M3DB
Open-source distributed database for collecting and querying time series metrics at scale
- Also known as
- m3db
Available worldwide
What is M3DB?
M3 is a distributed time series database built for storing and querying high-volume metrics with multiple query languages. It can be deployed as a single node or multi-node cluster using Docker, Kubernetes, or binaries.
M3DB pricing
We don't have M3DB's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
What M3DB does
The capabilities that matter for time-series databases, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Query language (SQL / PromQL / InfluxQL-Flux / Graphite)
- PromQL, Graphite
- SQL compatibility
- Non-SQL
- Ingest model
- Push
- Data model
- Metrics (labels/tags)
- Downsampling / rollups
- Retention policies
- Retention / TTL
- Automatic
- Compression (columnar / delta / Gorilla)
- columnar
- High-cardinality handling
- Strong
- Clustering / horizontal scale
- Distributed / sharded
- Replication / HA
- ✓
- Deployment
- Self-hosted
- Prometheus remote-write compatible
- ✓
- Licence class
- Permissive OSS
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
- macOS
- Linux
- Windows
- Self-hosted
Integrations (6)
Independently observed- InfluxDB←•
- Prometheus
- Graphite
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- etcd←•
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
M3DB FAQ
Common questions about M3DB, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is M3DB?
M3 is a metrics platform consisting of a distributed time-series database, query engine, and ingestion system designed to handle massive metric volumes efficiently. It provides Prometheus and Graphite compatibility while optimizing for performance and cost efficiency through purpose-built storage and querying components. It is indexed under Time-Series Databases.
Source: https://m3db.io
Is M3DB free to use?
M3DB is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.
Source: https://m3db.io
What platforms does M3DB support?
M3DB supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.
Source: https://m3db.io
Can M3DB be self-hosted?
Yes. M3DB can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.
Source: https://m3db.io
What does M3DB integrate with?
We have confirmed 4 integrations for M3DB, including Prometheus, Graphite, Kubernetes and Docker. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.
Source: https://m3db.io
Is M3DB open source?
Yes. M3DB is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.
Source: https://github.com/m3db/m3
M3DB alternatives
Other time-series databases we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- PrometheusAn open-source monitoring system that collects metrics from applications and infrastructure via scraping, storing them as a time-series database for querying anmedium · 57%
- ClickHouseHigh-performance, open-source database designed for fast analytical queries at scalemedium · 60%
- InfluxDBA distributed database purpose-built for rapidly collecting and querying time-stamped observability data at scalemedium · 68%
- TimescaleDBA PostgreSQL extension for scaling time-series and operational data workloads to petabyte volumesmedium · 62%
- TDengineAI-powered time-series database for industrial IoT and sensor data managementmedium · 71%
- QuestDBA fast, open-source database optimized for high-volume time-series data with millisecond query performancemedium · 63%
Compare M3DB
Side by side against other time-series databases, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for M3DB, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release cadence | 93 | 0.08 | 7.6 | ✓ |
| Development activity | 54 | 0.14 | 7.3 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 46 | 0.08 | 3.7 | ✓ |
| Stars | 70 | 0.05 | 3.3 | ✓ |
| Security score | 34 | 0.05 | 1.8 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 20 | 0.05 | 1.1 | ✓ |
| Dependent projects | 17 | 0.05 | 0.9 | ✓ |
| Security posture | 0 | 0.12 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.04 | 0.0 | - |
| Developer Q&A activity | 0 | 0.14 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 50 | mediumsource · 2026-10-13 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 6 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 66% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Clustering: distributed · Data model: metrics · Deployment: self_hosted · Compression: columnar · Downsampling: retention_policies · Ingest model: push | mediumsource · 2026-10-13 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 4 | mediumsource · 2026-10-13 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Go | highsource · 2026-10-13 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | Apache-2.0 | highsource · 2026-10-13 · 95% |
Market
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | PrimaryMarkets: … · AvailabilityScope: global · AvailableCountries: … · NotAvailableCountries: … | highsource · 2026-08-14 · 75% |
Pricing
Release
Security
Is M3DB the right choice for you?
Tell us the job, the constraints and what you weigh most, and we will rank M3DB against the rest of the time-series databases we index, using the same dated evidence weighted your way.
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