aid: rethinkdb
name: RethinkDB
description: >-
  RethinkDB is an open source, distributed document-oriented NoSQL database
  designed for real-time applications, with push-based change feeds, native
  JSON storage, and an expressive query language called ReQL. Applications
  interact with RethinkDB through official client drivers (JavaScript,
  Python, Java, Ruby) that speak the native JSON driver protocol over TCP,
  rather than through an HTTP REST API. ReQL also includes an r.http
  command that lets queries pull data from external HTTP APIs directly.
type: Index
image: https://kinlane-productions.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
tags:
  - Database
  - NoSQL
  - Document Database
  - Real-Time
  - Open Source
  - Change Feeds
  - ReQL
url: >-
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/rethinkdb/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2026-05-11'
modified: '2026-05-11'
specificationVersion: '0.19'
apis:
  - aid: rethinkdb:reql
    name: RethinkDB ReQL Driver API
    description: >-
      ReQL (RethinkDB Query Language) is the expressive query language
      exposed by RethinkDB through official client drivers. Drivers
      communicate with the RethinkDB server using a native JSON protocol
      over TCP (default port 28015) rather than HTTP. ReQL supports
      filtering, joins, aggregations, change feeds, and external HTTP
      access via the r.http command.
    humanURL: https://rethinkdb.com/api
    baseURL: tcp://<your-rethinkdb-host>:28015
    tags:
      - ReQL
      - Drivers
      - Change Feeds
      - JSON Protocol
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://rethinkdb.com/docs
      - type: ReQL Command Reference
        url: https://rethinkdb.com/api
      - type: Introduction to ReQL
        url: https://rethinkdb.com/docs/introduction-to-reql/
      - type: External HTTP Access
        url: https://rethinkdb.com/docs/external-api-access/
      - type: Driver Protocol
        url: https://rethinkdb.com/docs/driver-spec/

common:
  - type: Website
    url: https://rethinkdb.com
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://rethinkdb.com/docs
  - type: API Reference
    url: https://rethinkdb.com/api
  - type: Download
    url: https://rethinkdb.com/docs/install/
  - type: GitHub Organization
    url: https://github.com/rethinkdb
  - type: Source Code
    url: https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb
  - type: Documentation Source
    url: https://github.com/rethinkdb/docs
  - type: Community
    url: https://rethinkdb.com/community/
  - type: License
    url: https://github.com/rethinkdb/rethinkdb/blob/next/LICENSE
features:
  - name: ReQL Query Language
    description: >-
      Chainable, composable query language with filtering, joins,
      aggregations, geospatial queries, and subqueries.
  - name: Change Feeds
    description: >-
      Subscribe to real-time updates on queries and tables so
      applications can push changes directly to clients.
  - name: Native JSON Storage
    description: >-
      Store and query JSON documents natively with schema flexibility
      and secondary indexes.
  - name: r.http External API Access
    description: >-
      Pull data from external HTTP APIs directly inside ReQL queries
      with pagination, authentication, and streaming via cursors.
  - name: Distributed Architecture
    description: >-
      Built-in sharding, replication, and automatic failover across
      a cluster of RethinkDB nodes.
  - name: Official Drivers
    description: >-
      Official client drivers for JavaScript, Python, Java, and Ruby
      with community drivers for other languages.
solutions:
  - name: Real-Time Applications
    description: >-
      Power dashboards, multiplayer games, collaboration tools, and
      live feeds using change feeds rather than polling.
  - name: Document Store
    description: >-
      Store JSON documents with secondary indexes and flexible
      schemas for content, catalogs, and user data.
  - name: Operational Database
    description: >-
      Use as the operational store for distributed applications
      requiring sharding and replication.
useCases:
  - name: Live Dashboards
    description: >-
      Stream query result changes directly to browser clients via
      change feeds for live operational dashboards.
  - name: Collaborative Editing
    description: >-
      Power multi-user real-time editing experiences where document
      changes propagate immediately to all participants.
  - name: External API Aggregation
    description: >-
      Use r.http inside ReQL queries to fetch and join data from
      external REST APIs without an application-tier proxy.
integrations:
  - name: Node.js
    description: Official rethinkdb-js driver with connection pooling
  - name: Python
    description: Official Python driver for ReQL
  - name: Java
    description: Official Java driver for ReQL
  - name: Ruby
    description: Official Ruby driver for ReQL
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com