FerretDB has recently announced the availability of FerretDB Cloud, a managed MongoDB-compatible database service built on open source DocumentDB. Targeting developers seeking the first cross-cloud DocumentDB-based solution and an alternative to MongoDB Atlas, FerretDB Cloud is currently available on AWS only.
FerretDB is a PostgreSQL-based database alternative to MongoDB that offers MongoDB compatibility and released under Apache 2.0. It is built on DocumentDB, a project aimed at creating interoperable, open-source document database technology that recently joined the Linux Foundation. According to the FerretDB team, while the engine is not 100% MongoDB compatible, it enables developers to utilize existing MongoDB drivers and tools while running on top of PostgreSQL, covering the most common features for migrating MongoDB workloads.
Peter Farkas and Alexey Palazhchenko, co-founders at FerretDB, describe the new managed option:
With FerretDB Cloud, this experience becomes even simpler. Instead of managing infrastructure, patching, or scaling PostgreSQL yourself, you can now provision and run FerretDB in minutes. Your applications still connect as if they were talking to MongoDB, but your data is stored in PostgreSQL with an open-source DocumentDB extension, giving you reliability and long-term freedom.
In the paid tiers, FerretDB Cloud offers up to 64 TB of storage, encryption in transit and at rest, and dedicated tenancy. Support for multi-cloud is expected soon. The enterprise tier provides SOC 2 readiness and a 99.99% SLA.
FerretDB Cloud is not the only managed option offering an alternative to MongoDB Atlas; Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB and Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility) are popular options from major cloud providers. While MongoDB has previously published compatibility results against the managed services of AWS and Azure, no data has been provided so far regarding FerretDB. Farkas and Palazhchenko add:
FerretDB Cloud provides the same exact feature set as a local FerretDB instance. For example, vector search in MongoDB is only available on Atlas, while both FerretDB Cloud and on-prem FerretDB offer this right out of the box.
In a heated discussion on LinkedIn, Farkas details how the project started, the need for a managed version, and explains how FerretDB was threatened with a lawsuit by MongoDB for building a compatible product. He outlines his position on the Server Side Public License that MongoDB adopted years ago:
SSPL makes a huge difference – if there is only a limited amount of cloud providers having a license to provide the software as a service, there will be no real competition on the market, and a single vendor is able to dictate prices through licensing. The exact thing we are seeing with MongoDB.
In “Building for Developers — Not Imitators,” Andrew Stephens, general counsel of MongoDB, argued early this year that “Ferret is trying to hide behind being an open source alternative, but at the end of the day, this isn’t about open source, it’s about imitation, theft, and misappropriation masquerading as compatibility.” Peter Zaitsev, founder of Percona and open source advocate, comments:
Time will tell with MongoDB – if you look at DB-Engines adoption curve, MongoDB has been loosing the ground to Open Source databases like PostgreSQL. Yes of course they still growth their revenue but same could be told about Oracle.
FerretDB Cloud is currently available on AWS (including the AWS marketplace), with support for Azure and Google Cloud expected soon. It offers four different subscription plans, including a free tier for developers, students, and small projects.
