Apache HBase

Apache HBase is a distributed, column-oriented store modelled on Bigtable. It is usually run on Hadoop HDFS and is developed by the Apache Software Foundation as a community project. It is run self-managed, so the buyer is responsible for operating the cluster and its Hadoop dependencies.

The downloads page marks 2.5.15 as the stable release, dated 9 June 2026, and also lists 3.0.0 and 2.6.6. Teams should read the project's notes on each line before deciding which to run, because the page marks only the 2.5 release as stable. The project has release tags going back to early 0.2.x versions.

Like other Apache Software Foundation projects, it is distributed under an Apache licence; buyers should confirm the terms in the project’s licence file. As an Apache Software Foundation project it would be expected to use the Apache licence, but buyers should confirm the terms on the project's own site before relying on that. No commercial edition, managed cloud service or published pricing was confirmed, so organisations that want paid support or a hosted service should look to third-party vendors and verify their terms directly.

Because HBase typically depends on HDFS and related Hadoop services, adopting it means running or buying that wider platform too.