# PeerDB

> Postgres-specialised CDC, and the engine behind ClickPipes

PeerDB is an open-source change data capture engine built specifically for PostgreSQL sources, acquired by ClickHouse in 2024 and kept as a distinct component powering the managed Postgres CDC in ClickPipes.

Website: https://www.peerdb.io

## Use it when

- The pipe is Postgres to ClickHouse; PeerDB is the engine inside ClickPipes, and that path gets the most engineering attention.
- Postgres is the only source that matters and you want it done well: parallel CTID-partitioned snapshots, tuned slot handling, exactly-once delivery.
- Large initial loads hurt elsewhere; the parallel backfill is a headline feature.
- Self-hosting open source is acceptable, or the managed form inside ClickHouse Cloud is where you already are.

## Think twice when

- Sources are diverse; Postgres and MySQL (MongoDB in preview) is the whole list, where Debezium spans seven engines and more.
- The destination roadmap matters; other warehouses and queues work, but the ClickHouse acquisition gives the roadmap an obvious center of gravity.
- Copyleft is a problem; the license is AGPL-3.0.
- Schema drift goes past added columns; drops and type changes do not propagate.

## How it runs

Self-hosted as a Flow API with workers, a Postgres catalog, and Temporal for orchestration; sources need wal_level=logical, a publication and slot, and primary keys. Free to self-host; managed as ClickPipes, billed on compute hours plus data ingested.

## Details

### General

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| License | Open source (copyleft) |
| SPDX identifier | AGPL-3.0 |
| Deployment | Self-hosted, Managed |
| Workload | Streaming, Batch |
| Operational complexity | Medium |
| Pricing | Free, Subscription |
| Language | Go |
| Repository | https://github.com/PeerDB-io/peerdb |
| Documentation | https://docs.peerdb.io |
| Stars | 3.3k |

### Change Data Capture

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Sources | PostgreSQL and MySQL; MongoDB in preview |
| Source requirements | wal_level logical, a publication and slot, and a primary key |
| What you run | Flow API and workers, a Postgres catalog and Temporal |
| Initial snapshot | Parallel initial load, partitioned by CTID |
| End-to-end lag | Near real-time; streams from the slot on a configurable sync interval |
| Delivery guarantee | Exactly-once |
| Schema drift | ADD COLUMN propagates; drops and type changes don't |
| Transformations | None in the pipeline; Lua row transforms when writing to queues |
| Destinations | ClickHouse first; other warehouses and queues |
| Billing unit | Free self-hosted; ClickPipes bills compute hours plus GB ingested |

## Capabilities

- [Change Data Capture](https://matca.io/capabilities/change-data-capture)

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Source: https://matca.io/peerdb
Last updated: 2026-08-31T11:40:49.462Z