# Apache CouchDB

Database server with multi-primary replication, an HTTP/JSON API and a built-in web administration console, written in Erlang.


Source: https://findsoftware.frbit.cloud/couchdb/
Last reviewed: 2026-10-28
Listed since: 2026-10-28

## Record

### Links

- home: https://couchdb.apache.org
- repository: https://github.com/apache/couchdb
- docs: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/
- x: https://twitter.com/CouchDB
- mastodon: https://fosstodon.org/@couchdb

### Identity

- status: active
- maintainer: The Apache Software Foundation
- maintainerType: foundation
- parent: unknown
- firstRelease: 2008
- hqCountry: US

### Kind

- category: database
- hosting: elixir
- language: erlang
- runtime: beam
- runtimeMin: beam 26
- basedOn: unknown

### Content

- contentStore: not applicable
- databases: not applicable
- adminUi: yes
- headlessApi: rest
- templating: not applicable
- i18n: not applicable

### Rendering and deploy

- runsAs: always-on
- renderingModes: not applicable
- installMethod: docker (apache/couchdb)

### License

- licenseModel: open-source
- license: Apache-2.0

### Releases

- currentMajor: 3
- latestReleaseDate: 2026-10-12

### Adoption

- githubStargazers: 6993
- packagistDownloads: not applicable
- npmWeeklyDownloads: not applicable
- contributors: 198
- pluginCount: unknown
- packagistMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- ecosystemsMonthlyDownloads: unknown
- httpArchiveSites: unknown
- wordpressActiveInstalls: unknown
- dependentRepos: unknown
- dependentPackages: unknown

### Sources

- urls: https://couchdb.apache.org/ (read 2026-10-28)
- urls: https://api.github.com/repos/apache/couchdb (read 2026-10-28)
- urls: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/intro/index.html (read 2026-10-28)
- firstRelease: https://github.com/apache/couchdb/tags (read 2026-10-28)
- maintainer: https://couchdb.apache.org/ (read 2026-10-28)
- maintainerType: https://www.apache.org/foundation/ (read 2026-10-28)
- hqCountry: https://www.apache.org/foundation/ (read 2026-10-28)
- category: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/intro/index.html (read 2026-10-28)
- language: https://api.github.com/repos/apache/couchdb (read 2026-10-28)
- runtime: https://couchdb.apache.org/downloads.html (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/install/docker.html (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/install/unix.html (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/install/windows.html (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/install/kubernetes.html (read 2026-10-28)
- installMethod: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/install/unix.html (read 2026-10-28)
- runsAs: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/install/unix.html (read 2026-10-28)
- adminUi: https://couchdb.apache.org/ (read 2026-10-28)
- currentMajor: https://couchdb.apache.org/downloads.html (read 2026-10-28)
- latestReleaseDate: https://couchdb.apache.org/downloads.html (read 2026-10-28)
- license: https://api.github.com/repos/apache/couchdb (read 2026-10-28)
- licenseModel: https://couchdb.apache.org/ (read 2026-10-28)
- githubStargazers: https://api.github.com/repos/apache/couchdb (read 2026-10-28)
- contributors: https://api.github.com/repos/apache/couchdb/contributors?per_page=1 (read 2026-10-28)
- runtimeMin: https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/install/unix.html (read 2026-10-28)
- headlessApi: https://couchdb.apache.org/ (read 2026-10-28)

## Notes

Apache CouchDB is a database server that stores JSON documents and is reached over HTTP. It replicates data between servers and between clients. The project describes its replication protocol as the foundation for offline-first applications, and PouchDB, a separate project built for mobile devices and browsers, replicates with it. A single node is the usual starting point, and a cluster runs one logical database across several servers or VMs.

Installation options are Docker, Debian and RPM packages, a Windows installer, a Helm chart for Kubernetes and a source build. The installation guide asks the reader to start CouchDB at system boot through an init subsystem, so it runs as an always-on service. The web administration console, Fauxton, ships with the server.

The Apache Software Foundation maintains the project under the Apache License 2.0.

## Worth knowing

The configuration reference describes cookie, proxy and JWT authentication. The source build lists Erlang OTP, ICU, OpenSSL and Mozilla SpiderMonkey among its dependencies.

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Data licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Attributes are recorded, never scored; absent means unknown.
Credit, in full: FindSoftware, CC BY 4.0