Apache IoTDB

Free plan Open source APILinuxMacSelf-hostedWebWindows

What Apache IoTDB is

Apache IoTDB is an open-source industrial IoT time-series database for collecting, storing, managing and analyzing device data across edge and cloud environments. The project says it supports high-speed writes for millions of networked devices and fast reads. Query features include aligning time across devices and sensors, time-series computation and time-dimension aggregation. The homepage states disk storage can cost less than $0.23 per GB. Deployment options include cloud installation, a desktop terminal tool and synchronization between cloud and on-premise machines. Named analysis integrations include Hadoop, Spark, Flink and Grafana. Data can be ingested through IoTDB-SQL, JDBC, native APIs for Java, C++, Python and Go, REST, MQTT, CSV or TsFile. The REST service is disabled by default and uses Basic Authentication except for the health check. Access permissions use users, roles and privileges. The project identifies use in energy, aerospace, transportation, steel and other IoT scenarios, and points users to community channels and a developer mailing list for help.

Who it suits

Apache IoTDB suits teams managing time-series data from networked devices across edge and cloud deployments. Its listed scenarios include energy, aerospace, transportation and steel.

What it does well

Open-source database with downloadable binaries and source.
Supports SQL and multiple ingestion methods.
Offers time alignment and time-series computation.
Documents data and cluster access permissions.

What to know first

REST service is disabled by default.
JDBC inserts may not provide high-performance writing.
Version 1.0 changed SQL syntax conventions.
UDFs need changes for the separated API module.

Limits

The plan is free. The project notes JDBC insert operations may not deliver high-performance writing; its download page also notes SQL syntax changes in version 1.0 and required UDF code changes for the separated API module.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Apache IoTDB	Open source time-series database; downloadable binaries and source	Free
Apache IoTDB Community	Software generally available free of charge · community mailing-list support is voluntary · no SLA or guaranteed response	Free

As iotdb.apache.org lists them, read 4 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit the Apache IoTDB website.
Choose a deployment approach such as cloud installation or the desktop terminal tool.
Download an All-in-one or Edge binary, or a source archive.
Connect data through a supported SQL, API, REST, MQTT, CSV, or TsFile route.
Configure users, roles, and privileges for data and cluster access.

Verdict

Apache IoTDB provides a range of ingestion paths, query features and deployment options for IoT time-series data. For Java applications where write performance matters, its documentation recommends the Java Native API rather than JDBC inserts.

Questions

How much does Apache IoTDB cost?

The listed Apache IoTDB plan is free, and the project is open source.

Which platforms are listed?

The listed platforms are API, Linux, self-hosted, web, and Windows.

Which query languages does it support?

The listed query languages are IoTDB-SQL, Tree Mode SQL, and Table Mode SQL.

How can data be ingested?

Listed methods include INSERT SQL, Java JDBC, Java, C++, Python, and Go native APIs, REST, MQTT, CSV, and TsFile.

Does it integrate with analytics tools?

The homepage names Hadoop, Spark, Flink, and Grafana as examples. The download page lists a Grafana connector and plugin for listed releases.

What is the JDBC limitation?

The JDBC documentation says insert operations may not achieve high-performance writing and recommends the Java Native API for Java applications.

Facts from Apache IoTDB's own pages

Access control: IoTDB supports users, roles and path-scoped privileges such as READ, WRITE and SECURITY, with authentication by username and password. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
APIs: Documented interfaces include Java, Python, C, C++, C#, Go, Node.js, Rust, JDBC, MQTT and REST APIs. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Availability and scaling: Official documentation describes a distributed architecture with high availability, automatic load balancing and heterogeneous cluster support. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
C API: A C wrapper around the C++ Session SDK was added in version 2.0.10 and has precompiled Linux, macOS and Windows packages. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Community status: Apache board minutes dated June 17, 2026 describe IoTDB as ongoing with high activity and note trademark issues under discussion. · apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Company profile: LinkedIn lists Apache IoTDB as a nonprofit software-development organization founded in 2017, headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, with 51–200 employees. · linkedin.com, 14 Oct 2026
Compatibility limit: The download page notes that version 1.0 changed SQL syntax conventions and that implemented UDFs need code changes to work with the separated UDF API module. · iotdb.apache.org, 4 Oct 2026
Compression: IoTDB uses compressed disk storage and is marketed as reducing hardware storage cost. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Deployment: The project describes cloud installation, a desktop terminal tool, and a data synchronization tool connecting cloud and on-premise machines. · iotdb.apache.org, 4 Oct 2026
Documentation depth: The user guide spans quick start, deployment, basic and advanced functions, AI, tools, APIs, integrations, SQL, technical internals, reference and FAQ sections. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Downloads: The download page lists All-in-one and Edge binaries, source archives, and a Grafana connector and plugin for listed releases. · iotdb.apache.org, 4 Oct 2026
Edge deployment: IoTDB supports terminal or edge deployment, cloud deployment and synchronization between terminal and cloud instances. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Foundation headquarters: The Apache Software Foundation lists its mailing address in Wilmington, Delaware. · apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Go SDK: The Go client offers Session and SessionPool APIs and documents Go 1.13+, Make, cURL and Thrift prerequisites. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Hierarchical model: Its measurement-point organization follows industrial device hierarchies and supports directory browsing and search. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
High throughput: The product is designed for high-speed ingestion from millions of devices, including out-of-order and multi-frequency data. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Independent history: The project began as a Tsinghua University research project, entered the Apache Incubator in November 2018 and became an Apache top-level project in September 2020. · news.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Independent technical description: Wikipedia describes IoTDB as a Java-based, column-oriented, open-source time-series database and records its 2020 promotion to an Apache top-level project. · en.wikipedia.org, 14 Oct 2026
Installation package: The all-in-one package contains configuration, data, libraries, scripts, tools, plugin directories, licenses, notices and release notes. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Integrations: Documented integrations include Telegraf, NiFi, Kafka, Flink, Spark, Zeppelin, Grafana, DataEase, DBeaver and ThingsBoard. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
Intended scenarios: The homepage describes use in energy and power, aerospace, transportation, steel and metallurgy, and IoT scenarios. · iotdb.apache.org, 4 Oct 2026
Java SDK: The Java native driver supplies session-pool support and Maven dependency coordinates, with JDK 17 or newer required for current releases. · iotdb.apache.org, 14 Oct 2026
JDBC limitation: The JDBC documentation says JDBC insert operations may not achieve high-performance writing and recommends the Java Native API for Java applications. · iotdb.apache.org, 4 Oct 2026
Licence: The source repository is distributed under the permissive Apache License 2.0. · github.com, 14 Oct 2026