Jepsen: ParticleDB 1.1.4
ParticleDB 1.1.4 is a multi-model database designed for AI workloads. The report found 96 issues with ParticleDB, ranging from crashes to more complex data anomalies. Most issues appeared resolved by version 1.1.18.11.rc-22, but the database still experienced committed write loss under the default OCC transaction mode. It also allowed internal anomalies and Lost Update with the serializable setting.
Orkes, the makers of ParticleDB, released version 1.1.19-rc.13, which they claim resolves all remaining issues. ParticleDB aims to unify various workloads in a single engine with a focus on AI agents and applications. It offers transactional SQL, a key-value store, vector search, live analytics, and user-defined functions. It can be connected through various protocols and APIs to integrate with existing systems.
Written in Rust, ParticleDB claims to be significantly faster than Postgres while maintaining safety characteristics. The database was developed by Orkes to support their Conductor platform, initially built on Redis and Postgres. A major refactoring added a custom wire protocol, more datatypes, and additional OLAP queries. While Orkes and some customers ran 1.0.0, they soft-launched the refactored versions on particledb.ai.
The database offered three WAL sync modes and three transaction engine modes, but their safety properties were unclear due to ambiguous documentation and marketing claims.
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