Distributed SQL has become the go-to choice for modern applications, offering the scalability, resilience, and performance needed in today’s global landscape. However, not all distributed SQL databases are created equal.
In this comparison, we look at CockroachDB alongside Amazon Aurora, a cloud database with scalable extensions, but one that falls short of CockroachDB’s native resilience, consistency, and global distribution.
CockroachDB allows you to scale both reads and writes with every endpoint accepting all transactions
CockroachDB provides simple DDL that allows you to define where data will live across multiple regions
CockroachDB delivers an automated, simple and resource efficient database that can can span regions, clouds, and self-hosted environments
Harnesses a journal and adjudicator for distributed writes
Replication of data at storage layer; replication across regions is asynchronous
PostgreSQL compatible with shard key considerations
*Comparison data as of April 2025
CockroachDB is architected to give you the freedom to deploy your database anywhere, on any cloud. Use the best solution for your workloads and still gain value from any cloud provider.
Make smart use of your existing resources with CockroachDB’s hybrid-cloud capabilities. AWS Aurora won’t let you deploy in a hybrid environment
Pick any (or multiple) providers and run self-deployed or as-a-service. Because no one should have to be locked into a single provider
Effortlessly scale and take control of your workloads. Avoid the significant egress costs often seen when moving data with AWS Aurora