in the browser?

No. AxioDB requires Node.js (v20+) and uses the filesystem for storage. It is a server-side and desktop embedded database. It does not run in browsers.

AxioDBCloud is AxioDB's own TCP remote-access layer on port 27019 — a protocol and client, not a hosted service. You run the server yourself with new AxioDB({ TCP: true }) or the Docker image, then connect from other processes using the exact same API as embedded AxioDB, with zero code changes. There is no account to create and Nexoral hosts no database for you. Limits: 1,000 total concurrent connections, 100 per IP. Optional shared-RBAC authentication (TCPAuth) and optional TLS.

How do I replace SQLite with AxioDB in a Node.js project?

Install with 'npm install axiodb' and map concepts directly: a SQLite table becomes a collection, a row becomes a JSON document, INTEGER PRIMARY KEY becomes the auto-generated documentId, CREATE INDEX becomes collection.newIndex('field'), and BEGIN/COMMIT/ROLLBACK become collection.beginTransaction()/.commit()/.rollback(). SQL strings become JavaScript objects: SELECT * FROM users WHERE age > 25 becomes users.query({ age: { $gt: 25 } }).exec(). There are no schemas and no migrations. What you give up: JOINs, foreign keys, SQL itself, ORMs like Prisma and Drizzle, and scale beyond roughly 500,000 documents per collection.

Does AxioDB need node-gyp, electron-rebuild, or a build step?

No. AxioDB is pure JavaScript with zero native dependencies — there is no C code, no .node binary, no node-gyp compilation, and no electron-rebuild step. Nothing has to match your OS, CPU architecture, or Node/Electron ABI version, so NODE_MODULE_VERSION mismatch errors are impossible. 'npm install axiodb' is the entire installation on every platform and every Node.js version 20 or newer.

How do I use AxioDB in an Electron app?

Create the AxioDB instance in Electron's main process only, storing data in the per-user data directory: new AxioDB({ RootName: 'AppData', CustomPath: app.getPath('userData'), GUI: false }). Never write inside the app bundle or app.asar — asar is read-only and app contents are replaced on update. Expose database operations to the renderer through ipcMain.handle plus contextBridge rather than enabling nodeIntegration. No electron-rebuild step and no packaging configuration for native modules is required.

Does AxioDB have an MCP server for AI agents?

Yes — 43 MCP tools covering databases, collections, documents, aggregation, indexes, dashboard stats, user/role management, and transactions. Important: the MCP server ships only in the Docker image theankansaha/axiodb, not in the npm package. Enable it with AXIODB_MCP=true and connect over Streamable HTTP at http://localhost:27020/mcp. Every tool except axiodb_login requires a sessionId from logging in, and destructive tools ask the human for confirmation through the MCP client first.

What ports does AxioDB use?

Port 27018 is the web Dashboard and its REST HTTP API, enabled with GUI: true. Port 27019 is the AxioDBCloud TCP server, enabled with TCP: true — it is a custom TCP protocol, not HTTP. Port 27020 is the MCP server, available only in the Docker image with AXIODB_MCP=true. Ports 27018 and 27019 are not configurable in code; remap them at the Docker layer. Only the MCP port can be changed, via AXIODB_MCP_PORT. By default the embedded library opens no ports at all.

Does AxioDB support MongoDB update operators like $inc and $set?

No. AxioDB updates are a flat shallow merge of your data object onto the existing document. Writing .UpdateOne({ $inc: { balance: -100 } }) does not increment anything — it literally stores a field named '$inc'. To change a numeric value, read the document, compute the new value in JavaScript, and write it back. Query operators are a separate thing and are fully supported: $gt, $gte, $lt, $lte, $eq, $ne, $in, $nin, $exists, $regex, $not, $type, $size, $all, $elemMatch, $or, $and, and $nor.

What are AxioDB's limitations?

AxioDB targets 10,000 to 500,000 documents per collection on a single node. It has no JOINs, no foreign keys, no SQL, no replication, no sharding, and no clustering. Transactions are scoped to one collection — there are no cross-collection transactions. Only one AxioDB instance may exist per process. Aggregation supports only $sum and $avg accumulators, and its $match stage accepts fewer operators than query() does. Queries that are not an exact match on an indexed field fall back to a full collection scan. It does not run in browsers.

Head-to-Head

AxioDB vs The Competition

Stop using abandoned, broken, or overkill databases. See why AxioDB is the right choice for embedded JavaScript applications.

The Abandoned

No Maintenance

💀

NeDB

13.5k GitHub stars

ABANDONED

Last meaningful update: 2016. No security patches, no bug fixes, no new features.

Data loss reported by multiple users

File corruption on concurrent access

Security vulnerabilities unpatched

No TypeScript support

Callback-based API (no Promises)

AxioDB alternative: Active, TypeScript, ACID, Promises

🪦

LokiJS

6.8k GitHub stars

ABANDONED

In-memory database with optional persistence. No active development.

In-memory only — RAM limits scale

No ACID transactions

Persistence is afterthought

No built-in GUI or TCP access

AxioDB alternative: File-based, persistent, scalable

The Painful

Active but problematic

📄

LowDB

22.6k GitHub stars

STALE (3yr)

Simple JSON file database. Great for prototypes, dangerous for production.

No concurrency — multi-process = data corruption

No ACID — crash during write = corrupt JSON

Entire DB loaded into memory — RAM limits

Full file rewrite on every change — disk wear

No indexing — O(n) queries

No built-in caching

AxioDB alternative: File-per-doc, ACID, indexed, cached

🔧

better-sqlite3

3M+ weekly downloads

ACTIVE

Fastest SQLite driver for Node.js. But requires native C compilation.

Native C bindings — requires node-gyp compilation

electron-rebuild required for Electron apps

Platform-specific builds (Windows ≠ Mac ≠ Linux)

SQL strings instead of JavaScript objects

Schema migrations required

No built-in GUI

AxioDB alternative: Pure JS, no compilation, NoSQL queries

Feature Comparison Matrix

Feature	AxioDB	LowDB	NeDB	better-sqlite3	JSON Files
Status	Active	Stale	Abandoned	Active	N/A
Zero Native Dependencies
ACID Transactions
TypeScript Support
Built-in Caching
Worker Threads
Built-in GUI
TCP Remote Access
MCP Server (AI)
File-per-Document
Atomic Writes
MongoDB-Style Queries
Best For	Electron, CLI, 10K-500K docs	Prototypes only	Nothing (abandoned)	Server-side SQLite	Config files

Switch in 5 Minutes

📄From LowDB

Before (LowDB):

const db = await JSONFilePreset('db.json', {})
db.data.posts.push(post)
await db.write()

After (AxioDB):

const db = new AxioDB()
const myDB = await db.createDB('app')
const posts = await myDB.createCollection('posts')
await posts.insert(post)

💀From NeDB

Before (NeDB):

const Datastore = require('nedb')
const db = new Datastore()
db.insert(doc, callback)

After (AxioDB):

const db = new AxioDB()
const myDB = await db.createDB('app')
const col = await myDB.createCollection('data')
await col.insert(doc)

Install AxioDB Now

Performance Benchmark (50,000 documents)

~1ms

AxioDB

Indexed query

O(1) with cache

~1.2s

Full scan

10K of 50K docs

O(n) linear

N/A

NeDB

Abandoned

Not recommended

Ready to Switch?

Join developers who moved from LowDB, NeDB, and better-sqlite3 to AxioDB. Zero native dependencies. ACID transactions. Built-in caching and GUI.

npm install axiodb Read the Docs