Rivet Actors vs
Cloudflare Durable Objects
Cloudflare Durable Objects provide stateful primitives for applications built on the Workers runtime. Rivet Actors provide an Apache-licensed Actor model with state, SQLite, scheduling, and realtime, available through Rivet Cloud or as a self-hosted deployment.
Last updated June 11, 2026
Two approaches, side by side
What each platform is, and the situations where it is the right choice.
Rivet Actors
Rivet Actors combine durable identity, state, storage, scheduling, and realtime connections in an Apache-licensed runtime. Deploy on Rivet Cloud or self-host Rivet.
When to choose Rivet Actors
Developer-friendly experience
When you want an intuitive platform with high-quality documentation, mature local development experience, and in-depth observability into your workloads
Rivet Cloud or self-hosted
When you want a managed Rivet deployment or documented self-hosting paths for Kubernetes, AWS, VMs, and other supported platforms
Technology flexibility
When you want Node.js, Bun, or Deno support, with a Rust SDK available in preview
Provides monitoring and observability
When you need built-in monitoring for actors that integrates with your existing observability stack
Rich ecosystem of integrations
When you want a comprehensive ecosystem with ready-to-use integrations for popular frameworks and tools
Cloudflare Durable Objects
Cloudflare Durable Objects provide stateful serverless computing that runs on Cloudflare's global edge network. Built on Cloudflare's platform, Durable Objects offer strong consistency and state persistence for applications built on the Workers runtime.
When to choose Cloudflare Durable Objects
Already using Cloudflare ecosystem
When you're already committed to Cloudflare Workers and want stateful capabilities
Building on the Workers runtime
When your team is comfortable working within the Workers runtime, with JavaScript/TypeScript, Python in beta, or Rust via workers-rs, and nodejs_compat covers the npm packages you need
Don't mind platform constraints
When you're comfortable with Cloudflare's deployment process, monitoring limitations, and vendor lock-in
Prefer low-level primitives
When you want raw primitives and don't need a rich ecosystem of framework integrations
Feature comparison
A detailed breakdown of capabilities across both platforms.
| Feature | Rivet Actors | Cloudflare Durable Objects | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Source | |||
| Open-source | Yes, Rivet is open-source with the Apache 2.0 license. View on GitHub. | The workerd runtime is open source under Apache 2.0, but the Durable Objects platform (control plane, storage, distribution) is proprietary | Building your core technology on open-source software is vital to ensure portability and flexibility as your needs change |
| Infrastructure | |||
| Deployment options | Rivet Cloud plus documented self-hosting paths for Kubernetes, AWS, VMs, and other supported platforms | Locked to Cloudflare's infrastructure | Deployment choice determines operational ownership, network boundaries, and portability |
| Data sovereignty and VPC isolation | Full control over data residency and network isolation within your VPC | Jurisdictions restrict where Durable Objects run and store data (EU, FedRAMP), but there is no VPC or network isolation | Data sovereignty ensures compliance with data governance requirements and maintains complete network isolation |
| Deployment model | Deploy through Rivet Cloud or follow a documented self-hosting guide | Requires Cloudflare-specific deployment process | A documented deployment model makes operating requirements explicit |
| Technology flexibility | TypeScript and JavaScript on Node.js, Bun, and Deno, with a Rust SDK in preview | Limited to Workers runtime languages (JavaScript/TypeScript, Python in beta, Rust); nodejs_compat covers many npm packages but not native dependencies | Technology flexibility lets you use your existing skills and codebase |
| Integrates with existing monitoring | Works with your existing observability stack | Limited monitoring options, mostly Cloudflare-specific | Integration with existing monitoring reduces operational overhead |
| Runtime | |||
| Actor support | First-class actor model with Rivet Actors library | Durable Objects for stateful workloads | Actor model enables scalable stateful applications with state persistence and realtime communication |
| KV Persistence | Built-in KV storage for actors | KV supported for Durable Objects | Key-value storage enables persistent state without external dependencies |
| SQLite Persistence | Built-in SQLite database per actor with raw SQL and Drizzle support. Learn more. | SQLite supported for Durable Objects | SQLite provides relational database capabilities for complex data models |
