# scalar vs tidb

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | scalar | tidb |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 76/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 13 in API | #4 of 38 in Databases |
| GitHub stars | 16 336 | 40 685 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +147 ✓ | +98 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 46 ✓ | 2 |
| Latest release | release-2026-10-28-0d01943 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ | v8.5.8 · 27 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

tidb scores 80/100 against 76/100 for scalar, so it is the safer default.

scalar ships more often: 46 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for tidb.

If you want the quickest setup, scalar is easier to run; tidb needs more configuration.

## Details

- [scalar](https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/scalar.md)
- [tidb](https://selfhost.directory/project/tidb) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/tidb.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/scalar-vs-tidb