Fluree DB

Overview

Fluree Core stores RDF triples, maintains a complete temporal history and combines graph queries, search and policy enforcement in one static binary. Each transaction is cryptographically signed and appended to an immutable ledger, leaving past states available for queries. That makes Fluree especially relevant when an application must preserve how data changed, not just serve its latest version.

Its policies can use attributes, roles or relationships, and apply to individual triples at query time. This gives teams precise control within the data model, while making policy design part of the application architecture. Fluree also supports SPARQL 1.1, reasoning, RDF-star and federated queries, and is built on W3C standards including JSON-LD, RDF, SPARQL, OWL and SHACL.

Key features

• Ledger-backed history: Signed transactions and queryable temporal data support provenance and historical analysis without separating the ledger from the graph database.
• Granular policies: Attribute-, role- and relationship-based rules evaluated per triple suit applications with varied access needs. Teams should weigh that control against the work of designing and maintaining policies.
• Graph plus search: Full-text and vector search sit alongside graph data and time travel, bringing these query needs into one system.
• Integration and interfaces: Connectors span databases, business applications and analytics systems, including PostgreSQL, Salesforce, Snowflake and BigQuery. Developers can use SPARQL, FlureeQL, REST, MCP configuration, LangChain or LlamaIndex, with official JavaScript/TypeScript, Python and Java SDKs.
• Deployment and operations: A static binary without a JVM or external dependencies can run through Docker, Homebrew, shell installation, PowerShell or a source build. Managed deployments use TLS 1.2+ in transit and AES-256 at rest, with customer-managed keys through AWS, Google Cloud and Azure key-management services.
• Audit and compliance: Queries, mutations and policy evaluations enter a tamper-evident log. Enterprise plans can integrate Splunk, Datadog and Elastic. Fluree says its architecture supports SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA under a BAA on Enterprise plans, and GDPR/UK GDPR through EU data residency; SOC 2 Type II attestation is in progress for Q3 2026. Vulnerability reports receive a response within one business day.

Pricing

Fluree lists two free entry points and an Enterprise plan with custom pricing. Free access lowers the barrier to evaluating the software, but the license terms matter: Fluree is available under the Business Source License 1.1, and commercial licensing details require contacting Fluree.

• FlureeDB Open Source: 0.00 USD per free, billed Free. Includes open source on GitHub, native JSON-LD and SPARQL, and local or self-hosted use. This suits developers who want to run the database themselves; it does not include the Enterprise deployment and support package.
• Fluree AI: 0.00 USD per free, billed $0 to start. Includes a free fuel allowance, with fuel covering tokens, storage and compute, plus 300+ connectors, MCP and API access. The free allowance is the stated starting point; no fuel quantity is given.
• Enterprise: Custom pricing. Includes Fluree Sense, CAM and ITM, licensed FlureeDB deployments, single-tenant AWS and private deployment, SSO, SLAs and enterprise support. It is aimed at organizations that need managed or private deployment and formal support; the price is determined by custom quote.

Platforms

Fluree supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows environments. Its single-binary packaging and multiple installation routes offer deployment flexibility, particularly for teams that want to operate the database themselves.

Who it's for

Fluree is best suited to teams building applications where graph relationships, historical queries and detailed data-access rules all matter. Its standards support and broad connectors can help fit it into an existing data stack. It is a less natural choice for buyers seeking a conventional open-source license for commercial deployment or who do not need ledger history and per-triple policy controls.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Signed, immutable transaction history keeps provenance queryable alongside current graph data.
• Pro: Triple-level policy evaluation combines attribute-, role- and relationship-based access rules.
• Pro: Search, standards-based graph queries and a wide connector set reduce the need to split those capabilities across tools.
• Con: The Business Source License 1.1 means commercial adopters should clarify licensing before committing.
• Con: Enterprise features require custom pricing, so organizations needing private deployment, SLAs or enterprise support must seek a quote.

Alternatives

For other RDF database options, see RDF Databases. Eclipse RDF4J is a free open-source Java framework, though its latest release requires Java 25 or newer. GraphDB offers a free tier with one parallel query and five repositories, but GraphDB 11+ requires a free license. QLever is free open-source software under Apache 2.0. RDFox offers a free 30-day evaluation license for non-commercial use, with a separate commercial license. Stardog has a renewable one-year free license capped at one million stored edges and three databases, with community support and no high availability. Tentris has a free community plan with single-core licensing, in-memory storage, community support, SPARQL 1.1 and RDF 1.1, and transactions. Apache Jena Fuseki is a free, self-hosted server under Apache License 2.0. Parliament is free BSD 3-Clause open-source software.

Verdict

Choose Fluree DB if your application needs graph data with queryable provenance, integrated search and policies enforced down to individual triples. Those capabilities make it a distinctive fit for data-rich, access-sensitive systems. Look elsewhere if a permissive commercial license or a published Enterprise price is essential to your decision.