- Cloudant
-
Cloudant is a Massachusetts-based enterprise software company which provides an open source non-relational, distributed database service of the same name that requires zero-configuration. Cloudant is based on the Apache-backed CouchDB project and the creator of the open source BigCouch project.
Cloudant's service provides integrated data management, search, and analytics engine designed for web applications. Cloudant scales your database on the CouchDB framework and provides hosting, administrative tools, analytics and commercial support for CouchDB and BigCouch.[1] Cloudant's distributed CouchDB service is used just like you would use standalone CouchDB, with the added advantage of your data being redundantly distributed over multiple machines. It is available in cloud, hosted and
Cloudant is often considered part of a new generation of 'NoSQL' databases that don't require fixed table schemas and is challenging the dominance of traditional relational databases (including the popular MySQL).
Contents
History
Cloudant was founded by Alan Hoffman, Adam Kocoloski, and Michael Miller. The three met in the physics department at MIT where they worked with multi-petabyte data sets from experiments such as the Large Hadron Collider. In early 2008 their ideas for fixing the ‘big data problem’ caught the attention of Silicon Valley-based Y-Combinator, which resulted in $20k seed funding. The company also received an early seed round of $1 million dollars from Avalon Ventures in August 2010.
Cloudant was born out of the founders’ collective frustration with the tools available to serve ‘big data,’ and was designed explicitly to take advantage of the cloud, automatically distributing data across multiple servers in addition to scaling the database to accommodate the ever-changing needs of web applications.
In August 2010, Cloudant released BigCouch for free under an Apache License(2.0). Cloudant supports many open source projects including HAProxy, Opscode Chef (software), Rebar and many more. Cloudant offers services including support, consulting services and training (both public and private).
Cloudant has been gaining good traction ever since they delivered their first version of Cloudant in Q3 of 2010.[2] Cloudant has over 2500 customers for its hosted service as of January 2011.
Data Model
CouchDB and Cloudant have the same REST API so you can use them in the same way. Cloudant-developed BigCouch is an open-source fork of CouchDB. Cloudant is actively working with the CouchDB community to provide BigCouch features back into the main branch of CouchDB.
Cloudant's hosted service makes clustering similar to Voldemort, Cassandra, or Riak, as it implements a version of Amazon's Dynamo.[3] Cloudant takes advantage of the reliability, simplicity, and power of CouchDB and adds distribution, scalability, and 'cloud readiness.’
Differences with CouchDB
Cloudant's hosted database extends CouchDB in several ways:
- Chained MapReduce Views[4]
- Java Language View Server[5] allows usage of Java for CouchDB map reduce analytics.
- vhosts
- API keys for programmatic access to CouchDB database.
Awards and Recognition
In November 2010, Cloudant was recognized as one of ‘10 Cool Open-Source Startups’ by CRN.[6] Cloudant is regularly recognized in the local Boston startup community, named as one of the ‘Top 5 Database Startups’[7] and ‘Top Ten Cloud Computing Startups’[8] in Boston’s popular technology column by Joe Kinsella, ‘High Tech in the Hub.’.[9]
See also
- Apache Software Foundation
- BigCouch
- Big data
- CouchDB
- Cloud computing
- Cloud infrastructure
- Database-centric architecture
- Datastructure
- NoSQL
- Real time database
References
- ^ "YC-Funded Cloudant Launches Its NoSQL Cloud Database Platform". http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/03/cloudant/. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "Cloudant Gains Traction With Hosted CouchDB And Analytics Offering". http://www.cloudave.com/9417/cloudant-gains-traction-with-hosted-couchdb-and-analytics-offering. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ^ "Dynamo and CouchDB Clusters". http://blog.cloudant.com/dynamo-and-couchdb-clusters. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "Chained MapReduce View". http://support.cloudant.com/kb/views/chained-mapreduce-views. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Cloudant Releases Java Based View Server for CouchDB". http://www.infoq.com/news/2010/09/cloudant-couchdb-java-viewserver. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "'10 Cool Open-Source Startups’". http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/applications-os/228201058/10-cool-open-source-startups.htm;jsessionid=VoyLlCdudD0g2vX4UgUzJA**.ecappj02?pgno=4. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "‘Top 5 Database Startups’". http://www.hightechinthehub.com/2010/09/top-5-database-startups-in-boston/. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "‘Top Ten Cloud Computing Startups’". http://www.hightechinthehub.com/2010/09/cloud-computing-in-boston/. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "High Tech in the Hub". http://www.hightechinthehub.com. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
References
- ^ "YC-Funded Cloudant Launches Its NoSQL Cloud Database Platform". http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/03/cloudant/. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "Cloudant Gains Traction With Hosted CouchDB And Analytics Offering". http://www.cloudave.com/9417/cloudant-gains-traction-with-hosted-couchdb-and-analytics-offering. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
- ^ "Dynamo and CouchDB Clusters". http://blog.cloudant.com/dynamo-and-couchdb-clusters. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "Chained MapReduce View". http://support.cloudant.com/kb/views/chained-mapreduce-views. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Cloudant Releases Java Based View Server for CouchDB". http://www.infoq.com/news/2010/09/cloudant-couchdb-java-viewserver. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ "'10 Cool Open-Source Startups’". http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/applications-os/228201058/10-cool-open-source-startups.htm;jsessionid=VoyLlCdudD0g2vX4UgUzJA**.ecappj02?pgno=4. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "‘Top 5 Database Startups’". http://www.hightechinthehub.com/2010/09/top-5-database-startups-in-boston/. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "‘Top Ten Cloud Computing Startups’". http://www.hightechinthehub.com/2010/09/cloud-computing-in-boston/. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "High Tech in the Hub". http://www.hightechinthehub.com. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
External links
Categories:- Cloud computing
- Cloud infrastructure
- Distributed file systems
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.