eProsima DDS portfolio
Choose the right DDS for your system.
Three products, two architectural foundations, one interoperable data space. Start with your system requirements, not a longer feature list.
Open source
Commercial extension
Independent safety architectureStart with the system
Which situation looks most like yours?
The right choice depends on openness, network complexity and safety assurance.
Build openly
Choose Fast DDS for a complete, widely adopted open-source DDS implementation and native ROS 2 integration.
- Apache 2.0.
- Full DDS foundation.
- Self-managed engineering.
Control demanding networks
Choose Fast DDS Pro when the Fast DDS architecture is right and your deployment needs advanced networking, Pro tools and direct support.
- Same Fast DDS codebase
- Advanced network capabilities
- Direct eProsima engineering
Build for functional safety
Choose Safe DDS for deterministic embedded systems that need an independent, dependency-free architecture and certified evidence.
- ISO 26262 ASIL D
- No external dependencies
- Designed from scratch for safety
The essential distinction
These are not three levels of the same product.
Fast DDS and Fast DDS Pro share the same eProsima-developed codebase and APIs. Pro adds commercial capabilities, tools, lifecycle and support.
Safe DDS is an independent implementation developed from scratch for embedded and safety systems, with no external dependencies.
One interoperable architecture can use Fast DDS Pro outside the safety boundary and Safe DDS inside it, communicating through DDS / RTPS.
Main comparison
The decision, at a glance.
A concise view of the differences that should drive product selection.
Decision point | Open source | Commercial | Commercial· Asil D |
|---|---|---|---|
Best suited for | Open-source DDS and ROS 2 systems | Demanding industrial, robotics and defense deployments | Embedded and safety-critical systems |
Architecture | Open-source Fast DDS codebase | Same Fast DDS codebase and APIs | Independent, dependency-free safety implementation |
Commercial model | Apache 2.0 | Subscription · no runtime fees | Commercial safety product |
Functional safety | Not certified | Not certified | ISO 26262 ASIL D certified |
Advanced networking | Core DDS networking | TSN, low bandwidth, IP mobility, congestion control | TSN and safety-focused networking |
Exclusive Pro capabilities | - | Discovery Server Pro and RPC over DDS | - |
Professional tools | Open-source tool ecosystem | Pro and open-source tools | Professional DDS toolset |
Support | Self-managed; commercial path available | Direct eProsima engineering | High-priority safety support |
Choose by priority
What matters most to your architecture?
Move from the comparison to the product path that best matches your system.
OPEN SOURCE
Need a complete DDS implementation you can inspect and control?
Build on a complete, widely adopted Apache 2.0 DDS implementation.
ADVANCED DEPLOYMENT
Need advanced networking, professional tools or direct support?
Extend the Fast DDS foundation for demanding commercial deployments.
FUNCTIONAL SAFETY
Need deterministic embedded behavior and certified evidence?
Use an independent implementation built from scratch for safety-critical systems.
MIXED ARCHITECTURE
Have safety and non-safety domains in the same system?
Combine Fast DDS Pro and Safe DDS across an interoperable DDS / RTPS data space.
Detailed comparison
Go deeper where it matters.
Use the filter to focus on the capabilities that distinguish the products.
Fast DDS
Fast DDS Pro
Safe DDS
Capability | Fast DDS | Fast DDS Pro | Safe DDS |
|---|---|---|---|
Implementation | Fast DDS codebase, 100% developed by eProsima | Same Fast DDS codebase and APIs | Independent implementation, developed from scratch for embedded and safety systems |
License | Open source · Apache 2.0 | Commercial subscription · no runtime fees | Commercial safety product |
External dependencies | Standard Fast DDS software dependencies | Same foundation as Fast DDS | No external dependencies |
Product lifecycle | Open development and public releases | Controlled releases, roadmap and long-term maintenance | Safety lifecycle, qualified releases and controlled change |
Capability | Fast DDS | Fast DDS Pro | Safe DDS |
|---|---|---|---|
DDS publish/subscribe and QoS | Included | Included | Included |
OMG DDS / RTPS interoperability | Included | Included | Included |
OMG DDS Security | Included | Included | Not included; custom user transports can integrate external security such as TLS with OpenSSL |
ROS 2 interoperability | Native Fast DDS integration | Native Fast DDS integration | Interoperates with ROS 2 systems through DDS |
XTypes | Extensive XTypes support | Extensive XTypes support | Safety-scoped data model |
RPC over DDS | - | Included, with streaming | - |
Fast DDS to Pro evolution | Starting point | Same codebase and APIs | Separate implementation; interoperable over DDS |
Capability | Fast DDS | Fast DDS Pro | Safe DDS |
|---|---|---|---|
UDP, TCP and shared memory | Broad transport set | Broad transport set | Safety-focused transport set with shared memory |
Zero-copy communication | Included | Included | Included |
Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) | - | Included | Included |
Low Bandwidth Plugins | - | Included | Architecture-dependent |
IP mobility | - | Included | Architecture-dependent |
Adaptive congestion control | - | Included | Architecture-dependent |
Deterministic embedded runtime | Configurable real-time behavior | Configurable real-time behavior | Designed for deterministic safety-critical execution |
Minimum footprint and memory control | Configurable | Configurable | Core design priority |
Capability | Fast DDS | Fast DDS Pro | Safe DDS |
|---|---|---|---|
ISO 26262 ASIL D | Not certified | Not certified | Certified |
Discovery Server Pro | - | Included | - |
DDS Monitor Pro | Commercial path through Fast DDS Pro | Available | Available |
DDS Router, Record & Replay and DDS Spy | Open-source ecosystem | Available | Available |
Direct engineering support | Available by moving to a commercial product | Included in the commercial relationship | High-priority safety support |
Architecture and integration services | Commercial engagement available | Available | Available, including RTOS porting |
Additional safety standards | - | - | Certification services available |
Some availability depends on target platform, certification scope and system architecture. eProsima will confirm the exact product configuration during the architecture review.
One professional tool ecosystem
Professional capabilities where your architecture needs them.
The same DDS tool ecosystem supports open-source, advanced commercial and safety-critical deployments, with Pro capabilities added where required.
DDS Monitor Pro
Visualize, monitor and diagnose complex DDS systems in real time.
DDS Router
Connect DDS domains, networks and remote deployments transparently.
DDS Record & Replay
Capture DDS traffic and reproduce real scenarios for testing and analysis.
DDS Spy
Inspect live DDS data and troubleshoot systems from the command line.
Discovery Server Pro
Optimize discovery and endpoint matching in demanding Fast DDS Pro deployments.
Using the open-source Fast DDS edition?
Its tool ecosystem includes DDS Monitor Lite, DDS Router, DDS Record & Replay, DDS Spy and Discovery Server Lite.
Frequently asked questions
Questions that usually appear before the architecture review.
Yes. Fast DDS is a complete, widely adopted open-source implementation. It is the right fit when your team can manage integration, validation and lifecycle needs through the open-source release.
Architecture first
Not sure which DDS fits your system?
Share your system constraints and we will help map the safety boundary, network conditions, platform requirements and support model to the right product—or combination of products.
Product and architecture fit.
Safety and platform requirements.
Licensing, tools and support options.
