This is one of several posts written in collaboration with the students participating in Sease’s Scientific Blog Post seminar at the University of Padova. This post is written in collaboration with Annanya Sah.
Introduction
Welcome to the world of open-source databases!
Whether you’re a developer, a data analyst, or a business owner, at some point, you’ll likely need to choose a database for your project or organization. However, with so many available options, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. So here’s a comprehensive review of the top open source databases to help demystify the process and make it easier for you to make an informed decision.
Why choose an open source database?
The term "open source" refers to the fact that the software's source code is publicly available and can be modified, extended, and distributed by anyone.
Choosing an open source database over a closed source one can be a smart choice for many projects and organizations. Open source databases are free to use, flexible, have extensive community support, are known for their scalability and security, and are often used by large enterprises and high-traffic websites. They also allow you to customize and modify the software to fit your needs. In contrast, closed-source databases may require a license fee or subscription, have limited options for customization, and offer less community support. Of course, weighing the pros and cons based on your specific project requirements is always recommended before deciding.
Most popular database software today
When it comes to the popularity of the databases, it varies. For example, MySQL is the granddaddy of open source relational databases. It’s been around for a long time and used for various projects, from small websites to large enterprise applications. It’s so popular that it’s often the default choice for many developers, but that doesn’t mean it’s always the best choice.
MongoDB, on the other hand, is a trendy choice in databases. It’s a document-oriented database that is particularly well-suited for handling unstructured data, such as JSON, and it’s been fashionable among web and mobile developers. Moreover, its flexible data model, scalability, and rich feature set have made it a favourite for modern applications.
Amazon DynamoDB, Google Cloud Bigtable, and Apache Cassandra are commonly used distributed databases for large-scale projects. They are known for their ability to handle high traffic and large amounts of data. As a result, they have been adopted by many big companies and have proven their worth under heavy loads. However, it’s important to note that popularity is just one aspect when choosing a database. Other alternatives, such as Neo4j, known for its graph database capabilities, and TigerGraph, emerging as a leader in the graph database category, may also be suitable for your specific use case.
When choosing a database, you might consider its popularity. After all, you want to ensure you're picking a widely used system with a vibrant community of developers. But despite the popularity factor, there may be better fits for your project.
Looking into the compatibility rather than the popularity
The database is often considered the system’s backbone when building any application. It’s where all the data is stored, and it needs to handle the load of all the read and write operations. Choosing the suitable database for your project can mean distinguishing between a smooth-running system and a slow, unstable one.
Now, let’s look at the top open source database software options available, categorized for low, medium, and high-scale projects:
Low-Scale Project
For a low-scale project with a low-cost budget, MySQL and SQLite are excellent options. Both are widely used open source relational databases with solid community support. They are also relatively easy to use and maintain.
For a low-scale project with a medium-cost budget, PostgreSQL is a great option. It is an open source relational database known for its robustness and reliability. It also supports advanced features such as stored procedures and triggers, making it fitting for small-scale projects that require more advanced functionality.
Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server are good options for a low-scale project with a high-cost budget. Both are widely used commercial relational databases with solid community support. They are also relatively easy to use and maintain.
Medium-Scale Project
For a medium-scale project with a low-cost budget, MySQL and PostgreSQL are appropriate options. Both are widely used open source relational databases with dependable community support. In addition, they come with a user-friendly interface and are relatively simple to manage.
MongoDB and Cassandra are attractive options for a medium-scale project with a medium-cost budget. Both are open source document databases that are known for their scalability and performance. They possess a straightforward approach as well, making them easy to use.
Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server are good options for a medium-scale project with a high-cost budget. Both are widely used commercial relational databases with solid community support and are elastic to keep up with.
High-Scale Project
Cassandra and Riak are good options for a high-scale project with a low-cost budget. Both are open source distributed databases known for their scalability, performance, and ease of use.
For a high-scale project with a medium-cost budget, Neo4j and Amazon DynamoDB are reasonable options. Both are open source graph databases known for their ease of use with high scalability and performance.
For high-scale, high-budget projects, consider Oracle or MS SQL Server. Both are widely used commercial RDBMS with tangible community support and are relatively easy to use and maintain.
It’s worth noting that the above recommendations are based on general assumptions and characteristics of the database. Doing further research, testing, and benchmarking is always recommended to determine which database best suits your project’s specific needs.
Final Considerations
Choosing the best open source database software can be daunting, but consider the provided decision tables as a cheat sheet that will make your quest a breeze; you can quickly narrow your options and make an informed decision!
So, whether you’re working on a low-scale, medium-scale, or large-scale project, with the help of the given overview, and a bit of research, you’ll be able to select the ideal open source database software to power your project’s full potential!
Do You Want To Be Published?
This blog post is part of our collaboration with the University of Padua. If you are a University student or professor and want to collaborate, contact us through e-mail.
