Altinity Stable
Altinity Stable is a 100% open-source distribution of ClickHouse, built from ClickHouse Long Term Support (LTS) branches and subjected to extensive pre-release testing to ensure production readiness.
Publisher review
Altinity Stable is a 100% open-source distribution of ClickHouse, built from ClickHouse Long Term Support (LTS) branches and subjected to extensive pre-release testing to ensure production readiness. It is designed for organizations that need to run business-critical ClickHouse applications without the churn of frequent upstream upgrades. Altinity Stable targets teams that value long-term stability over the latest features, offering a pre-compiled binary release of ClickHouse server and client that is ready for deployment in on-premises, cloud, and Kubernetes environments. The builds are validated against client libraries and visualization tools, making them suitable for enterprises that require a predictable, supported ClickHouse foundation.
Altinity Stable provides up to 3 years of support per release, with extended coverage for P0-P1 bugs and critical security issues. For example, nodes running Altinity Stable Release 21.8 have been up for 800 days and processed many petabytes of data, demonstrating the platform's reliability in long-running deployments. The builds are 100% compatible with upstream ClickHouse builds, meaning users can switch to or from upstream without data migration. The release lifecycle is clearly documented: for instance, version 25.8 was released on 18 Feb 2026, with upstream support ending 19 Dec 2026 and Altinity extended support continuing until 18 Feb 2029. This predictable support window allows organizations to plan upgrades on their own schedule.
Altinity Stable competes directly with upstream ClickHouse builds from the ClickHouse project itself, as well as managed services like Altinity Cloud and ClickHouse Cloud. Unlike upstream builds, which have no official long-term support and stop receiving updates after upstream support EOL (shown in red in Altinity's lifecycle table), Altinity Stable offers a guaranteed 3-year support window and rigorous testing. Compared to managed services, Altinity Stable is a self-managed distribution that gives users full control over deployment and infrastructure, while still benefiting from Altinity's testing and support. This positions it as a middle ground for teams that want ClickHouse's performance without the operational overhead of building and testing their own binaries.
The honest trade-offs: Altinity Stable is not the latest ClickHouse release—it lags behind upstream by weeks or months, so users who need the newest features (e.g., new SQL syntax or experimental storage backends) may find it restrictive. The extended support only covers P0-P1 bugs and critical security issues, meaning lower-priority bugs may not be backported. Users must rely on Altinity's build infrastructure and testing; if Altinity's build pipeline encounters delays, releases may be slower. Finally, while the builds are free and open source, access to Altinity's direct support (e.g., 24/7 expert assistance) requires a paid support contract, which is not included with the binary distribution itself.
How it works
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100% open source
Altinity Stable is fully open source, built from ClickHouse LTS branches with no proprietary code, ensuring transparency and community trust.
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Built from LTS branches
The distribution is derived from ClickHouse Long Term Support releases, providing a stable base that receives targeted bug fixes and security patches.
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Extensive pre-release testing
Each build undergoes rigorous testing before release to verify security and production readiness, reducing the risk of regressions in production.
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Up to 3 years of support
Altinity provides extended support for each release for up to 3 years, covering P0-P1 bugs and critical security issues beyond upstream EOL.
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Validated against client libraries
Builds are tested for compatibility with common ClickHouse client libraries and visualization tools, ensuring seamless integration in diverse environments.
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Tested for cloud and Kubernetes
Altinity Stable is validated for cloud use including Kubernetes deployments, making it suitable for containerized and orchestrated workloads.
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Pre-compiled binary release
Altinity provides ready-to-use binary packages for ClickHouse server and client, eliminating the need for users to compile from source.
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- Nodes running Altinity Stable Release 21.8 have been up for 800 days and processed many petabytes of data, demonstrating exceptional long-term stability.
- Altinity Stable offers up to 3 years of support per release, with extended coverage for P0-P1 bugs and critical security issues beyond upstream EOL.
- The builds are 100% compatible with upstream ClickHouse, allowing users to switch between Altinity Stable and upstream builds without data migration.
- Altinity Stable is validated against client libraries and visualization tools, and tested for cloud use including Kubernetes, ensuring broad deployment readiness.
Trade-offs
- Altinity Stable releases lag behind upstream ClickHouse by weeks or months, so users needing the latest features or experimental capabilities may be constrained.
- Extended support only covers P0-P1 bugs and critical security issues; lower-priority bugs or feature backports are not guaranteed.
- Users must rely on Altinity's build pipeline and testing schedule; delays in Altinity's process can postpone access to critical upstream fixes.
- While the binary distribution is free, access to Altinity's direct support (24/7 expert assistance) requires a separate paid support contract.
