--- title: Which InfluxDB 3 should I use? description: Decision guide for choosing between InfluxDB 3 Enterprise, Core, and Cloud Serverless, and for migrating from InfluxDB 1 or InfluxDB 2. url: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/which-influxdb-3/ estimated_tokens: 2267 publisher: InfluxData canonical: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/which-influxdb-3/ date: '2026-05-15T10:53:04-05:00' lastmod: '2026-05-15T10:53:04-05:00' --- For new production workloads, use **InfluxDB 3 Enterprise**. A Trial or Home license lets you evaluate Enterprise before purchasing. **InfluxDB 3 Core** is the free, open-source, single-node release of the v3 engine. Choose Core for non-production, edge, or single-node deployments. Choose **InfluxDB 3 Cloud Serverless** for a multi-tenant, self-service cloud — pay for what you use — or to continue from InfluxDB Cloud (TSM). **InfluxDB 1 and InfluxDB 2** are in maintenance. Build new workloads on InfluxDB 3; see [Coming from InfluxDB 1 or InfluxDB 2?](#coming-from-influxdb-1-or-influxdb-2)for migration guidance. ## The short answer | Your situation | Use this | |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | New production deployment | [InfluxDB 3 Enterprise](/influxdb3/enterprise/) (Trial or Home license for evaluation) | | Free, open source, single-node | [InfluxDB 3 Core](/influxdb3/core/) | |Multi-tenant, self-service cloud for smaller workloads (pay for what you use), or continuing from InfluxDB Cloud (TSM)| [InfluxDB 3 Cloud Serverless](/influxdb3/cloud-serverless/) | | Managed single-tenant cloud | [InfluxDB Cloud Dedicated](/influxdb3/cloud-dedicated/) | | Kubernetes | [InfluxDB Clustered](/influxdb3/clustered/) | | Running InfluxDB 1 or InfluxDB 2 today |[Plan migration to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise](/influxdb3/enterprise/get-started/migrate-from-influxdb-v1-v2/)| ## InfluxDB 3 Enterprise—the production answer InfluxDB 3 Enterprise is a diskless, object-storage-backed time series database delivered as a single binary. Run it self-managed on hardware or VMs — single-node or multi-node. Choose Enterprise when you need: * High availability and multi-node deployment * Long-range historical queries with compaction * ISO 27001 and SOC 2 security certifications * Commercial support [Get started with InfluxDB 3 Enterprise](/influxdb3/enterprise/get-started/) ## InfluxDB 3 Core—open source, single-node InfluxDB 3 Core is the free, open-source, single-node release of the v3 engine. Use Core for edge or non-critical workloads, or to develop against the v3 APIs. Choose Core when: * You need a free, open source v3 database * A single node meets your throughput and availability requirements * You want to develop and test against the native v3 write and query APIs If you want to evaluate Enterprise features (high availability, replicas, long-range compaction), use an Enterprise Trial or Home license instead. Upgrade from Core to Enterprise when you need those features in production. [Get started with InfluxDB 3 Core](/influxdb3/core/get-started/) ## InfluxDB 3 Cloud Serverless—multi-tenant, self-service cloud InfluxDB 3 Cloud Serverless is a multi-tenant, self-service cloud for smaller workloads — pay for what you use. It runs on the v3 storage engine but exposes a different API surface than Core and Enterprise: * No native v3 write API—use v1 and v2 compatibility endpoints * No Processing Engine * Multi-tenant; usage-based pricing Choose Cloud Serverless when: * You are an existing InfluxDB Cloud (TSM) customer * You want a multi-tenant, self-service cloud and pay only for what you use * Your workload is small enough for a multi-tenant environment * You do not need the native v3 API surface or the Processing Engine [Get started with InfluxDB 3 Cloud Serverless](/influxdb3/cloud-serverless/get-started/) ## Coming from InfluxDB 1 or InfluxDB 2? InfluxDB 1 and InfluxDB 2 are in maintenance and don’t receive InfluxDB 3 features. For new projects and for production workloads that need v3 features (SQL, object storage, unlimited cardinality, Processing Engine), plan a migration to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise. If you rely on **Flux** queries today, you’ll need to migrate them to SQL or