Database Web Applications: 7 Best Databases for Web Applications

Vy Le | 06/07/2023

Database Web Applications: 7 Best Databases for Web Applications

Your web applications have a user-friendly UX/UI interface. And you think that’s all it takes to attract and retain potential customers. Yes. However, that is not all. Software development is a complex process that requires more than just a user interface. For the application to work in the right trajectory, businesses need to give more attention to the role of database web applications. Database not only helps you ensure elements of information security but also about speed and storage capacity.

There are many database management systems available in the market. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage for businesses when they do not know where to start and what is the right choice. Join Orient to discover the seven best databases for web apps, starting with the helpful information below.

Types of Databases Available for Web App Developers?

Depending on the diverse requirements of the web app development environment and the ability to meet storage and management solutions of each type, businesses will need to choose a compatible database for web applications. There are multiple databases for web and mobile applications. However, this article only revolves around web apps. Below are four types of database options, especially for development teams in the building web application development process.

Relational Databases

Traditional relational databases, or what we call SQL (structured query language) databases, are the type of database management systems that store data in the form of one or more tables. Each table consists of columns and rows. In the relational database, tables represent entities (e.g., customers, orders, products). Meanwhile, columns represent the attributes of these entities (e.g., name, ID number, price); rows represent a particular instance of an entity with particular information. The relational database management system allows developers to link and retrieve data across multiple structured tables, improve efficiency, and support structured data integrity through the relationship between tables, columns, and rows.

NoSQL Databases (Non-relational Databases)

Unlike other types of database management systems that use the traditional tabular structure of relational databases, NoSQL databases for web applications store unstructured data in different ways depending on the certain type of non-relational databases, such as document-oriented databases, key-value stores, etc. By scaling horizontally and easily adding additional servers to distribute the data processing load, the NoSQL database is particularly well suited for software solutions that change continuously with large amounts of data.

Object-oriented Databases

Object-oriented databases are designed explicitly for fundamental concepts in object-oriented programming languages like Java and Python. Instead of having data structures in the form of tables, as in the relational database management system, object-oriented databases for web apps store data as objects, which means data contains itself by both the operations or methods that can be performed on that document data. Meanwhile, objects also possess distinct attributes like ID numbers, methods, etc.

In-Memory Databases

True to its name, in-memory databases mainly depend on the memory of computer data storage rather than disk or SSDs. It is for this reason that this type of database is particularly suitable for applications that require real-time data processing, such as a banking app. Using in-memory databases is expensive but ensures data transfer speed, as well as reduces latency compared to traditional disk-based databases.

Functions of Database Management System Perform in Business Operations

One of the important criteria that make most modern web apps profitable is based on the success and future of their database management systems. Why? Below are the top functions a right database offers to business operations.

Data storage: A database allows businesses to manage and store large amounts of data in a systematic way.
Data retrieval: With a variety of tools such as SQL queries, reporting tools, etc., businesses easily extract information when needed.
Data integrity: The database ensures the data’s consistency and accuracy by providing transaction processing and data validation rules.
Data security: Businesses can protect confidential information and sensitive data from unauthorized access thanks to backup and recovery options.
Data scalability: Database allows businesses to easily add more hardware resources during development.
Data sharing: By enabling businesses to share data across company departments and systems, the database gains better collaboration.

Database Web Applications: List of 7 Best Databases for Web Applications

Many web application databases are available. In which each offers different features and capabilities. Some web database applications belong to relational databases. Others belong to NoSQL databases. No database software is the best database for web applications because it depends on many factors, especially the specific needs of web applications. Here are seven popular databases that are commonly used.

MySQL

MySQL is an open-source relational database management system that is not only widely used for web applications but also for other types of software. Being owned by Oracle Corporation and was developed by a Swedish company called MySQL AB, MySQL database is compatible with diverse operating systems and programming languages like Java, C++, Python, etc. This relational database maximizes performance and forms a complete web development stack when used in conjunction with other open-source software such as PHP, Apache, Linux, etc. Currently, MySQL has both commercial and community editions, depending on user needs.

Microsoft SQL Server

True to its name, Microsoft SQL Server is a product of Microsoft Corporation designed with the purpose of storing and accessing data across multiple servers while ensuring performance and security. As a relational database, MS SQL Server keeps information safe based on table structure and built-in high availability and disaster recovery options such as Always On Availability Groups and Failover Clustering. By being developed by Microsoft, SQL Server also better integrates with other Microsoft products like .NET Framework and Visual Studio.

PostgreSQL

Relational databases dominate as PostgreSQL is the third consecutive database management system of such type. PostgreSQL, also known as Postgres, is an open-source relational database for web application development known for its scalability, reliability, and extensibility. Developed by a group of volunteers, PostgreSQL is a great way to save money as it is completely free on today’s popular platforms like Windows, MacOS, Linux, and UNIX, with no licensing fees or usage restrictions. PostgreSQL’s strength is its advanced SQL support that helps developers in working with complex data processing and analysis.

Redis

Redis is an in-memory data structure store that plays as a database, cache, and message broker. By storing data in memory, it delivers extremely fast performance and is particularly suitable for real-time applications such as banking apps. Specifically, data in Redis is stored as key-value pairs similar to a Java hash map or a Python dictionary. With its strengths of speed and flexibility, Redis is suitable for use cases where low-latency access to data is important. If you are looking for a database management system that does not lock you into one vendor or technology, Redis, built on open standards, is the smart choice for you.

MongoDB

MongoDB belongs to a document-oriented NoSQL database that is free for everyone to use. Being designed to store unstructured data in a JSON-like format, MongoDB is known for its flexibility with horizontal scaling support for multiple servers and automatic sharding. This database management system is even trusted by big companies like Facebook and IBM as the best backend website database. MongoDB is suitable for all types of users because it does not require users to know anything about relationships or data structures.

Cassandra

Cassandra is a column-oriented database system that is built on the principles of Dynamo but improves upon some of its problems. It was initially developed at Facebook and later released as an open-source project in 2008. Cassandra does not offer developers strong consistency. In contrast, this database provides high availability by allowing users to deploy multiple data copies across hosts while tolerating failures at any one host. That’s why Cassandra is a popular choice for startups.

SQLite

SQLite is one of the best databases for web applications written in C programming language. Even if you are storing large amounts of information and blobs that are several gigabytes in size, SQLite is easy to handle and offers maximum performance. Unlike other traditional client-server databases for the web, SQLite stores data in a single flat file and is particularly suitable for mobile devices, embedded systems, and small-scale applications. This is the best choice for mobile app developers looking for a fast and reliable database.

Besides the above seven names, there are many other database management systems, such as Oracle, RavenDB, etc., which each bring their own strengths to your projects. That’s why it is challenging to start database development. Let Orient Software accompany you on this journey with a database development service that has been available since 2005. Contact us for more details.

Topics: Web Development