Best Object-Oriented Databases 2026

Q: What are the benefits of using Object-Oriented Databases?

Native modeling - Applications can persist object graphs, inheritance, and references without restructuring data into tables. Reduced translation overhead - By avoiding object-to-relational mapping, organizations can bypass the specific operational complexities of object-relational mapping (ORM) layers. Object-graph navigation - Systems are structured to navigate interconnected objects based on references.

Object-oriented databases persist object state, object identity, type or class information, and relationships without translating data into relational tables. They avoid object-to-relational table mapping, differentiating them from relational databases used alongside an object-relational mapping (ORM) layer.

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1
InterSystems IRIS
Rating: 8.1 out of 10
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InterSystems IRIS is a complete cloud-first data platform that includes a multi-model transactional data management engine, an application development platform, and interoperability engine, and an open analytics platform.It is is the next generation of InterSystems' data management software. It ...
2
InterSystems Caché (legacy product)
Rating: 10 out of 10
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InterSystems Caché® was a multi-modal operational database for transaction processing applications, that provided several APIs to operate with same data simultaneously: key-value, relational, object, document, and multidimensional.
3
GridGain In-Memory Computing Platform
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GridGain® provides an in-memory computing platform built on Apache® Ignite that enabless in-memory speed and massive scalability for data-intensive applications. It requires no rip-and-replace of existing databases and can be deployed on-premises, on a public or private cloud, or on a hybrid ...
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ObjectDB
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ObjectDB is an object-oriented database management system (ODBMS) for Java and other Java Virtual Machine (JVM) applications. The database persists Java objects and object graphs directly, avoiding the need to translate application data into relational tables through an object-relational mapping ...
5
Actian NoSQL
Rating: 8 out of 10
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Actian NoSQL (formerly Versant) object technology enables software developers to handle database requirements for extremely complex object models, and boasts users among large companies for applications with very large scale data management requirements. Actian NoSQL doesn’t need mapping code to ...

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Learn More about Object-Oriented Databases Software

What are Object-Oriented Databases?

Object-oriented databases, or object database management systems (ODBMS), are systems that persist object state, object identity, type or class information, and relationships without translating the data into relational tables. These databases avoid object-to-relational table mapping, differentiating them from relational databases used alongside an object-relational mapping (ORM) layer.

The category boundary is defined by support for persistent object identity, class and type models, object references, inheritance, and object-graph navigation. Storing JSON objects alone does not make a product an object-oriented database. Object-oriented databases are distinct from document databases, which store standalone JSON/BSON documents, and graph databases, which focus on explicit nodes and edges.

These systems are typically used by software developers and system architects for applications where data structures feature deeply nested or highly interconnected object graphs. Common use cases include computer-aided design (CAD) systems, scientific research, and complex modeling applications. While they avoid ORM translation, object-oriented databases may use persistence APIs such as the Java Persistence API (JPA) or Java Data Objects (JDO), as well as query languages such as Java Persistence Query Language (JPQL), JDO Query Language (JDOQL), or Object Query Language (OQL).

Organizations adopting an ODBMS must evaluate ecosystem maturity and potential vendor lock-in. Because these databases rely on specific language integrations, query portability can be limited if a team later decides to migrate to a different database architecture. Furthermore, schema evolution in an object-oriented database involves managing changes to class definitions over time, requiring specialized tools provided by the database vendor to safely update persisted objects when application code changes.

Object-Oriented Databases Features

Object Graph Persistence - Persists object state, references, and inheritance models natively.
Avoidance of ORM Translation - Bypasses the need for object-to-relational table mapping by directly storing objects.
Query and API Support - Products may use persistence APIs (like JPA or JDO) and query languages (like JPQL or OQL) to interact with stored objects.
ACID Transactions - Transactional guarantees such as Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability (ACID) are provided by many systems, subject to the specific product.
Complex Traversal Support - Engineered to navigate interconnected webs of objects and object references, with performance varying by implementation.

How to Choose an Object-Oriented Database

When evaluating object-oriented databases, consider the following decision factors:

Language Compatibility: Verify that the database provides native bindings, persistence APIs, and robust support for the object-oriented programming language used by the development team.
Community and Ecosystem: Evaluate the availability of developer documentation, community support, and third-party integrations, as ODBMS represent a specific market segment.
Performance on Complex Traversals: If the application navigates large, interconnected webs of objects, assess the product's performance profile for object-graph traversal compared to alternatives.
Schema Evolution and Lock-In: Examine the tools provided for managing schema evolution as class definitions change, and consider the portability implications of using vendor-specific APIs.
Multi-Model Capabilities: Evaluate whether the organization requires a dedicated ODBMS or a multi-model database that supports object persistence alongside relational or document access.

Pricing Information

Pricing for object-oriented databases depends on the vendor, product, and deployment scale. Lightweight systems targeting mobile or specific language ecosystems may offer open-source tiers. Enterprise-grade object database platforms typically use traditional software licensing models, priced per core, per server, or through custom agreements that include support and maintenance.

Object-Oriented Databases FAQs

What do Object-Oriented Databases do?

Object-oriented databases persist the state, identity, and relationships of programming objects. They allow applications to store complex object graphs natively without translating the data into relational tables or flat documents.

How do Object-Oriented Databases work?

An object database management system (ODBMS) stores objects while preserving their structures, such as inheritance and class models. Applications interact with the database using persistence APIs (like Java Persistence API (JPA) or Java Data Objects (JDO)) or query languages (like Object Query Language (OQL)). This process avoids object-to-relational table mapping, directly recording the object references and attributes.

What are the benefits of using Object-Oriented Databases?

Native modeling - Applications can persist object graphs, inheritance, and references without restructuring data into tables.
Reduced translation overhead - By avoiding object-to-relational mapping, organizations can bypass the specific operational complexities of object-relational mapping (ORM) layers.
Object-graph navigation - Systems are structured to navigate interconnected objects based on references.

How much do Object-Oriented Databases cost?

Lightweight or community-focused object databases often offer open-source editions. Enterprise-grade object database platforms, used for specialized engineering or research applications, are generally sold via custom licenses based on the number of servers, processing cores, or data volume.

How can Object-Oriented Databases be used to be more productive?

Native object persistence can reduce maintenance of object-to-table mappings for complex object models. By relying on native object storage instead of maintaining an object-relational mapping (ORM) layer, teams manage complex object models directly within their application architectures.

How does an object-oriented database differ from using an ORM?

An object-relational mapping (ORM) tool acts as a translation layer that converts programming objects into rows and columns for storage in a relational database. An object-oriented database stores the objects natively, persisting object identity, classes, and relationships directly without converting them into a relational table structure.