Overview:
InfluxDB 3 Core is an open-source time series database designed to collect, process, and store event and time series data. Built with Apache Arrow, DataFusion, and Parquet, it is optimized for real-time data ingestion and fast query response times needed for dashboards, monitoring, automation, and interactive user interfaces. The project is generally available as of April 2025.
Core Features:
Real-time ingest and fast queries: Optimized for near real-time monitoring, with query response times under 10ms for last-value queries and approximately 30ms for distinct metadata queries.
Diskless architecture with object storage: Supports storing data as Parquet files on object storage (S3, Azure, GCP) or on local disk with no external dependencies.
Embedded Python VM: Allows running Python-based plugins and triggers within the database.
Multiple query and write APIs: Supports SQL, InfluxQL, and Flight SQL for queries, and Line Protocol for writes. Compatible with InfluxDB 1.x and 2.x write APIs and the InfluxDB 1.x query API (InfluxQL).
HTTP API: Exposes an HTTP API on port 8181 for writing and querying data.
Use Cases:
Monitoring sensor data from IoT devices or industrial equipment.
Server and application performance monitoring to track metrics in near real-time.
Network monitoring for capturing and analyzing traffic patterns and uptime.
Financial market and trading analytics that require low-latency query responses for time-stamped events.
Why It Matters:
InfluxDB 3 Core offers a modern time series database engine that leverages Apache Arrow and Parquet for efficient storage and querying. Its diskless architecture with optional object storage eliminates the need for dedicated storage management. The embedded Python VM for plugins and the compatibility with InfluxDB 1.x and 2.x APIs provide a migration path for existing InfluxDB users while delivering faster query performance for interactive and monitoring use cases.