Pricing context
Altinity Stable builds are free and open source. Direct support (e.g., 24/7 expert assistance) is available via a paid support contract from Altinity; specific pricing for support is not publicly listed on the provided sources.
Getting started with Altinity Stable
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Download Altinity Stable binary
Go to the Altinity Stable releases page and download the pre-compiled binary package for your operating system. Choose the latest LTS-based release that matches your deployment environment, such as Linux or Kubernetes.
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Install ClickHouse server and client
Extract the downloaded archive and run the installation script or manually place the binaries in your system path. Verify the installation by running `clickhouse-server --version` and `clickhouse-client --version` to confirm the build is correct.
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Configure server settings
Edit the ClickHouse server configuration file, typically located at `/etc/clickhouse-server/config.xml`. Set the listening port, data directory, and network interfaces according to your infrastructure requirements, then start the server.
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Connect and create a test table
Launch the ClickHouse client with `clickhouse-client` and connect to your local server. Run a CREATE TABLE statement to define a simple table, such as one with columns for timestamp and value, to verify the server is operational.
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Load sample data and query
Insert a few rows of sample data into your test table using INSERT statements. Execute a SELECT query to retrieve the data, confirming that the Altinity Stable distribution handles basic read and write operations correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Altinity Stable?
Altinity Stable is a 100% open-source distribution of ClickHouse built from Long Term Support branches. It undergoes extensive pre-release testing to ensure production readiness, offering a pre-compiled binary for ClickHouse server and client suitable for on-premises, cloud, and Kubernetes environments.
How long does Altinity Stable support each release?
Altinity Stable provides up to 3 years of support per release, covering P0-P1 bugs and critical security issues. For example, version 25.8 released in February 2026 has upstream support ending December 2026, but Altinity extended support continues until February 2029.
Is Altinity Stable compatible with upstream ClickHouse?
Yes, Altinity Stable builds are 100% compatible with upstream ClickHouse builds. Users can switch between Altinity Stable and upstream without data migration, making it easy to adopt or transition as needed while maintaining existing workflows and infrastructure.
Can I use Altinity Stable in Kubernetes?
Yes, Altinity Stable is validated for cloud use including Kubernetes deployments. It is tested for containerized and orchestrated workloads, ensuring reliable operation in modern infrastructure environments alongside on-premises and cloud setups.
What are the trade-offs of using Altinity Stable?
Altinity Stable lags behind upstream by weeks or months, so users needing the latest features may find it restrictive. Extended support only covers P0-P1 bugs and critical security issues, and access to direct expert support requires a paid contract.
How much does Altinity Stable cost?
Altinity Stable builds are free and open source. Direct support, such as 24/7 expert assistance, is available through a paid support contract from Altinity. Specific pricing for support is not publicly listed on the provided sources.
Alternatives
How Altinity Stable compares
Direct head-to-head against 3 competitors. Picked by 7wData.
Altinity Stable
- Pricing
- Altinity Stable builds are free and open source. Direct support (e.g., 24/7 expert assistance) is available via a paid support contract from Altinity; specific pricing for support is not publicly listed on the provided sources.
- Target
- Altinity Stable is a 100% open-source distribution of ClickHouse, built from ClickHouse Long Term Support (LTS) branches and subjected to extensive pre-release testing to ensure
- Strength
- Nodes running Altinity Stable Release 21.8 have been up for 800 days and processed many petabytes of data, demonstrating exceptional long-term stability.
- Watch for
- Altinity Stable releases lag behind upstream ClickHouse by weeks or months, so users needing the latest features or experimental capabilities may be constrained.
ClickHouse Cloud
- Pricing
- Pay-as-you-go; compute and storage billed separately. No public per-server pricing.
- Target
- Teams wanting a fully managed ClickHouse with zero ops overhead.
- Deployment
- SaaS multi-tenant cloud.
- Strength
- First-party ClickHouse development and latest features on day one.
- Watch for
- Higher cost at scale; vendor lock-in to ClickHouse proprietary cloud.
Tinybird
- Pricing
- Free tier; paid plans start at $50/month. Enterprise custom.
- Target
- Developers building real-time data products and APIs on ClickHouse.
- Deployment
- SaaS cloud.
- Strength
- Built-in SQL API endpoints and branch-based development workflows.
- Watch for
- Not a general-purpose ClickHouse host; opinionated data platform.
DoubleCloud
- Pricing
- Pay-as-you-go; $0.10/vCPU/hour, $0.10/GB storage/month.
- Target
- Teams needing managed ClickHouse across AWS, GCP, and Azure.
- Deployment
- Multi-cloud managed service.
- Strength
- Multi-cloud support with unified management console.
- Watch for
- Smaller community and fewer integrations than Altinity.
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