IBM Cloudant is a fully managed database service for hybrid multicloud applications — built on open source Apache CouchDB with a fully compatible API. Sync data to any cloud or to the edge.
Cloudant is a Massachusetts-based enterprise software company which provides an open source non-relational, distributed database service of the same name that requires zero-configuration. Cloudant is based on the Apache-backed CouchDB project and the creator of the open source BigCouch project.
Cloudant's service provides integrated data management, search, and analytics engine designed for web applications. Cloudant scales your database on the CouchDB framework and provides hosting, administrative tools, analytics and commercial support for CouchDB and BigCouch. Cloudant's distributed CouchDB service is used just like you would use standalone CouchDB, with the added advantage of your data being redundantly distributed over multiple machines.
Cloudant is often considered part of a new generation of 'NoSQL' databases that don't require fixed table schemas and is challenging the dominance of traditional relational databases (including the popular MySQL).
From Wikipedia entry on Cloudant.
