Pebble

Self-hosted

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Freedom report

One barScore 5.3

Free tierNo free tier on record
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely0 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

Pebble is ranked #21 of 31 in embedded databases on Freedom251. It runs on Self-hosted.

Compared on embedded databases

Supported platforms: Go applications
Database model: key-value
Query interface: api

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The record

Product: Pebble is a LevelDB/RocksDB-inspired key-value store written in Go and focused on performance and internal use by CockroachDB.
License: The repository includes a BSD-3-Clause license.
Features: The project lists checkpoints, indexed batches, level-based and manual compaction, snapshots, SSTable ingestion, prefix iteration, and range deletion tombstones among its features.
Performance: The project describes faster reverse iteration and a faster commit pipeline with better concurrency as improvements over RocksDB.
Production use: The README says Pebble became CockroachDB’s default storage engine in CockroachDB v20.2, released in November 2020, and is used in production at scale.
Intended use: Pebble targets the use case and feature set CockroachDB needs rather than aiming to include every RocksDB feature.
Limitations: Pebble does not implement several RocksDB features, including backups, column families, transactions, and universal compaction.
Compatibility warning: The README warns that using Pebble with a RocksDB database that relies on unsupported features may silently corrupt data or behave incorrectly.
RocksDB compatibility: Pebble v1 may open databases generated by RocksDB 6.2.1 subject to documented caveats, while Pebble v2 and newer do not support opening RocksDB-generated databases.
Format upgrades: Pebble format major version upgrades are permanent and cannot be reverted to an earlier format.
Integration: The README provides a Go example that imports github.com/cockroachdb/pebble and opens a local database.
Security and support: The repository README does not state security certifications or a support offering.

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Embedded Databases in 2026#21 of 31

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Sources

github.com/cockroachdb/pebble· checked 4 Oct 2026