Introduction

BigchainDB is a scalable blockchain database. That is, it’s a “big data” database with some blockchain characteristics, including decentralization, immutability and native support for assets.

You can read about the motivations, goals and high-level architecture in the BigchainDB whitepaper.

Setup Instructions for Various Cases

• Set up a stand-alone BigchainDB node for learning and experimenting: Quickstart
• Set up and run a federation (i.a. an organization with a BigchainDB cluster)
• To set up a stand-alone node so you can help contribute to the development of BigchainDB Server, see the CONTRIBUTING.md file
• Deploy a cluster on AWS

(Instructions for setting up a client will be provided once there’s a public testnet.)

Is BigchainDB Production-Ready?

No, BigchainDB is not production-ready. You can use it to build a prototype or proof-of-concept (POC); many people are already doing that.

BigchainDB is currently in version 0.X. (The Releases page on GitHub has the exact version number.) Once we believe that BigchainDB is production-ready, we’ll release version 1.0.

The BigchainDB Roadmap will give you a sense of the things we intend to do with BigchainDB in the near term and the long term.

Can I Help?

Yes! BigchainDB is an open-source project; we welcome contributions of all kinds. If you want to request a feature, file a bug report, make a pull request, or help in some other way, please see the CONTRIBUTING.md file.