# Episode 861 - Big Databases with OpenRiak

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/floss-weekly/episode-861-big-databases-with-openriak
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/floss-weekly/episode-861-big-databases-with-openriak.md
Podcast: [FLOSS Weekly](https://stenobird.com/podcast/floss-weekly)
Published: 2026-01-21T17:52:00+00:00
Episode link: https://b27a1a7a-dbb9-4922-ac3e-601e2d6ca1e1.libsyn.com/episode-861-big-databases-with-openriak
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b27a1a7a-dbb9-4922-ac3e-601e2d6ca1e1/FLOSS-861.mp3?dest-id=4272468
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/floss-weekly/episodes/episode-861-big-databases-with-openriak
Duration seconds: 3848

## Resource

Explore the evolution of OpenRiak, an Erlang-based NoSQL database that survived the bankruptcy of its original parent company. Learn how its architecture handles the CAP theorem and provides massive horizontal scalability.

## Highlights
- Main idea: OpenRiak is an Erlang-based NoSQL key-value store designed for high availability and massive scale
- Technical trade-off: The database prioritizes availability and partition tolerance, navigating the constraints of the CAP theorem
- Practical takeaway: Horizontal scalability is achieved by simply adding new nodes to the cluster to increase storage and throughput
- Failure mode: While the system handles node failures via virtual nodes, heavy reliance on non-optimized queries like fuzzy matching can degrade performance
- Historical context: The project transitioned to OpenRiak after the original company, Basho, underwent bankruptcy

## Topics

OpenRiak, NoSQL, Erlang, CAP Theorem, Distributed Databases, Horizontal Scalability, Open Source Software, Key-Value Stores

## Chapters
- 1:00 — Introduction to OpenRiak: An introduction to the Erlang-based database and its distinction from the React JavaScript library.
- 6:00 — The History of Basho and OpenRiak: The story of how the project survived the bankruptcy of Basho through IP acquisition.
- 15:40 — CAP Theorem and Consistency: A deep dive into how OpenRriak handles consistency, availability, and network partitions.
- 25:30 — Scalability and Throughput: Discussing the benefits of horizontal scaling and adding nodes to handle increased load.
- 30:10 — Deployment and Installation: Practical advice on installing OpenRiak on Linux, Docker, and single-node development environments.
- 35:10 — Resilience and Node Failure: How the cluster manages node outages and maintains operations through virtual nodes.
- 44:35 — Internal Storage and LevelDB: A look at the role of LevelDB and community-driven improvements to the storage engine.

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## Transcript

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