fast · versioned · scalable

Branch databases, not just code

Datahike brings git-like semantics to your data: hold a snapshot, pass it across threads or machines, query any point in time—without copying or locking. Built on structural sharing and copy-on-write, it's the foundation for auditable, reproducible systems.

Proximum — fast vector search on immutable storage

A high-performance HNSW (Hierarchical Navigable Small World) vector index designed for Datahike's persistent model. Same semantic-search speed you expect—without mutation, without locks, with full audit history.

Faster than mutable Java alternatives in our benchmarks
Immutable — index snapshots are values you can hold, share, and compare
Dual-licensed — EPL-2.0 for open-source, commercial license for proprietary use

Learn more GitHub

Memory model

Traditional databases expose connections; Datahike exposes values. A database snapshot is an immutable value—hold it in a variable, pass it to a function, serialize it, or compare two snapshots structurally.

Git-like operations

Hold — capture a point-in-time reference, query it later
Branch — create divergent histories without copying data
Merge — reconcile branches with custom conflict resolution

Why it matters

Coordination-free reads — no locks, no connection pool bottlenecks
Reproducible queries — same snapshot always yields same results
Full audit trail — query any past state, not just "last 7 days"

Structural sharing keeps memory efficient—branches share unchanged structure.

Datahike

An open-source, immutable Datalog database written in Clojure with full Java and JavaScript APIs. Datomic-compatible semantics, pluggable storage, and a query engine built on hitchhiker-tree indices for efficient range scans and joins.

Storage-agnostic — filesystem, S3, IndexedDB, JDBC, or custom backends via Konserve
Attribute-level schema — each attribute can have its own cardinality, index, and uniqueness
GDPR-ready — excision API for compliant data deletion with verifiable audit

GitHub Docs

Show me

Examples in Java. Native Clojure and JavaScript APIs also available.

Connect

import datahike.java.Datahike;
import static datahike.java.Util.*;

var cfg = map(kwd(":store"), map(
    kwd(":backend"), kwd(":file"),
    kwd(":path"), "/tmp/db"));
Datahike.createDatabase(cfg);
var conn = Datahike.connect(cfg);

Transact

Datahike.transact(conn, list(
    map(kwd(":user/name"), "Ada",
        kwd(":user/email"), "ada@example.com")));

Query

// Datalog query (EDN syntax)
var results = Datahike.q(
    "[:find ?e ?name :where [?e :user/name ?name]]",
    Datahike.deref(conn));
// => #{[1 "Ada"]}

Time-travel

// Query a past snapshot
var oldDb = Datahike.asOf(
    Datahike.deref(conn),
    Date.from(Instant.parse("2024-01-01T00:00:00Z")));
var history = Datahike.q(
    "[:find ?name :where [_ :user/name ?name]]",
    oldDb);

Full Datalog — joins, aggregates, pull expressions, rules.

JavaScript / Node.js (beta)

Install: npm install datahike@next

const d = require('datahike');
const crypto = require('crypto');

const config = {
  store: {
    backend: ':memory',
    id: crypto.randomUUID()
  },
  'schema-flexibility': ':read'  // Allow schemaless data (use kebab-case)
};

await d.createDatabase(config);
const conn = await d.connect(config);
await d.transact(conn, [{ name: 'Alice' }]);
const db = await d.db(conn);  // db() is async for async backends
const results = await d.q('[:find ?n :where [?e :name ?n]]', db);
console.log(results);
// => [['Alice']]

TypeScript definitions included. Same Datalog queries, Promise-based API.

Notes

Occasional writing on databases, immutability, and semantic search.

The Git Model for Databases

Snapshots, structural sharing, and branching—applied to your data.

Why Search Needs Versioning

Git semantics for vector indexes—reproducible retrieval and safe experimentation.

Try it

A browser-based REPL is in progress. In the meantime, try Datahike locally:

<!-- Maven -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>io.replikativ</groupId>
    <artifactId>datahike</artifactId>
    <version>0.6.1559</version>
</dependency>

Works on JVM, Node.js, and browser (ClojureScript).

Support & consulting

Need help integrating Datahike or Proximum into production? We offer training, architecture review, and custom development.