| Memory limits | No fixed platform memory cap; memory is bounded by the resources provisioned for the deployment | 128MB limit for Durable Objects | Higher memory limits allow more complex stateful applications |
| Automatic connection handling | Optionally provides abstraction over HTTP and WebSockets with intelligent failure and reconnection handling | Requires low-level implementation of connection management | Automatic connection handling reduces development time and improves reliability |
| Event broadcasting | Built-in event broadcasting to specific connections or all actors | Requires hand-rolling fanout over the WebSocket API or adopting a framework like PartyServer | Native event system enables real-time features with minimal setup |
| Built-in scheduling | Built-in scheduling with durable timers and cron | Requires boilerplate on top of Alarms API | Native scheduling reduces complexity and improves reliability for time-based operations |
| Testing support | Full Vitest support with mocking and fake timers | Limited Vitest support due to custom runtime constraints | Comprehensive testing capabilities ensure code quality and reliability |
| Customizable actor lifecycle | Flexible draining mechanism with configurable lifecycle management | No shutdown hooks or lifecycle callbacks; in-flight requests get up to 30 seconds during runtime restarts | Customizable lifecycle management allows for graceful state transfers and prevents data loss |
| Control over actor upgrades | Full control based on your existing rollout mechanisms | Only allows controlling gradual deployment percentages, not specific Durable Object versions | Controlled upgrades ensure smooth transitions without service disruption tailored to your application's architecture |
| Actor creation with input data | Pass initialization data when creating actors | Cannot pass input data during Durable Object creation | Ability to initialize actors with data simplifies setup and reduces boilerplate |
| Actor shutdown control | Clean shutdown API for actors | Requires deleteAll with custom logic and error-prone boilerplate | Proper shutdown control ensures graceful cleanup and prevents resource leaks |
| Monitoring | Built-in monitoring for development and production | Per-namespace Durable Objects metrics and GraphQL analytics in the Cloudflare dashboard | Integrated monitoring simplifies operations and debugging |
| Logging | Supports your existing logging infrastructure | Durable Object logs are available through Workers Logs, wrangler tail, and Logpush | Built-in logging reduces setup time and operational complexity |
| Metadata access | Built-in metadata API | Custom implementation required | Direct access to metadata such as tags, region, and more simplifies management and deployment |
| Developer Tooling | |||
| State inspector | Built-in tools to inspect and modify actor state | Data Studio can view and edit SQLite-backed Durable Object storage from the dashboard; in-memory state is not inspectable | Ability to view & edit actor state in real time simplifies debugging and management |
| RPC debugger | Interactive RPC testing tools for actors | No built-in RPC debugging | Ability to test remote procedure calls to actors accelerates development and troubleshooting |
| Connection inspector | Real-time monitoring of actor connections | No connection visualization tools | Visibility into active connections helps diagnose client-side issues and monitor usage patterns |
| Actor listing and management | Browse and manage active actors with full interaction capabilities | Can list Durable Objects but cannot interact with them | Being able to list and interact with live actors enables debugging and operational management |
| Development Experience | |||
| Documentation | Comprehensive, developer-focused documentation | Fragmented and difficult to understand documentation | Clear documentation accelerates learning and implementation |
| Compatible with Docker Compose | Seamless integration with Docker Compose for local development | No Docker Compose compatibility | Integration with Docker Compose enables use with your existing development workflows and tools |
Which should you pick?
Choose Cloudflare Durable Objects when the Workers runtime and Cloudflare platform match your application. Choose Rivet Actors when you want an Apache-licensed Actor runtime with Rivet Cloud and self-hosted deployment options.
Migrating from Cloudflare Durable Objects?
Our team can help make the transition smooth and seamless. We provide migration assistance, technical guidance, and dedicated support.
Frequently asked questions
Infrastructure for the agentic era.
Build with agents, build for agents, and run it where your data lives.