spicedb
Open Source, Google Zanzibar-inspired database for scalably storing and querying fine-grained authorization data
Runssource: GitHubhomepageGoApache-2.0commit 9145a33f9a09
Go, Apache-2.0 licensed. The project labels itself: abac, acl, authorization, ciam, cloud native, database, distributed systems and entitlements.
spicedb runs. An Argusic agent installed it in 15 minutes and hit 3 errors on a clean machine with no GPU, and the whole session was recorded.
SpiceDB builds from source and the server starts with an in-memory datastore, serving gRPC (port 50051) and HTTP (port 8443) APIs that correctly process schema writes and permission checks.
What the agent ended up with on a clean machine, in its own words. How this is measured
Measured by Argusic on a fresh machine every time. Every number links to its evidence. Argusic Score 86.7 of 100 (the mean of this project's run scores).
At a glance
Subject data from GitHub, linked at the top of this page, refreshed . Test data by Argusic (CC BY 4.0); every number links to a run page with the full log, the recording, and their sha256 hashes.
What was measured
From the run that decided this verdict. Every line is a recorded value, not an estimate.
What went wrong, in the agent's own words
The agent's own words, worst first, never rewritten into advice.
- pkg/cmd tests fail: requires Docker for CockroachDB testcontainer (rootless Docker not found)5 minutes
- pkg/testutil/sdbtestcontainer tests fail: requires Docker for SpiceDB testcontainer (rootless Docker not found)5 minutes
- Go 1.26 not installed in container2 minutes
- Install time
- 15 minutes
- Cold machine to finish
- 16 minutes
- Errors hit and fixed
- 3 hit, 1 fixed with no human help
- How the result was proved
- ./spicedb version returned 'spicedb 9145a33f9a09'; ./spicedb serve --http-enabled --grpc-preshared-key testkey --datastore-engine memory started successfully with gRPC on :50051, HTTP on :8443, metrics on :9090; curl -s -o /dev/null -w %{http_code} localhost:9090/metrics returned 200; schema write via curl returned {"writtenAt":{...}}; permission check returned {"permissionship":"PERMISSIONSHIP_NO_PERMISSION"}
- Model tokens used
- 221,137
- Exact commit tested
- 9145a33f9a09
- Container image
- sha256:cdd920bce783
What was not measured
The other half, so you can see exactly how far this evidence goes. A gap is printed as a gap and never filled in.
- Peak GPU memory
- this ran on a CPU machine, so there was no GPU to sample
- Behaviour over a long run
- each attempt uses the smallest documented settings and a fixed time budget, so this measures whether it runs, not how it holds up under load
The end of the recording
The last lines of the terminal session that decided this verdict, exactly as they were recorded.
/bin/sh -lc 'kill 35141 2>/dev/null; true' in /work/repo succeeded in 0ms: Good. I have enough data now. Let me clean up the binary and prepare the final report: 2026-09-28T16:46:37.873162Z ERROR codex_core::tools::router: error=exec_command failed: CreateProce… exec /bin/sh -lc 'date -u +%s' in /work/repo succeeded in 0ms: 1790614005 All testing is complete. Here's the final report: tokens used 221,137 All testing is complete. Here's the final report:
Replay the whole session, every command from a clean machine to this point.
How it was tested
One agent, one container, no human help. It installs the project the way its own documentation says to, runs it, and fixes what breaks. Everything below is recorded as it happened: the terminal session, the log and the exact commit. The full method.
Strengths and limits
Measured facts, not opinions. How this is written.
What went well
- Reached a running state on a clean machine, with the session recorded.
- Installed in 15 minutes.
- Ran without a GPU, so it does not need one to start.
- Licensed Apache-2.0, as reported by its host.
What did not, or is not known
- Hit 3 errors during setup, 2 of which were not solved.
- Measured once so far. A single attempt shows it can run, not that it runs reliably.
What it is a reasonable choice for
- Trying it on a laptop or a small server: it reached a running state without a GPU.
Also tested, in the same area
Every one of these was installed and run by Argusic on a clean machine. Nothing appears here that was not tested.
Run history
Topics (from GitHub)
abacaclauthorizationciamcloud-nativedatabasedistributed-systemsentitlementsfgafine-grained-access-controlfine-grained-authorizationkubernetespermissionsrbacrebacsecuritysecurity-toolszanzibar
Embed the badge
Markdown for the project README. It links back here; terms on the terms page.
[](https://argusic.com/subject/spicedb)Questions
- Does spicedb run?
- Yes. spicedb runs. Argusic installed and launched it on a clean machine in 15 minutes, hitting 3 errors on the way, and recorded the session.
- How did Argusic test spicedb?
- On a fresh, disposable machine, with every command recorded and the repository pinned at commit 9145a33f9a09. One attempt is recorded, and the full method is on the methodology page.
- What did it cost to test spicedb?
- The run that produced this verdict cost $0.06: real compute and model cost, not a list price per million tokens. It is recorded on that run's page.
- How long does spicedb take to install?
- 15 minutes in the run that decided this verdict, from a clean machine to a running state. That is one measured attempt, not an average.
- Does spicedb need a GPU?
- Not to start. Argusic reached a running state on a machine with no GPU.
- What goes wrong when installing spicedb?
- 3 things broke in the recorded run, and 1 were fixed without human help. Each one, and the time it cost, is listed on this page.
- Where is the evidence for spicedb?
- The recorded run is on this page, each linking to its full log and terminal recording, stored with a sha256 fingerprint so it cannot be quietly altered.