AWS Launches DocumentDB, a MongoDB Competitor
AWS launches DocumentDB, a managed database compatible with MongoDB workloads, amid criticism over Amazon's open-source practices.
AWS officially launches DocumentDB, a fully managed document database service designed to support MongoDB workloads. The new cloud tool allows developers to run applications that rely on the MongoDB 3.6 API with minimal code changes. This move expands Amazon's growing portfolio of proprietary database solutions available on its cloud platform.
This release occurs amidst heavy criticism regarding Amazon's habit of building competing products based on open-source software. MongoDB recently updates its license to the Server Side Public License (SSPL) specifically to stop cloud providers from offering its database as a service without giving back to the community. AWS clarifies that while DocumentDB emulates the MongoDB API, it is an entirely separate, proprietary database engine and is not actually MongoDB.
DocumentDB represents a continuing pattern for Amazon as it expands its in-house software offerings. The company previously introduces similar managed alternatives for other popular open-source projects, launching ElastiCache as a substitute for Redis and Amazon OpenSearch Service as a competitor to Elasticsearch. These strategies consistently raise ongoing tensions between major cloud providers and the open-source developer community.