DocumentDB is a MongoDB-compatible document database built on PostgreSQL by Microsoft, and it is already used to power the vCore-based Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB instances. Early this year, Microsoft open-sourced DocumentDB since it believed in a fully open-source, MongoDB-compatible document database.
To everyone"s surprise, Microsoft open-sourced it under the most permissive MIT license, which allows developers and organizations to integrate it into their solutions with no restrictions. Within a week of going open source, the DocumentDB project earned 1000 GitHub stars, nearly 50 forks, and multiple pull requests.
DocumentDB has become popular among developers since it offers a native implementation of a document-oriented NoSQL database, supporting CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on BSON (Binary JSON) data types within a PostgreSQL framework. Additionally, DocumentDB supports full-text searches, geospatial queries, and vector search.
Today, Microsoft announced that DocumentDB is becoming part of the Linux Foundation. Microsoft hopes that this move will create an open standard for NoSQL databases. Microsoft mentioned that it is committed to 100% compatibility with MongoDB drivers to ensure the document database ecosystem thrives.
Kirill Gavrylyuk, Vice President of Azure Cosmos DB, said:
Joining the Linux Foundation will create an independent identity for DocumentDB and provide a conduit for any database provider to contribute to our mission. In addition, Postgres continues to be hailed as the overwhelming favorite platform of choice and will continue to serve as the project’s backbone. For DocumentDB, open-source Postgres will be favored over a forked version of Postgres. The Linux Foundation will ensure these governing principles are adhered to by DocumentDB to maintain consistency.
Linux Foundation governance of the DocumentDB project will ensure vendor-neutrality and maintain DocumentDB’s commitment to remaining PostgreSQL-first. Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, was quite excited about DocumentDB joining the foundation. He said:
“DocumentDB fills a critical gap in the document database ecosystem, attracting contributors, users and champions. What’s even more exciting is it provides an open standard for document-based applications, like what SQL did for relational databases. By joining the Linux Foundation, DocumentDB is securing its open source future and helping chart a new path for NoSQL database standards and community-driven innovation.”
By moving under the governance of the Linux Foundation, DocumentDB is positioned to secure its open-source future and drive community innovation.