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, AES-256 encryption, custom field indexing, and AxioDBCloud remote access.

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 on 10,000 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 a TCP-based remote access layer for AxioDB. Deploy AxioDB in Docker or Cloud, then connect from multiple clients using the exact same API as embedded AxioDB — zero code changes. Supports 1,000+ concurrent connections, auto-reconnect with exponential backoff, and heartbeat monitoring.

Limitations & Scale Considerations

Understanding AxioDB's design scope

AxioDB is designed for embedded applications with 10K-500K documents. For different requirements, consider these alternatives.

Scale & Performance Boundaries

Dataset Size: Optimized for 10K-500K documents. For 10M+ documents, use PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or SQLite which are designed for massive scale.
Concurrency: Single-instance architecture. For multi-user web applications with hundreds of concurrent connections, use traditional client-server databases.
Relational Data: Document-based NoSQL architecture. No JOIN operations. For complex relational data with foreign keys and constraints, use SQL databases.
Distributed Systems: Single-node only. No replication, no sharding, no clustering. For distributed systems, use MongoDB or CouchDB.
Transactions: No ACID transactions across multiple collections. For transaction requirements, use PostgreSQL or MongoDB with transactions enabled.

When to Use AxioDB: Desktop apps, CLI tools, embedded systems, prototyping, and local-first applications with moderate data needs. Think SQLite-scale with MongoDB-style queries and built-in caching.