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.

NEWAxioDB Control•Linux · macOS · Windows

AxioDB Control GUI

The official cross-platform desktop application for AxioDB. Connect to local and remote databases, inspect collections with card-based document views, monitor live latency, run MongoDB-style queries, and stream database backups.

Electron Native Shell

Embedded AxioDB Storage

10s Live Health Ping

Card Document Viewer

Binary tar.gz Export

Download Installer Electron Source

Connects to AxioDB HTTP Control Server (Port 27018)

AxioDB Control operates over the HTTP Control API on port 27018. Ensure your server instance has GUI: true (or environment variable AXIODB_GUI=true) enabled. If RBAC authentication is activated, log in with your administrative or role credentials.

Installation

Install AxioDB Control directly using the universal installer script with CHOICE=2, or download the pre-built installer for your operating system.

Linux / macOS (One-Line Script)

bash

1curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nexoral/AxioDB/main/cli/Scripts/install.sh | CHOICE=2 bash

Windows (PowerShell)

powershell

1irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nexoral/AxioDB/main/cli/Scripts/install.ps1 | CHOICE=2 iex

Manual Debian / Ubuntu (.deb)

bash

1# Install on Debian / Ubuntu / Mint
2sudo dpkg -i axiodb-control_22.11.0_amd64.deb
3
4# Launch AxioDB Control
5axiodb-control

Manual Standalone AppImage (.AppImage)

bash

1# Make AppImage executable and launch
2chmod +x axiodb-control-22.11.0.AppImage
3./axiodb-control-22.11.0.AppImage

Direct GitHub Releases Downloads

Download the binary directly from GitHub Releases:

Platform	Format	Artifact Filename	Architecture
Linux (Debian / Ubuntu)	.deb package	axiodb-control_<version>_amd64.deb	x64, arm64
Linux (Universal)	.AppImage	axiodb-control-<version>.AppImage	x64, arm64
Windows (10 / 11)	NSIS Installer (.exe)	AxioDB-Control-Setup-<version>.exe	x64
macOS	App Bundle (.zip)	AxioDB.Control-<version>.zip	Intel & Apple Silicon

Local Storage Architecture

AxioDB Control uses an embedded instance of axiodb inside its Electron main process to store saved server connection profiles, user preferences, and UI states. Data is organized into append-only JSONL files with dual-write in-memory caching.

typescript

1// Inside Electron Main Process (main.cts):
2import { AxioDB } from "axiodb";
3import { app } from "electron";
4import path from "path";
5
6// AxioDB Control stores its own connection profiles & settings locally
7const dbPath = path.join(app.getPath("userData"), ".axiodb-control");
8const localDB = new AxioDB({
9  RootPath: dbPath,
10  RootName: ".axiodb-control",
11  InMemoryCache: true,
12});
13
14await localDB.init();

On-Disk Storage Locations

All connection profiles and settings are stored locally on your machine in the standard Electron user data directory:

Operating System	Local AxioDB Data Path	Managed Collections
Linux	~/.config/AxioDB Control/.axiodb-control/AppData/	connections, settings
Windows	%APPDATA%\AxioDB Control\.axiodb-control\AppData\	connections, settings
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/AxioDB Control/.axiodb-control/AppData/	connections, settings

Secure Credential Persistence

Connection passwords and tokens are preserved safely within your operating system user directory. Profiles are deduplicated by host:port:username, and password auto-fill triggers automatically when selecting a saved connection profile.

Key Features

Connection Hub & Auto-Fill

Manage multiple AxioDB server profiles across staging, development, and production. Select any profile to auto-populate the endpoint, port, username, and saved credentials. Cards feature visual "Password saved" badges and instant connection testing.

Live Health & Latency Ping

AxioDB Control executes an automatic 10-second background heartbeat to /api/health. Roundtrip latency (ms) is updated live in the titlebar and status bar with a pulsing green connection status indicator.

Card-Based Document Explorer

Every document is displayed as an individual card with #documentId header, structured field previews for the first 10 fields, and a "Show more" toggle to view large documents. Quick hover actions allow immediate Copy, Edit, and Delete.

Binary Database Export & Backup

Right-click any database in the sidebar to initiate a binary .tar.gz archive export. The app streams the compressed backup directly from the HTTP API to native system save dialogs with real-time spinner indicators.

Visual Query Console

Run MongoDB-style JSON queries with operators like $gt,$regex, and $in. Inspect matching documents, analyze query timings, and paginate results without external tooling.

Bouncy-Ball Splash Screen

Eliminates the initial white-flash typical in desktop Electron applications. A smooth bouncy-balls loader initializes the window seamlessly before presenting the dashboard interface.

Configuring the Server for GUI Access

To enable AxioDB Control GUI to connect to your AxioDB node, start the HTTP Control API by setting GUI: true:

typescript

1import { AxioDB } from "axiodb";
2
3// Enable HTTP Control API (default port 27018) for AxioDB Control GUI
4const db = new AxioDB({
5  GUI: true,             // Starts HTTP server on port 27018
6  Port: 27018,           // Default HTTP port
7  Auth: true,            // Enable RBAC authentication
8  AdminUser: "admin",    // Default admin username
9  AdminPassword: "your-secure-password",
10});
11
12await db.init();

CLI / Environment Variable Flag:

You can also activate the HTTP Control API via environment variables when running in Docker or systemd:

AXIODB_GUI=true AXIODB_AUTH=true AXIODB_ADMIN_USER=admin AXIODB_ADMIN_PASS=secret node server.js

Supported Platforms

AxioDB Control is compiled natively for modern 64-bit desktop operating systems:

Operating System	Supported Versions	Architectures	Distribution Package
Linux	Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, Fedora, Arch	x86_64 (amd64), aarch64 (arm64)	.deb, .AppImage
Windows	Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2019+	x86_64 (amd64)	NSIS Installer (.exe)
macOS	macOS 12 Monterey or later	Intel (x64) & Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)	Zip (.zip bundle)