Stories with Tag NoSQL

• ParadeDB (YC S23) Is Hiring a Rust Database Engineer

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  Posted: 2025-03-07 21:01:16

  Verbose tl;dr

  ParadeDB, a YC S23 startup building a distributed, relational, NewSQL database in Rust, is hiring a Rust Database Engineer. This role involves designing and implementing core database components like query processing, transaction management, and distributed consensus. Ideal candidates have experience building database systems, are proficient in Rust, and possess a strong understanding of distributed systems concepts. They will contribute significantly to the database's architecture and development, working closely with the founding team. The position is remote and offers competitive salary and equity.

  ParadeDB, a company specializing in time-series database technology and a recent graduate of Y Combinator's Summer 2023 cohort, is actively seeking a skilled Rust Database Engineer to join their expanding team. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the development of a cutting-edge, high-performance time-series database built from the ground up in Rust. The ideal candidate possesses a strong proficiency in the Rust programming language, coupled with a deep understanding of database internals. Experience with storage engines, query processing, and distributed systems is highly desirable.

  The successful applicant will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of ParadeDB by designing and implementing core database features, optimizing performance for demanding workloads, and ensuring the reliability and scalability of the system. This will involve working closely with a small, highly motivated team of engineers in a fast-paced startup environment. Responsibilities encompass a wide range of tasks, from contributing to the core database engine to developing new functionalities, as well as actively participating in the open-source community surrounding ParadeDB.

  ParadeDB offers a comprehensive compensation package, including a competitive salary, equity options that provide ownership in the company's success, and a comprehensive benefits plan covering health, dental, and vision. Additionally, the company fosters a flexible and remote-first work culture, allowing employees to contribute from anywhere in the world. This position presents a compelling opportunity for individuals passionate about database technology to make a significant impact on a rapidly growing project at the forefront of innovation within the time-series database domain. ParadeDB is looking for someone who is not just proficient in Rust, but also deeply interested in crafting elegant and efficient solutions to complex database challenges. The role demands a proactive individual capable of independent problem-solving and eager to contribute to a collaborative and dynamic team.

  • Rust
  • Database
  • Engineer
  • Hiring
  • ParadeDB
  • YC
  • S23
  • startup
  • Job
  • distributed systems
  • Storage
  • NoSQL
  • NewSQL

  Summary of Comments ( 0 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43294602

  Verbose tl;dr

  HN commenters discuss ParadeDB's hiring post, expressing skepticism about the wisdom of choosing Rust for a database due to its complexity and potential performance overhead compared to C++. Some question the value proposition of yet another database, wondering what niche ParadeDB fills that isn't already addressed by existing solutions. Others suggest focusing on a specific problem domain rather than building a general-purpose database. There's also discussion about the startup's name and logo, with some finding them unmemorable or confusing. Finally, a few commenters offer practical advice on hiring, suggesting reaching out to university research groups or specialized job boards.

  The Hacker News post titled "ParadeDB (YC S23) Is Hiring a Rust Database Engineer" linking to a ParadeDB job posting generated a modest discussion with a few interesting points raised.

  One commenter questions the wisdom of choosing Rust for a database, citing complexities in memory management and garbage collection as potential performance bottlenecks. They express skepticism about Rust's suitability for this particular application, suggesting that languages like C++ might offer better performance characteristics. However, they acknowledge that Rust's strong type system could be beneficial for correctness. This comment sparks a small thread where another user counters that modern Rust makes memory management relatively straightforward and efficient, especially compared to the manual memory management required in C++. They argue that the safety and reliability benefits of Rust outweigh any potential performance trade-offs, particularly for a database where data integrity is paramount. This back-and-forth highlights a common debate in systems programming around the trade-offs between performance and safety.

  Another comment focuses on the specific requirements listed in the job posting, noting the emphasis on distributed systems experience. They point out the high bar this sets for potential applicants, speculating that ParadeDB is aiming to build a complex, distributed database system. This observation provides some insight into the ambition and technical direction of ParadeDB based on the skills they are seeking.

  A further comment simply expresses interest in the job posting and asks about the company's remote work policy. This reflects the common concern among Hacker News users regarding remote work options.

  Finally, one commenter raises the question of why ParadeDB is choosing to build a new database rather than utilizing existing solutions. They suggest that existing, mature databases likely already address many of the problems ParadeDB is attempting to solve. This comment raises a valid point about the challenges of competing in a crowded database market and prompts reflection on what unique problem or approach ParadeDB might be bringing to the table.

  While the discussion is not extensive, it touches on relevant aspects of the job posting and the broader context of database development, including language choices, distributed systems, and market competition. It offers a glimpse into the community's perception of ParadeDB's technical choices and ambitions.

