FaunaDB vs SurrealDB
Both are multiple databases queried with GraphQL. FaunaDB (2016, Apache-2.0, Scala) ranks #61 this month; SurrealDB (2022-07, BUSL-1.1, Rust) ranks #8. They differ on 17 of 46 surveyed features.
| Attribute | FaunaDB | SurrealDB |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Rank | #61 | #8 |
| Score | 44.9 | 65.8 |
| GitHub stars | — | 33.2k |
| Popularity | 49.9 | 74.2 |
| Activity | 45.7 | 63.3 |
| Community | 34.7 | 66.7 |
| Research | 50.0 | 52.2 |
| Fundamentals | ||
| Description | A distributed multi-model database with document and graph capabilities, accessed via its custom Fauna Query Language (FQL). Supported ACID transactions and global distribution. Service was shut down in 2025. | A multi-model database written in Rust that combines document, graph, and relational paradigms. Uses inter-document record links for graph traversals, with ACID transactions and row-level permissions. |
| Vendor | Fauna Inc | SurrealDB |
| Model | Multiple | Multiple |
| Kind | database | database |
| Category | Emerging | Growing |
| First released | 2016 | 2022-07 |
| Status | deprecated — Service shut down in 2025. | active |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BUSL-1.1 |
| Written in | Scala | Rust |
| Query languages | FQL, GraphQL | SurrealQL, GraphQL, GQL |
| gdotv support | no | no |
Feature scores 17 of 46 rows differ
| Feature | FaunaDB | SurrealDB |
|---|---|---|
| Community & Business | ||
| Active development | · | ✓ |
| Commercial support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live community | · | 0.75 |
| Open Source | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Pricing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trendiness | ✓ | ✓ |
| Deployment | ||
| Containerization | ✓ | ✓ |
| Work as dedicated instance | ✓ | ✓ |
| Work as embedded | · | ✓ |
| Testing in-memory version | · | ✓ |
| Platform | ||
| Operating on Linux | ✓ | ✓ |
| Operating on Windows | · | ✓ |
| SaaS offering | ✓ | ✓ |
| Operations | ||
| Automatic updates | · | · |
| Client side caching | · | · |
| Data versioning support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live backups | ✓ | · |
| Distribution | ||
| Cluster Re-balancing | · | ✓ |
| Data Distribution | ✓ | ✓ |
| High-Availability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Query Distribution | ✓ | ✓ |
| Replication support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Developer Experience | ||
| Data types defined | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Logging/Auditing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Object-Graph Mapper | · | ✓ |
| Reactive programming | · | ✓ |
| Documentation up-to-date | ✓ | ✓ |
| Binary protocol | · | ✓ |
| CLI | ✓ | ✓ |
| GUI | · | ✓ |
| Data Model | ||
| Multi-database | · | ✓ |
| Graph-native data | ✓ | ✓ |
| REST API | · | ✓ |
| Query Language | ✓ | ✓ |
| Transactions | ||
| Granular locking | · | · |
| Multiple isolation levels | · | 0.5 |
| Read committed transaction | · | ✓ |
| Transaction support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schema & Security | ||
| Constraints | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schema support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Secondary indexes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Server side procedures | ✓ | ✓ |
| Triggers | · | ✓ |
| Authentication | ✓ | ✓ |
| Authorization | ✓ | ✓ |
| Data encryption | · | 0.5 |
Links
- FaunaDB · website · full profile
- SurrealDB · website · github · full profile