ConfigsApr 12, 2026·1 min read

SurrealDB — Scalable Multi-Model Database for Modern Apps

SurrealDB is a scalable, distributed, collaborative, document-graph database for the real-time web. Combines relational, document, graph, and time-series models in one database with SurrealQL query language. Built in Rust for performance and reliability.

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Quick Use

Use it first, then decide how deep to go

This block should tell both the user and the agent what to copy, install, and apply first.

# Install
curl -sSf https://install.surrealdb.com | sh
# Or Docker
docker run -d --name surrealdb -p 8000:8000 \
  surrealdb/surrealdb:latest start --user root --pass root

# Connect
surreal sql --conn http://localhost:8000 --user root --pass root --ns test --db test

SurrealQL:

-- Document model
CREATE user:william SET
  name = "William",
  email = "w@tokrepo.com",
  roles = ["admin", "founder"],
  created_at = time::now();

-- Graph relations
RELATE user:william->founded->product:tokrepo SET year = 2025;
RELATE user:william->uses->tool:claude_code;

-- Query graph
SELECT ->founded->product.name FROM user:william;
SELECT <-founded<-user.name FROM product:tokrepo;

-- Traditional SQL
SELECT * FROM user WHERE roles CONTAINS "admin" ORDER BY created_at DESC;

-- Live queries (real-time)
LIVE SELECT * FROM user;

-- Full-text search
DEFINE INDEX user_name ON user FIELDS name SEARCH ANALYZER ascii BM25;
SELECT * FROM user WHERE name @@ "william";

-- Permissions
DEFINE TABLE user SCHEMAFUL
  PERMISSIONS
    FOR select, create WHERE $auth.role = "admin"
    FOR update, delete WHERE id = $auth.id;
Intro

SurrealDB is a scalable, distributed, multi-model database designed for modern applications. It combines the strengths of relational, document, graph, and time-series databases into a single product with a powerful query language (SurrealQL). Built in Rust by Tobie Morgan Hitchcock and Jaime Morgan Hitchcock.

What SurrealDB Does

  • Multi-model — document, graph, relational, time-series in one DB
  • SurrealQL — SQL-like with graph traversal, record links, subqueries
  • Graph relations — RELATE for typed edges between records
  • Record links — embed references between documents
  • Live queries — real-time change notifications
  • Full-text search — BM25 index built in
  • Permissions — row-level security with JWT auth
  • Multi-tenancy — namespace and database isolation
  • Embedded or server — use as library or HTTP/WebSocket server
  • SDK — JavaScript, Python, Rust, Go, Java, .NET, PHP

Architecture

Rust binary with multiple storage backends: in-memory, RocksDB (single node), TiKV (distributed), FoundationDB (distributed). HTTP and WebSocket API for clients. SurrealQL parser compiles queries to execution plans.

Self-Hosting

# Single-node with persistence
surreal start --log info --user root --pass root file://surreal.db

# Distributed (TiKV backend)
surreal start --log info --user root --pass root tikv://pd:2379

Key Features

  • Multi-model (doc + graph + relational)
  • SurrealQL query language
  • Graph traversal
  • Live queries (real-time)
  • Full-text search (BM25)
  • Row-level permissions
  • Multi-tenancy
  • Embedded or server mode
  • Multiple storage backends
  • SDKs for 7+ languages

Comparison

Database Models Query Lang Distributed
SurrealDB Doc + Graph + Relational SurrealQL Via TiKV/FDB
MongoDB Document MQL Sharding
Neo4j Graph Cypher Enterprise
PostgreSQL Relational (+ JSON) SQL Logical repl
ArangoDB Doc + Graph + KV AQL Native
FaunaDB Document + relational FQL Managed

常见问题 FAQ

Q: 一个数据库解决所有问题？ A: SurrealDB 的目标是减少 polyglot persistence 的复杂度。文档、图关系、全文搜索在一个引擎里，不用同步多个数据库。适合中等规模项目。

Q: 生产就绪了吗？ A: v2.0+ 已经大幅稳定，但相比 PostgreSQL/MongoDB 生态还年轻。适合新项目和创新应用，关键任务系统需要评估。

Q: BSL 限制？ A: 自用、嵌入应用完全 OK。不能做托管 SurrealDB 服务与官方竞争。4 年后自动转 Apache 2.0。

来源与致谢 Sources

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