• Kronotop: Redis-compatible, transactional document store backed by FoundationDB

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  Posted: 2025-01-20 18:12:24

  Verbose tl;dr

  Kronotop is a new open-source database designed as a Redis-compatible, transactional document store built on top of FoundationDB. It aims to offer the familiar interface and ease-of-use of Redis, combined with the strong consistency, scalability, and fault tolerance provided by FoundationDB. Kronotop supports a subset of Redis commands, including string, list, set, hash, and sorted set data structures, along with multi-key transactions ensuring atomicity and isolation. This makes it suitable for applications needing both the flexible data modeling of a document store and the robust guarantees of a distributed transactional database. The project emphasizes performance and is actively under development.

  Kronotop introduces itself as a novel document store that strives to bridge the gap between the simplicity and performance of Redis and the robust transactional guarantees and scalability offered by FoundationDB. It aims to provide a familiar Redis-compatible interface while leveraging the underlying power of FoundationDB for data persistence and consistency.

  The project's core objective is to offer a streamlined developer experience for building applications requiring both the flexible data modeling capabilities of a document store and the strong ACID properties of a transactional database. By emulating the Redis API, Kronotop allows developers already versed in Redis to leverage their existing knowledge and tools without a steep learning curve. This compatibility encompasses a wide range of Redis commands, enabling developers to perform common operations like setting and retrieving key-value pairs, working with various data structures such as lists, sets, and hashes, and leveraging features like Pub/Sub messaging.

  Under the hood, Kronotop leverages FoundationDB's distributed architecture and transactional engine. This allows Kronotop to provide strong consistency and durability guarantees, ensuring data integrity even in the face of failures. FoundationDB's scalability features also translate to Kronotop, allowing it to handle large datasets and high throughput demands. This combination of Redis compatibility and FoundationDB's robustness positions Kronotop as a potential solution for applications requiring high performance, scalability, and data consistency.

  The project is open-source and written in Rust, a language known for its performance and safety features. This choice of language contributes to Kronotop's efficiency and reliability. The developers emphasize that the project is still under active development, with ongoing efforts to expand Redis compatibility and enhance performance. They also highlight the project's potential for various use cases, including caching, real-time analytics, and microservices architectures. While acknowledging the project's ongoing development status, the stated goal is to eventually provide a production-ready solution for applications needing a powerful and dependable document store.

  • Kronotop
  • FoundationDB
  • Redis
  • Database
  • document store
  • transactional
  • distributed database
  • key-value store
  • NoSQL
  • data storage
  • scalability
  • fault tolerance
  • Open Source

  Summary of Comments ( 1 )
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42771403

  Verbose tl;dr

  HN commenters generally expressed interest in Kronotop, praising its use of FoundationDB for its robustness and the project's potential. Some questioned the need for another database when Redis already exists, suggesting the value proposition wasn't entirely clear. Others compared it favorably to Redis' JSON support, highlighting Kronotop's transactional nature and ACID compliance as significant advantages. Performance concerns were raised, with a desire for benchmarks to compare it to existing solutions. The project's early stage was acknowledged, leading to discussions about potential feature additions like secondary indexes and broader API compatibility. The choice of Rust was also lauded for its performance and safety characteristics.

  The Hacker News post titled "Kronotop: Redis-compatible, transactional document store backed by FoundationDB" generated a moderate amount of discussion, with several commenters expressing interest and raising relevant questions.

  Several commenters focused on the choice of FoundationDB as the backing store. One questioned why FoundationDB was chosen over something simpler like SQLite, prompting a response from the project author explaining that FoundationDB provides distributed consistency and scalability, crucial for the intended use cases of Kronotop. The author also clarified that while starting with a simpler backing store might seem easier, it would eventually become a limitation. This exchange highlighted the project's emphasis on robust scalability and fault tolerance.

  Another commenter expressed curiosity about the compatibility layer with Redis and whether it was challenging to implement. The author responded, detailing that the Redis protocol's simplicity made the implementation relatively straightforward, though managing client connections efficiently was a key aspect of their work. They elaborated on their use of Tokio and the complexities of handling multiple simultaneous connections within that framework.

  Further discussion centered on the specific features of Kronotop and their potential applications. The transactional nature of the database garnered attention, with users exploring use cases where data integrity is paramount. Questions about data modeling and querying capabilities were raised, with the author outlining their approach to document storage and retrieval. They clarified that Kronotop utilizes JSON for document representation and supports a subset of Redis commands.

  Performance and benchmarking were also topics of interest, with one commenter suggesting a comparison with existing Redis implementations. While acknowledging the value of such benchmarks, the author stated that their current focus was on stability and feature completeness. They indicated that formal benchmarking would be a future priority.

  The project's open-source nature and the invitation for community contributions were welcomed by several commenters. The overall tone of the discussion was positive, with a general sense of intrigue surrounding Kronotop's potential and the novel approach of combining Redis compatibility with the robustness of FoundationDB.