FoundationDB

advanced

Distributed database designed for high performance and ACID transactions.

Overview

FoundationDB is Apple's open-source distributed database that powers iCloud and serves billions of user accounts with strict ACID guarantees at massive scale. Originally developed by a startup acquired by Apple in 2015, FoundationDB combines the consistency of traditional SQL databases with the scalability of NoSQL systems, offering serializable isolation while maintaining high performance across distributed clusters. The database uses a unique architecture that separates storage and transaction processing, enabling linear scalability and automatic data distribution. This Docker configuration deploys a single FoundationDB node suitable for development and testing environments. FoundationDB operates as a key-value store at its core but supports multiple data models through its innovative "layers" concept, where SQL, document, and graph databases can be built on top of the foundational key-value engine. The container networking mode enables proper cluster communication when scaling to multiple nodes. Developers building applications requiring strict consistency, financial technology companies needing ACID transactions at scale, and organizations evaluating alternatives to traditional relational databases will find FoundationDB compelling. Unlike other distributed databases that sacrifice consistency for availability, FoundationDB maintains full ACID properties while delivering performance that rivals eventually consistent systems, making it ideal for applications where data integrity cannot be compromised.

Key Features

Strict serializable isolation with full ACID transaction guarantees across distributed nodes
Multi-version concurrency control enabling high read throughput without blocking writes
Automatic data sharding and rebalancing across cluster nodes without manual intervention
Multi-model support through layers allowing SQL, document, and graph databases on one foundation
Five-second recovery time from failures with automatic failover and data replication
Linear scalability supporting clusters from single nodes to hundreds of machines
Built-in monitoring and observability through fdbcli command-line tools
Conflict-free concurrent transactions with optimistic concurrency control

Common Use Cases

1Financial trading platforms requiring strict consistency for transaction processing and audit trails
2E-commerce applications needing ACID guarantees for inventory management and order processing
3Gaming backends managing player state, leaderboards, and virtual economies with real money value
4IoT data collection systems requiring ordered event processing and analytics
5Multi-tenant SaaS applications needing isolated data with consistent backup and recovery
6Development environments for testing applications before deploying to FoundationDB clusters
7Microservices architectures requiring a consistent data layer across service boundaries

Prerequisites

Minimum 8GB RAM recommended for proper FoundationDB operation and buffer management
Docker Engine 20.10+ with support for container networking and volume management
Available port 4500 for FoundationDB client connections and cluster communication
Understanding of ACID transaction concepts and key-value data modeling principles
Basic familiarity with fdbcli command-line tool for database administration and monitoring

For development & testing. Review security settings, change default credentials, and test thoroughly before production use. See Terms

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  fdb: 
3    image: foundationdb/foundationdb:latest
4    container_name: foundationdb
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    environment: 
7      FDB_NETWORKING_MODE: container
8    volumes: 
9      - fdb_data:/var/fdb/data
10    ports: 
11      - "4500:4500"
12    networks: 
13      - fdb-network
14
15volumes: 
16  fdb_data: 
17
18networks: 
19  fdb-network: 
20    driver: bridge

.env Template

.env

1# FoundationDB default configuration

Usage Notes

1Docs: https://apple.github.io/foundationdb/
2Used by Apple for iCloud at massive scale (billions of accounts)
3Strict serializable ACID transactions with high performance
4Multi-model via layers - build SQL, document, graph on top
5Record Layer provides structured data with indexes
6fdbcli for command-line management and monitoring

Quick Start

terminal

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  fdb:
5    image: foundationdb/foundationdb:latest
6    container_name: foundationdb
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    environment:
9      FDB_NETWORKING_MODE: container
10    volumes:
11      - fdb_data:/var/fdb/data
12    ports:
13      - "4500:4500"
14    networks:
15      - fdb-network
16
17volumes:
18  fdb_data:
19
20networks:
21  fdb-network:
22    driver: bridge
23EOF
24
25# 2. Create the .env file
26cat > .env << 'EOF'
27# FoundationDB default configuration
28EOF
29
30# 3. Start the services
31docker compose up -d
32
33# 4. View logs
34docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

terminal

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/foundationdb/run | bash

Troubleshooting

Error 'cluster_file_too_old': Ensure FDB_CLUSTER_FILE environment variable points to valid cluster configuration or regenerate cluster file
Connection timeouts on port 4500: Verify firewall settings allow traffic and container networking mode is properly configured
Transaction conflicts causing high retry rates: Implement exponential backoff in application code and optimize transaction scope
Storage engine errors in logs: Check available disk space in fdb_data volume and ensure proper write permissions
Cluster formation failures: Verify FDB_NETWORKING_MODE is set to container and no conflicting network policies exist
High memory usage warnings: Monitor transaction log size and implement proper database maintenance procedures using fdbcli

Community Notes

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