Onyx

Distributed, masterless data processing in Clojure

DecliningOpen SourceLow lock-in

Pricing

Free tier

Flat rate

Adoption

Cooling

License

Open Source

Data freshness

Aging · Jun 8, 2026

Overview

What is Onyx?

Onyx is a distributed, high-performance, fault-tolerant data processing system written entirely in Clojure. It's designed for large-scale data pipelines and real-time stream processing.

Key differentiator

Onyx stands out with its masterless architecture and high performance, making it ideal for fault-tolerant data processing in Clojure environments.

Capability profile

Capability Radar

Ease of StartEcosystemValueMaturityFlexibilityScale Ready

Honest assessment

Strengths & Weaknesses

↑ Strengths

Distributed and masterless architecture for fault tolerancemedium

High performance data processing capabilitiesmedium

Supports real-time stream processingmedium

Written entirely in Clojure, leveraging its functional programming featuresmedium

↓ Weaknesses

Limited language support due to primary use of Clojurehigh

Onyx is primarily written in and requires knowledge of Clojure, which may limit the pool of developers who can effectively work with it.

Complex setup process for new usersmedium

Setting up Onyx involves configuring multiple components and understanding distributed systems concepts, which can be challenging for beginners.

Small community size compared to more mainstream toolshigh

The active user base is relatively small, leading to fewer resources, slower issue resolution, and less frequent updates.

Performance can degrade under certain edge conditionsmedium

In specific scenarios with high variability in task execution times or network latency, Onyx may not maintain optimal performance levels.

Fit analysis

Who is it for?

✓ Best for

Teams needing a fault-tolerant, high-performance Clojure-based data processing solution

Projects requiring real-time stream processing capabilities with Clojure

Organizations that prefer self-hosted solutions for data pipelines

✕ Not a fit for

Developers looking for managed cloud services without the need to self-host

Teams preferring a more widely used language like Python or Java over Clojure

Cost structure

Pricing

Free Tier

Available

Open source — free to use

Starts at

$0

Model

Flat rate

Enterprise

None

Performance benchmarks

How Fast Is It?

Ecosystem

Relationships

Works well with

Next step

Get Started with Onyx

Step-by-step setup guide with code examples and common gotchas.

View Setup Guide →