<p>We built BigchainDB on top of an enterprise-grade distributed DB, from which BigchainDB inherits high throughput, high capacity, a full-featured NoSQL query language, efficient querying, and permissioning.</p>
<pclass="section-description">BigchainDB is complementary to decentralized processing platforms like Ethereum, decentralized file systems like IPFS and communication building blocks. It can also be used side by side with identity protocols, financial asset protocols, IP assets protocols and glue protocols. BigchainDB provides a bridge to an eventually fully decentralized system.</p>
<figcaption>BigchainDB fills a missing gap in the emerging decentralized stack as a blockchain database that complements existing platforms, processing and file systems.</figcaption>
<figcaption>BigchainDB can be seamlessly integrated into the traditional stack as a blockchain database for decentralized timestamping, certificates, smart contracts and transactions.
<pclass="section-description">Rather than trying to scale up blockchain technology, the BigchainDB design starts with a "big data" distributed database and then adds blockchain characteristics - decentralized control, immutability and the transfer of digital assets.</p>
<pclass="section-description">Many BigchainDB use cases are like traditional blockchain use cases, except focused on situations where higher throughput, more capacity, lower latency, better querying, or richer permissioning is necessary.</p>
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<ul>
<li>Legally-binding contracts can be stored directly on the BigchainDB next to the transaction, in a format that is readable by humans and computers.</li>
<li>Creation and real-time movement of high-volume assets. Only the owner of the asset can move the asset, rather than the network administrator like in previous database systems. This capability reduces costs, minimizes transaction latency, and enables new applications.</li>
<li>Tracking high-volume physical assets along whole supply chain. BigchainDB can help reduce fraud, providing massive cost savings. Every RFID tag in existence could be entered on a BigchainDB.</li>
<li>Tracking intellectual property assets along the licensing chain. BigchainDB can reduce licensing friction in channels connecting creators to audiences, and gives perfect provenance to digital artifacts. A typical music service has 38 million songs—BigchainDB could store this information in a heartbeat, along with licensing information about each song and information about use by subscribers.</li>
<li>Time stamping, receipts, and certification. BigchainDB reduces legal friction by providing irrefutable evidence of an electronic action. And, BigchainDB is big enough that supporting information like receipts and certificates of authenticity (COAs) can be stored directly on it, rather than linking to the document or storing a hash.</li>
<li>Improving database reliability by creating resistance to single points of failure. This reliability helps move past the status quo where a single hack leads to massive data loss, like in Target, Sony, or the OPM.</li>
<pclass="section-description">Private beta is shipping now. <ahref="/contact/">Contact us</a> for more information. Public Bigchain will be released soon</p>
