Overview
DuckDB is an in-process analytical database—think SQLite for analytics. It runs inside your Python process, queries Parquet files directly, and handles surprisingly large datasets on a laptop. It's become essential for local data work and is growing in production use cases.
Key Features
- ✓ In-process: No server, runs in your app
- ✓ Columnar Engine: OLAP-optimized storage
- ✓ Direct File Queries: Query CSV, Parquet, JSON
- ✓ PostgreSQL Dialect: Familiar SQL syntax
- ✓ **
Pros
Cons
- 👎 Single-node only (by design)
- 👎 Not for concurrent workloads
- 👎 Still maturing for production
- 👎 Limited ecosystem vs warehouses
Best For
Local data exploration, notebook analytics, and scripts that process moderate data. Great for data engineers who need quick ad-hoc analysis.
Founded: 2019 HQ: Amsterdam, Netherlands