DuckDB

Definition

DuckDB is an in-process SQL database optimised for analytical queries: columnar storage, vectorised execution, and direct querying of Parquet, CSV, and JSON files without ingestion. It is the standard tool for ad-hoc analysis over local datasets and increasingly common as an embedded query engine in data apps. Speeds rival distributed warehouses on single-machine data.

When to use

See also

• SQLite — Embedded, file-based SQL database — the most-deployed database in the world, runs without a server process.
• Parquet — Open columnar file format optimised for analytical workloads — the standard for data-lake storage.