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Introduction

About 3 min

Introduction

What is EventStoreDB?

EventStoreDB is an event-native database designed specifically to store, process, and deliver application state changes, known as events.

Each event captures a specific change in the state say when an order is placed, payment is processed, or item is shipped. By capturing all these incremental updates, EventStoreDB provides a complete audit trail of a business process.

EventStoreDB offers the following features:

FeatureDescription
Append-only Event LogA durable, sequential, and immutable log that captures events in a consistent order.
StreamsGroups and indexes events to organize and speed up retrieval.
Subscription and ConnectorsDelivers events to external systems through push or pull options.
ProjectionTransforms and filters events into different streams or state.
Multiple Hosting OptionsFully managed with Event Store Cloud, or self-managed on Linux, Windows, macOS, or with Docker.
Client SDKAvailable in Python, Java, .NET, Node.js, Go, and Rust.

Note

To learn more about the concepts of EventStoreDB, such as events, event log, and event stream, click here.

To learn more about the features of EventStoreDB, click here.

Why EventStoreDB?

Traditional databases often focus on the current state and do this by overwriting data, discarding valuable information about the past.

In contrast, EventStoreDB keeps a complete history of changes, providing organizations with richer, and more contextual data that supports deeper insights - critical in today’s AI and data-driven environment.

Use Case: Machine Learning

A German tool manufacturer leveraged historical events from EventStoreDB on manufacturing times and tool specifications (such as length and diameter) to predict manufacturing durations for custom tools. This prediction was then integrated into an online quote system, generating instant quotes—a significant improvement over the previous method of manual quotes based on the sales team's experience.

EventStoreDB also includes additional features that make it simple to develop event-native applications that enable real-time updates and minimize system dependencies while maintaining data consistency.

Use Case: Real-time Streaming

You can use EventStoreDB to streamline your payment process, just like Holcim, a global construction material provider, did. By replacing batch processing with real-time streaming of payment statuses from SAP system to depots, Holcim eliminated the previous day-long wait for payment verification and order collection. This significant improvement in customer service and operational efficiency can give you a competitive edge in your industry.

Finally, EventStoreDB can reconstruct the current state of any object from its historical events, providing the best of both current and historical representations to answer the "what" and "why" within a single system.

Current State and Historical Events Representations

In a system, any object can represented in one of two distinct ways: by its current state, or by the historical events leading up to that state:

  • Current state is a snapshot of the object right now, like a digital wallet's balance.
  • Historical events are the actions that led to this state, like a wallet's deposits and withdrawals.

Both perspectives are important: the current balance can answer the "what", while historical transactions answer the "why".

To learn more about this topic, click here.

Who Uses EventStoreDB?

Data engineers can provide context-rich events from EventStoreDB to data pipelines to analyze historical and behavioral trends, uncovering patterns that traditional databases often miss. These patterns can, for example, reveal why a customer churned or highlight behaviors that lead to high-value contracts.

Note

To learn more about EventStoreDB's role in a data pipeline, click here.

Application developers can leverage EventStoreDB’s granular events to build real-time, distributed enterprise applications and break down tightly coupled systems. Events are typically simpler, self-contained, and independent. Unlike the tables and rows in traditional databases that are often interdependent with various functions.

Use Case: Modernize Legacy Systems

Insureon, an independent marketplace for online delivery of small business insurance, used EventStoreDB to modernize its legacy monolithic system, which was brittle and challenging to deploy. With EventStoreDB, Insureon could provide new solutions faster without sacrificing scalability. This dramatically improved the company's business creativity and agility.

Where to Use EventStoreDB?

EventStoreDB is valuable for critical enterprise applications and data pipelines with behavior-rich data, where interdependent business objects and processes interact in diverse ways over time.

Industries such as finance, healthcare, supply chain, and manufacturing benefit from EventStoreDB, as it supports flexible, scalable solutions with a complete audit trail. This enables businesses to maintain clear, comprehensive system oversight, which is essential for meeting compliance requirements and adapting to changing needs.

Note

To learn more where EventStoreDB fits in your business, click here.

Next Steps

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Contributors: ylorph