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crossmap vs TimescaleDB

A side-by-side editorial comparison of crossmap and TimescaleDB — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

crossmap vs TimescaleDB: at a glance

FeaturecrossmapTimescaleDB
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themespurrr extension, functional programming, deprecations, furrrtime-series, postgresql, columnstore, query-optimization
Last editorial update1d ago1d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is crossmap?

crossmap's roadmap is set by purrr and furrr — it deprecates what upstream deprecates.

A small package for mapping over combinations of arguments, following purrr and furrr conventions. Its own functional additions stopped after xpluck() in 2023 and the cross_fit() clustering work in 2022. Everything since tracks upstream: xmap_raw() and future_xmap_raw() are now defunct because purrr removed map_raw() and furrr removed future_pmap_raw(), and re-exported parallel helpers now come from parallelly rather than future.

Read the full crossmap trajectory →

What is TimescaleDB?

TimescaleDB is paying down correctness debt in its columnstore query paths.

The 2.29 line is in patch mode after 2.29.0 landed chunk exclusion for DML in late July. 2.29.1 carried three security advisories alongside compression fixes, and 2.29.2 is bug fixes only - most of them wrong-results bugs in the columnar execution paths rather than crashes. Every release note in this window recommends upgrading at the next opportunity.

Read the full TimescaleDB trajectory →

crossmap vs TimescaleDB: editorial side-by-side

C
crossmap
ANALYTICS
0.0

crossmap's roadmap is set by purrr and furrr — it deprecates what upstream deprecates.

◆ Current state

A small package for mapping over combinations of arguments, following purrr and furrr conventions. Its own functional additions stopped after xpluck() in 2023 and the cross_fit() clustering work in 2022. Everything since tracks upstream: xmap_raw() and future_xmap_raw() are now defunct because purrr removed map_raw() and furrr removed future_pmap_raw(), and re-exported parallel helpers now come from parallelly rather than future.

◆ Where it's heading

The package has settled into being a compatible extension rather than an independent one — its release notes read as a mirror of purrr's and furrr's deprecation schedules. Note that the release stamps are unreliable here: several versions were backfilled minutes apart and the 0.3.x tags carry timestamps in reverse version order, so feed position says nothing about what shipped when.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next release to be driven by another purrr or furrr change rather than new functionality, since that has been the sole trigger for the last four.

T
TimescaleDB
ANALYTICS
5.0

TimescaleDB is paying down correctness debt in its columnstore query paths.

◆ Current state

The 2.29 line is in patch mode after 2.29.0 landed chunk exclusion for DML in late July. 2.29.1 carried three security advisories alongside compression fixes, and 2.29.2 is bug fixes only - most of them wrong-results bugs in the columnar execution paths rather than crashes. Every release note in this window recommends upgrading at the next opportunity.

◆ Where it's heading

The feature work of 2.27 and 2.28 - vectorized filter evaluation, first/last derived straight from columnstore batch metadata, sparse indexes, SkipScan on compressed data - has been followed by a steady stream of fixes to those same code paths. 2.29.2 alone repairs SkipScan dropping uncompressed rows, sparse-index pushdown returning wrong results for IS NULL, and gapfill over window aggregates. That is the normal cost of pushing query optimizations into a compressed columnar store, and the project is working through it release by release rather than pausing.

◆ Prediction

With three consecutive patch releases on the 2.29 line and no new highlighted features since 2.29.0, the next minor is likely to resume the columnstore performance work - though the density of wrong-results fixes suggests more patches first.

Alternatives to crossmap and TimescaleDB

Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either crossmap or TimescaleDB.

See all crossmap alternatives → · See all TimescaleDB alternatives →

Recent activity from crossmap and TimescaleDB

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1d agoTimescaleDB2.29.2: SkipScan and sparse-index correctness fixes
  2. 15d agoTimescaleDB2.29.1: security fixes plus compression bugfixes
  3. 20d agoTimescaleDB2.29.0: chunk exclusion speeds up UPDATE and DELETE
  4. 1mo agoTimescaleDB2.28.3: columnar pipeline correctness fixes
  5. 1mo agoTimescaleDB2.28.2: upgrade-path fixes for 2.28.1
  6. 1mo agoTimescaleDB2.28.1: compressed-table crash and constraint fixes
  7. 6mo agocrossmapRaw-vector mapping functions removed
  8. 6mo agocrossmapRe-exports moved to the parallelly namespace
  9. 11mo agocrossmapFuture-backed tests skipped on CRAN
  10. 11mo agocrossmapInternal test fixes
  11. 3y agocrossmapxpluck adds multi-index plucking
  12. 4y agocrossmapCluster specifications supported in cross_fit

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between crossmap and TimescaleDB?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. TimescaleDB is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is crossmap better than TimescaleDB?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. TimescaleDB is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to crossmap?

Top crossmap alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "crossmap alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/crossmap for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to TimescaleDB?

Top TimescaleDB alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "TimescaleDB alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/timescaledb for the full list with editorial commentary on each.