## About SingleStore

> SingleStore Inc. is a technology company offering a unified database platform designed for high-performance, real-time data processing. Our SingleStore database combines transactional and analytical capabilities in a modern relational architecture, supporting both cloud and on-premises deployments. By leveraging in-memory processing and scalable infrastructure, it enables rapid data ingestion and fast SQL analytics across diverse applications—including transactional systems, machine learning, and streaming analytics. Optimized for low latency, high throughput, and simplified operations, SingleStore provides built-in support for complex queries, distributed data storage, and seamless integrations to help organizations accelerate data-driven insights and meet demanding business needs.

SingleStore is fast and scalable, supporting both high-performance transaction processing and fast analytics. It is a distributed system with a scale-out architecture and has support for ANSI SQL, ACID transactions, full-text search, high availability, disaster recovery, point-in-time recovery, programmability, and extensibility.

## Core Database Capabilities

* Distributed architecture: Horizontally scalable with automatic sharding
* In-memory processing: Columnstore and rowstore engines
* Multi-model support: Relational data, JSON, vectors, geospatial, time-series, key-value
* Real-time analytics: Combines transactional and analytical processing
* Standard SQL: ANSI SQL compliant with MySQL wire protocol compatibility
* Vector database: Native vector operations and ANN similarity search
* Modern full-text: Compatible with Apache's Java Lucene and uses BM25 scoring
* JSON type: Automatically columnarizes JSON data to support very efficient analytics on JSON data
* Iceberg: Ingest of Iceberg tables to add a speed layer to Iceberg tables

## Architecture Components

* Aggregator nodes: Query routing, parsing, and result aggregation
* Leaf nodes: Data storage and computation
* Partitions: Horizontal data distribution units
* Pipelines: Real-time data ingestion from external sources

## Deployment Options

* SingleStore Helios: Fully managed cloud service
* Self-managed: On-premises or cloud infrastructure
* Kubernetes: Self-managed Operator-based deployment
* SingleStore Dev Image: Pre-production rapid application development and testing

## Performance Best Practices

* Partitioning: Use `SHARD KEY` for optimal data distribution
* Indexing: Create appropriate indexes for query patterns
* Columnstore: Use for analytical queries on large datasets
* Pipelines: Use pipelines over batch loading for real-time data
* Query hints: Use `/*+ USE_HASH_JOIN */` and similar hints when needed

## Connections and Drivers

* MySQL compatible: Use MySQL drivers and tools
* Standard ports: 3306 for SQL, 8080 for HTTP API
* Connection pooling: Recommended for high-concurrency applications
* SSL/TLS: Always use encrypted connections in production

## Data-Loading Strategies

* Flow: GUI-based data-loading application that supports CDC-in
* Load Data GUI: UI-based data-loading application for Helios
* Pipelines: For streaming/real-time data
* The `LOAD DATA` command: For batch imports
* The `INSERT` command: For transactional writes
* Bulk operations: Use batch inserts for better performance

## Monitoring and Observability

* Use `INFORMATION_SCHEMA` tables for metadata
* Query `SHOW` commands: `SHOW DATABASES`, `SHOW TABLES`, `SHOW PARTITIONS`
* Performance insights through workload profiling, Query History, and the Grafana-based monitoring solution for Helios and self-managed deployments

## Common Gotchas and Tips

* Column names are case-sensitive
* Use `SHARD KEY` wisely - it cannot be changed after table creation
* JSON functions are optimized - prefer them over string manipulation
* Vector operations benefit from proper indexing
* Pipelines handle schema evolution automatically
* Always consider data distribution when designing schemas

