HeliosDB comparisons set one HeliosDB edition against a named alternative, capability by capability, and state when the alternative is the better fit. HeliosDB Nano is compared with SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Supabase, Firebase and dedicated vector databases; HeliosDB Full with MongoDB, MinIO and MinIO AIStor; HeliosProxy with PgBouncer, Pgpool-II and Amazon RDS Proxy.
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Choose HeliosDB Nano when you want an embedded or single-binary engine that PostgreSQL and MySQL clients can reach, with vector search, branching and time travel built in; choose HeliosDB Full when you need a licensed server whose PostgreSQL, MySQL and Oracle listeners and HTTP gateway reach the same tables (clustering is planned); keep the alternative when its comparison's “When HeliosDB is not the right fit” list describes your requirements.
| Aspect | HeliosDB Nano | PostgreSQL + pgvector |
|---|---|---|
| Vector Search | Native HNSW + Product Quantization (default build) | Extension (no PQ) |
| Resident Vector RAM | Smaller with PQ codes (measured on fixtures) | Full vectors in RAM |
| Restart Behaviour | No rebuild with the opt-in vector-persist build | Survives, but warmup cost |
| Online Deletes | Neighbour repair (vector-persist) | Tombstones (recall rot) |
| Filtered KNN | In-traversal (vector-persist) | Post-filter top-k |
| License | Apache 2.0 (hostable) | PostgreSQL License |
| Database Branching | Built-in SQL | Third-party tools |
| Time Travel | SQL syntax | PITR only |
| Schema Inference | REST API | — |
| Deployment | Single binary | Server + extension |
| Aspect | HeliosDB Nano | SQLite + vector extension |
|---|---|---|
| Vector Search | HNSW and Product Quantization built in | Varies by extension & version |
| Full-Text Search | BM25, unstemmed, no phrase queries | FTS5: stemming, phrase, persisted index |
| Row-Level Security | Yes — embedded only, not over the wire | Application-level only |
| Server Mode | PostgreSQL & MySQL wire | None built in |
| Time Travel | AS OF queries, within retention | No |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM, off by default | SEE or third-party builds |
| Maturity | Young, active correctness work | Decades of production use |
| Aspect | HeliosDB Nano | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Hosted | Single binary | Complex stack |
| Vector Search | Native HNSW + Product Quantization (default build) | pgvector extension |
| Database Branching | SQL commands | Dashboard only |
| Row-Level Security | Embedded API and REPL only; not enforced over REST or the wire | Enforced on API requests |
| Offline Support | Full | Limited |
| Aspect | HeliosDB Nano | MySQL 8.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution | One binary of about 36-44 MB, by platform, or the official GHCR image | Server packages and container images |
| Embedded Mode | Yes | No |
| PostgreSQL Protocol | Native | — |
| Vector Search | Native HNSW + Product Quantization (default build) | Plugin required |
| Database Branching | SQL commands | — |
| Time Travel | AS OF TIMESTAMP | Binlog replay only |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM, off until enabled with a key | Enterprise only |
| WordPress | mysqli on the opt-in MySQL listener | Native |
| Backup | heliosdb-nano dump / restore | mysqldump / xtrabackup |
CREATE POLICY and enforcement for REST and wire clients are planned. Deployment modesGet started with HeliosDB in minutes. Open source, free to use.