head to head · open source
DBeaver vs orbitdb
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars, 4,372 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. orbitdb has 8,808 stars, 595 forks, 25 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 488% (51,797 vs 8,808 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; orbitdb is written in JavaScript under MIT. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, orbitdb 7%. DBeaver was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (database), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| DBeaver | orbitdb | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 8.8K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-05-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 595 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick DBeaver if
- You weight community size — 52K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick orbitdb if
- You want the orbitdb feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and orbitdb fits your workflow better
About DBeaver
DBeaver is a free, multi platform database management tool built in Java, designed for developers, SQL programmers, database administrators, and analysts. It operates across Windows, macOS, and Linux and integrates with the Eclipse based plugin ecosystem via OSGi and Eclipse RCP frameworks.
read the full DBeaver overview →
About orbitdb
OrbitDB is a serverless, distributed, peer to peer database for the decentralized web that stores its data in IPFS and syncs it with peers over Libp2p Pubsub, and it is aimed at developers building decentralized, blockchain, and local first applications in JavaScript.
read the full orbitdb overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or orbitdb more popular?
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars and orbitdb has 8,808. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and orbitdb free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and orbitdb under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and orbitdb?
DBeaver is written in Java and orbitdb in JavaScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, DBeaver or orbitdb?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,797 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose orbitdb if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.