If you responded to the 2024 Annual Apache CouchDB User Survey one motivation may have been to get a peek into how others are using CouchDB and potentially pick up a tip. The wait is over — I’m happy to share the results and make some inferences about what has changed since our last survey. 

📕 2024 Apache CouchDB User Survey Results Executive Summary

📊 Raw results in a read-only Google Sheet

Based on the executive summary, here are the most significant and interesting trends we observed.

Adoption and Community 

CouchDB doesn’t attract quite the volume of new users it once did. However, of equal if not greater interest is that very few users plan to move away from CouchDB. The trend instead is that CouchDB’s unparalleled replication and sync features are layered with other databases that offer the querying or relational features users want to work with. 

In addition to SQL querying capabilities, framework compatibility and library availability are often cited as reasons to consider working with other technologies.

The tendency to stick with CouchDB, and to use an additional database as opposed to migrating away from CouchDB, both serve as strong indicators that CouchDB continues to correspond with a significant problem space. Conversations with the Local-First community confirm this, and we look forward to welcoming users who are new to working with CouchDB and PouchDB.

Features

It’s very clear what CouchDB does well! But you are probably more interested in the feature requests. Improved querying and indexing features topped the list, specifically SQL-like queries and requests for performance. 

WebSockets for replication and changes feed were also frequently requested, along with per-document/user permissions. Since the survey, some of these have already found themselves on the roadmap.

Documentation and Writing 

This round was interesting when it came to feedback on docs and blogs, the three most active being the Cloudant, Couch Architects and Neighbourhoodie blogs. This year, people shared specific requests in the “Documentation” section for topics they need covered in more detail or would like to learn more about. 

Writing is also a way to help users find CouchDB, and find a CouchDB ecosystem that’s up-to-date. As the second-most requested thing people would like to see on the blog, case studies can help people find CouchDB via their industry problem as well as help existing users think through different configurations. That’s why we want to pilot something new: a case study submission form that can help CouchDB users share their stories with less friction. 

If you or someone you know has an interesting CouchDB setup, pass the form along to them. We hope it can help you share your story easily, and in turn help new users decide how they use CouchDB. 

Thank you to all who shared their feedback with the project. We hope next year to share the results much more quickly and appreciate your patience.