## Key SingleStore Helios Features

* [Audit Logging](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/security/audit-logging.md): Records detailed information about user and system activities to facilitate security, compliance, and troubleshooting.
* [Container Services](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/container-services.md): Orchestrate and run containerized applications, providing scalable, isolated environments to efficiently deploy and manage workloads within Helios.
* [Autoscaling](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/getting-started-with-singlestore-helios/compute-workspaces.md): Automatically adjusts compute resources in response to changing workloads for optimal performance and efficient resource utilization without manual intervention.
* [Cloud Functions](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/container-services/cloud-functions.md): Publish code — including SQL queries, Python scripts, and API calls — as scalable, managed endpoints that automatically execute in response to external triggers or requests.
* [Code Engine - Powered by Wasm](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/reference/code-engine-powered-by-wasm.md): Securely execute WebAssembly workloads.
* [Dashboard Apps](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/container-services/dashboard-apps.md): Create, publish, and manage real-time interactive dashboards through the Cloud Portal, integrating with notebooks and leveraging Plotly's Dash framework to monitor key metrics, explore trends, and make data-driven decisions.
* [Data API](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/reference/data-api.md): A JSON-based SQL API for securely running SQL over HTTP, enabling seamless integration with serverless and custom applications.
* [Database Branching](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/developer-resources/database-branching.md): Creates isolated, full-featured copies of databases instantly, allowing safe experimentation, development, and testing without impacting the original data or production workloads.
* [Full-Text Search](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/developer-resources/functional-extensions/working-with-full-text-search.md): Efficiently search for words or phrase across large volumes of structured or semi-structured text data.
* [Geospatial Features](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/developer-resources/functional-extensions/working-with-geospatial-features.md): Store, query, and analyze spatial data using advanced SQL functions and spatial indexes.
* [Helios BYOC](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/getting-started-with-singlestore-helios/helios-byoc.md): Deploys Helios services directly within a user's own cloud environment, providing flexibility, control, and compliance while leveraging Helios’s platform capabilities.
* [High Availability with Multi-AZ Failover](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/getting-started-with-singlestore-helios/about-singlestore-helios/high-availability.md): Ensures continuous service availability and resilience by automatically detecting failures and redirecting workloads across multiple, geographically separated cloud availability zones.
* [Iceberg External Tables](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/load-data/data-sources/iceberg-ingest.md): Connect to, query, and manage data stored in Apache Iceberg formats directly from Helios.
* [JSON Type](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/create-a-database/using-json.md): Native JSON type that automatically columnarizes data and provides very efficient analytics.
* [JSON Ingest](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/load-data/load-data-from-files/load-data-from-json-files.md): Supports ingest of  JSON documents into tables so that semi-structured data can be queried using familiar SQL syntax.
* [Kai](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/reference/singlestore-kai.md): MongoDB® API Compatibility: Run MongoDB® applications natively on SingleStore Helios with no code changes.
* [Load Data with SingleStore Flow](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/load-data/load-data-with-singlestore-flow.md): Ingest, transform, and route high-throughput real-time data from multiple sources into SingleStore databases.
* [Management API](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/user-and-workspace-administration/management-api.md): Provides secure, programmatic access to platform management operations through standardized RESTful endpoints.
* [Monitoring and Observability](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/user-and-workspace-administration/workspace-health-and-performance/historical-monitoring.md): Provides access to detailed, time-series metrics and event data—capturing resource usage, performance trends, and system activity over extended periods to support analysis, troubleshooting, and optimization of workloads.
* [Notebooks](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/container-services/notebooks.md): Provides an interactive, collaborative environment to write, execute, and share SQL queries, Python code, and data visualizations.
* [Scheduled Jobs](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/container-services/scheduled-jobs.md): Automate recurring execution of shared notebooks by creating jobs with precise cron-based scheduling, parameterization, execution history, and management directly via the Cloud Portal or Management API.
* [Point in Time Recovery (PITR)](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/manage-data/database-storage/online-point-in-time-recovery-pitr.md): Restores a database to an exact state at a chosen moment.
* [Query History](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/query-data/query-tuning/query-history.md): Provides a searchable record of executed queries for tracking, auditing, and analysis of database activity.
* [Secrets](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/developer-resources/secrets.md): A cloud service for securely managing sensitive data like access tokens and API keys without hard-coding credentials in your code or notebooks.
* [Smart Disaster Recovery (DR): SmartDR](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/manage-data/smart-disaster-recovery-dr-smartdr.md): Continuously replicates data and configurations across geographically separate regions to enable rapid failover with minimal downtime.
* [Spaces](https://www.singlestore.com/spaces/): Collaborative environments to discover, create, and share interactive notebooks.
* [Stage](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/load-data/load-data-from-files/stage.md): A secure, managed area for temporarily storing and processing files.
* [Universal Storage](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/create-a-database/columnstore/universal-storage.md): Seamlessly combines row-based and column-based data models within a single database engine.
* [Unlimited Storage](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/manage-data/database-storage.md): Seamlessly scales data capacity without predefined limits, allowing storage to grow automatically as needed.
* [Vector Data](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/developer-resources/functional-extensions/working-with-vector-data.md): Allows efficient similarity search, machine learning, and advanced analytics across large-scale datasets.
* [Visual Explain](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/query-data/query-tuning/singlestore-visual-explain.md): An interactive tool that graphically displays the execution plan and resource usage of SQL queries for analyzing, optimizing, and troubleshooting query performance.