InfluxQL. InfluxDB Cloud Serverless and other InfluxDB 3 products don’t support Flux. Although Flux might still work with InfluxDB Cloud Serverless, it isn’t officially supported or optimized for InfluxDB 3. Flux is now in maintenance mode. For more information, see [The future of Flux](/flux/v0/future-of-flux/). * [Migrate from InfluxDB 1 or 2 to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise](/influxdb3/enterprise/get-started/migrate-from-influxdb-v1-v2/) * [Migrate from InfluxDB 1 to InfluxDB 3 Core](/influxdb3/core/get-started/migrate-from-influxdb-v1-v2/) ## Frequently asked questions ## What's the difference between InfluxDB 1, InfluxDB 2, and InfluxDB 3? InfluxDB 3 is the current generation — a rewritten storage and query engine based on Apache Arrow, DataFusion, and object storage. v3 supports SQL and InfluxQL. Flux is not officially supported on any InfluxDB 3 product. InfluxDB 1 and InfluxDB 2 are previous generations in maintenance: v1 uses the TSM storage engine and supports InfluxQL and Flux; v2 adds a new API surface and also supports InfluxQL and Flux. For new projects, use InfluxDB 3. ## Should I start a new project on InfluxDB 1 or InfluxDB 2? No. Start new projects on InfluxDB 3. InfluxDB 1 and 2 remain supported for existing deployments. They receive improvements, but don’t receive v3 features. InfluxDB 3 Enterprise is the recommended target for production workloads. ## I run InfluxDB 2 today — should I migrate to InfluxDB 3? Plan a migration when you need features only available in v3 (SQL, object storage, unlimited cardinality, the Processing Engine), or when v2’s maintenance status becomes a constraint. Migration paths exist from both InfluxDB 2 OSS and InfluxDB Cloud (TSM) to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise. ## I run InfluxDB 1 today — should I migrate to InfluxDB 3? Yes, when feasible. InfluxDB 3 supports InfluxQL, so most v1 queries continue to work. The data model and line protocol write format are compatible. Migration guides cover InfluxDB 1 OSS and InfluxDB Enterprise 1.x to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise. ## Is InfluxDB 3 Cloud Serverless the same as InfluxDB 3 Enterprise? No. Cloud Serverless runs on the v3 storage engine but has a different API surface: it uses v1/v2-compatible write endpoints (no native v3 write API), has no Processing Engine, and supports **SQL and InfluxQL**. InfluxDB 3 Enterprise supports SQL and InfluxQL, provides the native v3 write API, and includes the Processing Engine. Choose Cloud Serverless for a multi-tenant, self-service cloud for smaller workloads (pay for what you use) or for continuity from InfluxDB Cloud (TSM). Choose Enterprise for the full v3 API surface, Processing Engine, and single-tenant deployment. ## Which query languages does InfluxDB 3 support? SQL and InfluxQL on all InfluxDB 3 products — Core, Enterprise, Cloud Serverless, Cloud Dedicated, and Clustered. SQL is the primary query language across all InfluxDB 3 products. Flux is not officially supported on any InfluxDB 3 product. Flux might still work on InfluxDB 3 Cloud Serverless, but it isn’t officially supported or optimized for InfluxDB 3. Flux is in maintenance mode — see [The future of Flux](/flux/v0/future-of-flux/). Migrate Flux queries to SQL or InfluxQL. ## Where does InfluxDB 3 Explorer fit? InfluxDB 3 Explorer is a web-based UI for querying, visualizing, and administering InfluxDB 3. It works with InfluxDB 3 Core and InfluxDB 3 Enterprise. ## Related links * [InfluxDB 3 Enterprise product page](https://www.influxdata.com/products/influxdb3-enterprise/)—for InfluxDB 3 Core vs Enterprise specifics, including the product FAQ * [What is time series data?](/platform/faq/) | Your situation | Use this | | --- | --- | | Your situation | Use this | | New production deployment | InfluxDB 3 Enterprise (Trial or Home license for evaluation) | | Free, open source, single-node | InfluxDB 3 Core | | Multi-tenant, self-service cloud for smaller workloads (pay for what you use), or continuing from InfluxDB Cloud (TSM) | InfluxDB 3 Cloud Serverless | | Managed single-tenant cloud | InfluxDB Cloud Dedicated | | Kubernetes | InfluxDB Clustered | | Running InfluxDB 1 or InfluxDB 2 today | Plan migration to InfluxDB 3 Enterprise |