EXist
| Company type | Open-source software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Database management system |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Wolfgang Meier |
| Headquarters | Germany, United Kingdom |
| Products | eXist-db NoSQL database system |
| Owner | eXist Solutions GmbH, Evolved Binary |
| Website | exist-db |
eXist-db (commonly referred to as eXist) is an open-source NoSQL database system that leverages XML technology. It operates as both a native XML database and a document-centric store, accommodating XML, JSON, HTML, and binary file formats. Distinct from conventional relational or NoSQL databases, eXist-db employs XQuery and XSLT as its primary query and scripting languages.
The software is distributed under the GNU LGPL version 2.1 license.
Features
With eXist-db, developers can directly manage XML, JSON, and binary documents without relying heavily on middleware solutions. It complies with and extends W3C XML specifications such as XQuery, while also providing RESTful interfaces suitable for AJAX-based web forms. Applications like XForms benefit from streamlined data storage requiring minimal programming effort. The built-in WebDAV functionality enables users to drag and drop XML files straight into the database. Additionally, documents are indexed automatically using a keyword-based indexing mechanism.
History
Wolfgang Meier initiated the development of eXist-db in 2000. In 2006, InfoWorld recognized it as the leading XML database.
Commercial support for eXist-db is provided by eXist Solutions GmbH in Germany and Evolved Binary in the United Kingdom.
An O’Reilly publication authored by Adam Retter and Erik Siegel offers comprehensive guidance on utilizing eXist-db as a NoSQL document database and application development platform.
| Version | Release date | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0.0 | January 27, 2022 | Remediated Log4Shell security flaw; upgraded Apache XML-RPC libraries to enhance security. |
| 5.0.0 | September 2, 2019 | Incorporated over 1,400 commits including improved locking mechanisms for documents and collections; transitioned build system from Apache Ant to Maven; ceased support for deployment within Apache Tomcat. |
| 4.0.0 | February 14, 2018 | Launched UserManager application; rewrote Cache Extension Module utilizing Caffeine Java library; enhanced language search capabilities; maintained backward compatibility with version 3. |
| 3.0.0 | February 9, 2017 | Implemented nearly 1,500 modifications including support for XQuery version 3.1; updated Jetty web server to support HTTP/2; mandated Java 8 runtime environment. |
| 2.0.0 | February 2013 | Introduced non-backward compatible changes relative to version 1; revamped permission model aligning more closely with UNIX standards; relocated web applications storage into the database instead of the webapp directory. |
| 1.0.0 | October 2006 |
Supported standards and technologies
eXist-db supports a wide array of standards and protocols such as:
- XPath – language for navigating XML documents
- XQuery – querying language for XML data
- XSLT – language for transforming XML documents
- XSL-FO – formatting objects for XML output
- WebDAV – protocol for web-based distributed authoring and version control
- REST – architectural style using URL encoding
- RESTXQ – RESTful annotations integrated with XQuery
- XInclude – server-side processing of included files (with partial support)
- XML-RPC – protocol enabling remote procedure calls via XML
- XProc – language designed for defining XML processing pipelines
- XQuery API for Java