CockroachDB is a distributed SQL database designed to offer a scalable, fault-tolerant, and consistent solution for managing data across multiple nodes and data centers. Built on a transactional and consistent key-value store, it uses a layered architecture to manage complexity, with a SQL layer for relational concepts and a distributed key-value store for scalability. The database employs the Raft consensus algorithm to ensure data consistency across replicated ranges, which are logical segments of data distributed across nodes. CockroachDB supports ACID transactions, utilizing multi-version concurrency control for strong consistency and isolation levels like serializable snapshot isolation. It is designed for easy deployment and management, with nodes that self-organize through a gossip network, enabling seamless integration into containerized environments, and is adaptable to both local and cloud infrastructures. CockroachDB has evolved from its alpha stage to being used by major companies such as SpaceX and Tesla, and it continues to enhance its cloud offerings and Kubernetes integration, aiming to provide a robust database-as-a-service solution.