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Hibari review

Free#27 of 31 in Key-Value Databases

An Erlang-based store for ordered keys, chain replication, and bounded atomic transactions.

6.8/10Editor score
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Hibari6.8 Explore Hibari

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Hibari is an open-source distributed key-value store written in Erlang, aimed at teams building data-intensive services such as messaging, social media, or archiving. It distributes data across storage nodes with chain replication and is designed for strong consistency. Its ordered keys and native Erlang API make it a natural fit for Erlang teams that need distributed storage behavior rather than a managed database service.

The feature set extends beyond basic reads and writes: keys can have expiration times and custom metadata, compare-and-swap uses key timestamps, and bounded multi-key transactions provide atomic updates across a limited set of keys. Ordered multi-key reads are also described. For values, tables can use RAM-plus-disk or disk-only storage, while keys and metadata remain in RAM. The guide describes practical value blobs as limited to “16MB or so,” so applications with larger values should assess that constraint carefully.

Hibari is self-hosted on Linux and open source, with no paid tier described. It includes automatic replication, failover, repair, and rebalancing as cluster size changes, which may suit teams prepared to operate storage themselves. Client protocol options include UBF, EBF, JSON over TCP (JSF), HTTP (JSON-RPC), and Thrift, alongside the native Erlang API. The official guide is dated 2015, so teams choosing it should weigh that documentation age when assessing ongoing maintenance and operational support. It suits Erlang-centric teams with a strong consistency requirement; teams seeking managed hosting or current support assurances should consider alternatives.

Hibari pros and cons

  • Where it wins
    • Chain replication provides strong consistency across storage nodes.
    • Supports per-key TTL, custom metadata, and timestamp-based compare-and-swap.
    • Automatic failover, repair, and rebalancing as cluster size changes.
  • Where it doesn't
    • Self-hosted deployment puts cluster operations in the team's hands.
    • The documentation describes practical value blobs as limited to “16MB or so.”
    • The published guide is dated 2015, leaving current maintenance unclear.

Hibari fact sheet, pricing and score →

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