YouData

YouData is an open-source, single-file embedded database for Node.js. It is built from scratch with a compact append-only binary log, in-memory indexes, deterministic compaction, collections, queries, accounts, an HTTP Gateway, and a global CLI.

Install

npm install youdata
npm install -g youdata

Library

import { open } from 'youdata';

const db = open('./data/main.ydb');
const users = db.collection('users');
users.set('maycol', { name: 'Maycol', plan: 'free' });
console.log(users.get('maycol'));
console.log(users.find({ plan: 'free' }));

db.createAccount('admin', 'change-this-password', 'admin');
db.gateway({ port: 6380 }).start();

CLI

youdata init ./data/main.ydb
youdata stats ./data/main.ydb
youdata compact ./data/main.ydb
youdata account create admin change-this-password admin ./data/main.ydb
youdata gateway 6380 ./data/main.ydb
youdata shell ./data/main.ydb

The file is a portable .ydb binary containing the complete database. Writes are appended for speed. compact removes obsolete records and rebuilds a minimal file without ZIP, GZip, or third-party storage engines.

Design

• Single portable database file
• Custom length-prefixed binary records
• Append-only writes for fast mutation
• In-memory Map indexes for constant-time key access
• Explicit compaction for minimal storage
• Collections with get, set, add, delete, find, first, count, and iteration
• Built-in account credentials and bearer sessions
• Optional HTTP Gateway for external services
• Zero runtime dependencies

License

YouData is distributed under the YouData Personal Use License.

You may use and modify it for personal, private, and non-commercial purposes. Private forks and private copies are allowed. You may not publish, redistribute, sublicense, sell, release, or offer the original or a modified fork as a public package, public service, hosted service, or commercial product.

See LICENSE for the complete terms. Copyright © 2026 SoyMaycol (Zyn).