head to head · open source
DBeaver vs spicedb
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars, 4,372 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped yesterday. spicedb has 7,071 stars, 421 forks, 157 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 633% (51,797 vs 7,071 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; spicedb is written in Go under Apache-2.0. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, spicedb 6%. 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 | spicedb | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 7.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 421 |
| 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 spicedb if
- You want the spicedb feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and spicedb 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 spicedb
SpiceDB is an open source, Google Zanzibar inspired database written in Go that stores and queries fine grained authorization data, and it is built for platform and product teams that need a reliable answer to whether subject X can perform action Y on resource Z.
read the full spicedb overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or spicedb more popular?
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars and spicedb has 7,071. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and spicedb free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and spicedb under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and spicedb?
DBeaver is written in Java and spicedb in Go. 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 spicedb?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,797 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose spicedb if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.