Doc databases are an more and more vital sort of know-how within the age of AI.
A doc database is a kind of NoSQL database that doesn’t depend on rows and columns like a conventional relational database, as an alternative utilizing JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format. There are a number of distributors that develop doc databases together with MongoDB, which is now a closed supply know-how. In an effort to open up the market, Microsoft started growing its personal doc database often known as DocumentDB and made it open supply in January of this yr. This week, DocumentDB is transferring to the Linux Basis the place it additionally gained assist from Microsoft AWS and cloud rival Google.
The transfer creates the primary open supply various to MongoDB that has the potential to avoid wasting enterprises cash, whereas additionally eliminating database vendor lock-in. Doc databases are vital for AI purposes for duties similar to chat, context and reminiscence.
"AI purposes are all about semi-structured information and doc databases are purpose-built for it," Kirill Gavrylyuk, vice chairman at Microsoft and principal architect of DocumentDB, instructed VentureBeat "However there isn’t any commonplace open supply engine for doc databases, like PostgreSQL is for relational databases."
Ship on the promise of the Linux Basis’s open supply documentation database
Microsoft initially launched the open-source DocumentDB undertaking in January 2025.
The undertaking was hosted at Microsoft org on GitHub and generated numerous business curiosity in the course of the yr. Having an open supply undertaking is not nearly code or licensing, it is also about contributions and neighborhood.
"Beneath the governance of the Linux Basis, DocumentDB will profit from vendor neutrality and broader collaboration," Gavrylyuk stated.
Microsoft would not simply throw away code both. Gavrylyuk emphasised that Microsoft will proceed to speculate closely within the undertaking and can proceed to have robust illustration on the Technical Steering Committee to assist form the undertaking’s imaginative and prescient and plan.
"By becoming a member of the Linux Basis, a impartial basis, we intention to be extra inviting to the developer neighborhood to contribute and form the path of the undertaking," Gavrylyuk stated. "As well as, via the Linux Basis, we need to give the developer neighborhood an assurance that this undertaking is right here to remain, open supply, and can proceed to maneuver ahead."
What’s inside DocumentDB and why it issues to enterprise information professionals
Other than its open supply nature, there may be one other essential ingredient that makes the database notably enticing to enterprises. As a substitute of a wholly new database know-how, it’s based mostly on the open supply PostgreSQL database.
PostgreSQL has emerged as some of the extensively deployed open supply databases of all time and has discovered new adoption within the AI period. DocumentDB features a PostgreSQL extension that brings first-class BSON (binary JSON) information sort assist to PostgreSQL. It additionally integrates an extension that provides doc model question assist to PostgreSQL and index administration. The PostgreSQL base signifies that enterprises can profit from PostgreSQL’s mature ecosystem of instruments, monitoring methods and backup options. The PostgreSQL basis additionally supplies ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation and Sturdiness) compliance and confirmed replication capabilities that handle enterprise information consistency issues.
DocumentDB additionally has a gateway that makes the database appropriate with open supply MongoDB drivers for any language. Gavrylyuk famous that Doc DB doesn’t but have full compatibility with every little thing in MongoDB, however there may be extra work to come back.
"Full compatibility with the MongoDB driver is a crucial aim of the undertaking as mirrored within the Linux Basis DocumentDB constitution," he stated. "This coupled with true open supply vendor governance of the undertaking will assist the broader doc database ecosystem thrive, benefiting everybody within the ecosystem, together with MongoDB Inc."
Simply to be clear, Amazon DocumentDB will not be the identical factor
Whereas Amazon is among the many supporters of the brand new Linux Basis DocumentDB undertaking, it truly already has its personal DocumentDB database.
Amazon DocumentDB’s database is forward of the Microsoft-led know-how, first introduced in 2019. Amazon DocumentDB lately debuted a free service aimed toward accelerating AI brokers.
Whereas the DocumentDB undertaking, managed by the Linux Basis, has an identical identify to Amazon DocumentDB, it makes use of completely different software program beneath the hood.
"Amazon DocumentDB is a MongoDB API-compatible doc database constructed by AWS," Rashim Gupta, Sr. Supervisor, Product Administration at AWS, instructed VentureBeat. "The Linux Basis Challenge, however, whereas additionally MongoDB appropriate, makes use of an open supply engine constructed as an extension on PostgreSQL. This can be a completely different engine than the one utilized in Amazon DocumentDB."
Gupta famous that AWS will proceed to spend money on each Amazon DocumentDB and open supply DocumentDB simply because it invests in Amazon OpenSearch Companies and the OpenSearch neighborhood. Shifting ahead, he stated AWS will start contributing Amazon DocumentDB improvements to open supply initiatives and adopting options and capabilities from the open supply DocumentDB engine into its Amazon DocumentDB managed companies over time.
AI workloads trigger pressing want for database alternate options
The distribution displays rising enterprise demand for doc databases to energy AI purposes.
The undertaking already incorporates Microsoft Analysis DiskANN (Disk Approximate Nearest Neighbor) indexing vector algorithms and semantic operators developed for PostgreSQL’s AI capabilities.
This offers DocumentDB speedy aggressive benefit for AI workloads whereas avoiding the licensing prices that may probably make proprietary alternate options costly for data-intensive purposes.
“Microsoft invests closely in open supply AI contributions throughout the board," Gavrylyuk stated. "We’re investing in AI capabilities in DocumentDB and the broader PostgreSQL ecosystem with precedence."
What this implies for enterprise information groups
For enterprises in search of to scale back database vendor dependency, DocumentDB supplies a strategic hedge in opposition to the potential of proprietary, closed-source applied sciences. IT leaders ought to start evaluating DocumentDB in improvement environments to know the complexity of migration for particular workloads.
Organizations creating new AI purposes have the chance to architect round DocumentDB from the beginning, avoiding the potential of closed supply know-how solely whereas gaining PostgreSQL’s confirmed enterprise reliability and ecosystem advantages.
For enterprises main the way in which in AI, this information means entry to cutting-edge database capabilities with out the danger of vendor lock-in that has traditionally constrained database technique selections.