## Key SingleStore Self-Managed Features

* [Audit Logging](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/security/audit-logging.md): Records detailed information about user and system activities to facilitate security, compliance, and troubleshooting.
* [Code Engine - Powered by Wasm](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/reference/code-engine-powered-by-wasm.md): Securely execute WebAssembly workloads.
* [Data API](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/reference/data-api.md): A JSON-based SQL API for securely running SQL over HTTP, enabling seamless integration with serverless and custom applications.
* [Flow](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/load-data/load-data-with-singlestore-flow.md): Ingest, transform, and route high-throughput real-time data from multiple sources into SingleStore databases.
* [Full-Text Search](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/developer-resources/functional-extensions/working-with-full-text-search.md): Efficiently search for words or phrase across large volumes of structured or semi-structured text data.
* [Geospatial Features](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/developer-resources/functional-extensions/working-with-geospatial-features.md): Store, query, and analyze spatial data using advanced SQL functions and spatial indexes.
* [High Availability](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/user-and-cluster-administration/high-availability-and-disaster-recovery/managing-high-availability.md): Ensures continuous service availability and resilience by automatically detecting failures and redirecting workloads across multiple, geographically separated cloud availability zones.
* [Iceberg External Tables](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/load-data/data-sources/iceberg-ingest.md): Connect to, query, and manage data stored in Apache Iceberg formats directly from Helios.
* [JSON Type](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/create-a-database/using-json.md): Native JSON type that automatically columnarizes data and provides very efficient analytics.
* [JSON Ingest](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/load-data/load-data-from-files/load-data-from-json-files.md): Supports ingest of  JSON documents into tables so that semi-structured data can be queried using familiar SQL syntax.
* [Monitoring and Observability](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/user-and-cluster-administration/cluster-health-and-performance/configure-monitoring.md): Provides access to detailed, time-series metrics and event data—capturing resource usage, performance trends, and system activity over extended periods to support analysis, troubleshooting, and optimization of workloads.
* [Point in Time Recovery (PITR)](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/manage-data/unlimited-data-storage/attach-an-unlimited-storage-database-using-point-in-time-recovery-pitr.md): Restores a database to an exact state at a chosen moment.
* [Query History](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/query-data/query-tuning/query-history.md): Provides a searchable record of executed queries for tracking, auditing, and analysis of database activity.
* [Universal Storage](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/create-a-database/columnstore/universal-storage.md): Seamlessly combines row-based and column-based data models within a single database engine.
* [Unlimited Storage](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/manage-data/local-and-unlimited-database-storage-concepts.md): Seamlessly scales data capacity without predefined limits, allowing storage to grow automatically as needed.
* [Vector Data](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/developer-resources/functional-extensions/working-with-vector-data.md): Allows efficient similarity search, machine learning, and advanced analytics across large-scale datasets.
* [Visual Explain](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/query-data/query-tuning/singlestore-visual-explain.md): An interactive tool that graphically displays the execution plan and resource usage of SQL queries for analyzing, optimizing, and troubleshooting query performance.

## Helios Documentation

* [Getting Started with SingleStore Helios](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/getting-started-with-singlestore-helios.md)
* [SingleStore Helios FAQs](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/getting-started-with-singlestore-helios/about-singlestore-helios/singlestore-helios-faqs.md)
* [SingleStore Helios Editions](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/getting-started-with-singlestore-helios/about-singlestore-helios/singlestore-helios-editions.md)
* [Connect to SingleStore Helios](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/connect-to-singlestore.md)
* [Create a Database](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/create-a-database.md)
* [Load Data](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/load-data.md)
* [Query Data](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/query-data.md)
* [Manage Data](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/manage-data.md)
* [Container Services](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/container-services.md)
* [Developer Resources](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/developer-resources.md)
* [User and Workspace Administration](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/user-and-workspace-administration.md)
* [Historical Monitoring](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/user-and-workspace-administration/workspace-health-and-performance/historical-monitoring.md)
* [Security](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/security.md)
* [Reference](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/reference.md)
* [Release Notes](https://docs.singlestore.com/cloud/release-notes.md)

## Latest Self-Managed Documentation

* [How SingleStore Works](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/introduction/how-singlestore-works.md)
* [Unsupported MySQL Features](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/connect-to-singlestore/connect-with-mysql/connect-with-mysql-client/unsupported-mysql-features.md)
* [SingleStore FAQs](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/introduction/faqs.md)
* [SingleStore Editions](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/introduction/singlestore-editions.md)
* [Deploy SingleStore](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/deploy.md)
* [Connect to SingleStore](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/connect-to-singlestore.md)
* [Create a Database](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/create-a-database.md)
* [Load Data](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/load-data.md)
* [Query Data](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/query-data.md)
* [Manage Data](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/manage-data.md)
* [Developer Resources](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/developer-resources.md)
* [User and Cluster Administration](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/user-and-cluster-administration.md)
* [Cluster Monitoring](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/user-and-cluster-administration/cluster-health-and-performance/configure-monitoring.md)
* [High Availability and Disaster Recovery](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/user-and-cluster-administration/high-availability-and-disaster-recovery.md)
* [Reference](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/reference.md)
* [SingleStore Tools Reference](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/reference/singlestore-tools-reference.md)
* [Security](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/security.md)
* [Release Notes](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/release-notes.md)
* [Glossary](https://docs.singlestore.com/db/v9.0/glossary.md)