You probably interact with databases multiple times daily, if not several times per hour, if you are an everyday computer user. You utilize databases to power websites like Amazon, YouTube, Netflix, and Wikipedia, as well as banking applications, scientific research, and government records. If you came across this website using a search engine on the Internet, your search was aided by a (very, very huge) database. Databases can be utilized by tiny enterprises or a small group of people in addition to huge websites that serve millions of users daily.
Because they make utilizing a computer to obtain information much simpler, databases are widely used for both significant and minor use cases. It’s crucial to comprehend databases if you deal with information regularly, which is the case for most of us. You might even wish to create your databases after learning what they are because they will function just as you need them to.
1. Defining a Database
An organized collection of data that can be accessed and used later by a computer program is called a database. Another way to think about databases is as a tool that lets you change information, whether it be in the form of text, numbers, images, or videos. However, a computer must first store the data before it can be accessed or changed. It must also make sure that the data is accessible at the appropriate moment. These two issues are resolved by computers using databases.
2. List of Popular Database
All software applications are built around databases. To create practically any type of software application, including those for the web, businesses, embedded systems, real-time systems, blockchain, the Internet of things, and other technologies, you will require one or more databases.
The traditional SQL databases are now joined by a variety of NoSQL thanks to the growth of Microservices, Cloud, Distributed Applications, Global Scaling, Semi-Structured Data, Big Data, Fast Data, and Low Latency Data. Databases in the cloud and NewSQL. Here are some popular databases.
2.1MySQL
An extremely popular database in the computer industry in 2022, particularly for developing web applications, is MySQL. This database’s primary goals are stability, robustness, and maturity. Web development solutions are the database’s most often used application. MySQL is used by some of the biggest web-scale applications in the world (like Facebook and Uber).
The image below shows the most popular databases worldwide as of 2022. It is clear that MYSQL is the most popular database all over the world.
MySQL employs a structured query language and is written in C and C++. This database’s most recent version, MySQL 8.0, has a better recovery option. There are several editions of the best SQL database, each with a unique set of features.
2.2 The Oracle
The most popular commercial relational database management system, Oracle, has Java, C++, and other assembly languages built in. This database’s 21c edition, which is the most recent, offers a tonne of brand-new features.
Oracle is the database management system that outperforms its competitors. The RDBMS is generally the one that is used the most. It increases the number of new useful features, such as JSON from SQL, and consumes less computing power and storage space when handling data.
2.3 MS SQL Server
One of the best database systems has strong on-premises and cloud tool support from Microsoft. The multi-model MS SQL database supports structured data (SQL), semi-structured data (JSON), and spatial data. Both Windows and Linux platforms are compatible with it well.
Although it is not as innovative or creative as other popular databases on the current market, it has consistently undergone substantial improvements.
2.4 PostgreSQL Database
The database was once known as POSTGRES. PostgreSQL is a database management system created in C that is often used by businesses that handle enormous volumes of data. Numerous gaming applications, database automation tools, and domain registrations utilize this database management system.
2.5 MongoDB NoSQL Database
The very first document database management system, MongoDB, was introduced in 2009. It is challenging to load and access data into RDBMS using object-oriented programming languages, which also call for additional application-level mapping. To address this issue, Mongo was developed to manage Document Data.
2.6 Redis Database
It is an established open-source database project. The Most Loved Database Platform, according to the Stack Overflow Annual Developer Survey, is Redis. It is employable as a distributed, in-memory key-value database. Redis may be used as a distributed cache and message broker with durability as an option.
2.7 Elasticsearch
This is a full-text search engine that is distributed and multi-tenant and has a REST API.Horizontal scaling is provided via automated sharing and a REST API. Furthermore, it supports organised, schema-free data (JSON), which is especially well suited for data analysis from monitoring or logging.
2.8 Cassandra NoSQL Database
It is an application developed in 2008 that makes use of an open core, distributed, broad column store database. To manage enormous amounts of data, several businesses use this highly scalable database management system.
Its decentralised database (Leaderless), which has automated replication and multi-data centre replication, is one of its key characteristics. It is a never-fails fault-tolerant base as a result. Cassandra has a wide range of operations and infrastructure. Cassandra and HBase databases are highly helpful and offer a variety of use cases, depending on their types.
2.9 MariaDB
It utilises MySQL’s clients and protocol and is a relational database management system.MariaDB can easily take the place of the MySQL server without requiring any code changes. This management system offers a distributed data architecture with columnar storage that is massively parallel. Compared to MySQL, MariaDB is more driven by the community.
2.10 IBM DB2
DB2 LUW for Windows, Linux, and Unix were also available from IBM. DB2 11.5 is the most latest version, and it speeds up query execution.Although the relational architecture is supported by a number of mobile app databases, those databases have expanded dramatically in recent years.It now supports both object-relational features and non-relational formats like JSON and XML.
3. Examples of Databases You Frequently Use
Although it is evident that databases are utilized in business, how are they employed daily? People other than programmers also utilize databases regularly because they may be used to modify, store, and organize any data a user wishes to collect. See the list of typical/common database uses below.
3.1 Streaming of on-demand videos online
Online streaming services like Hulu and Netflix employ databases to keep track of the TV series and movies currently available and your viewing preferences, enabling them to provide you with more relevant recommendations each time you check in. As you might expect, streaming platforms constantly transfer petabytes of data, which they must organize and analyze. For these requirements, Hulu, for instance, chose Apache Cassandra, one of the NoSQL distributed databases, due to its scalability, availability, and performance.
3.2 Social Gaming
Data use for gaming on social networks is high. High-availability database software is needed to collect information about specific players from all over the world and serve it to other players as needed.
3.3 Personal Cloud Storage
Your data is sent to the cloud, a sizable central storage environment where just a little percentage of space is set aside for you if you save images or documents to your smartphone or tablet or even just to any online backup option.
Your personal cloud storage options are Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and iCloud. To guarantee that your data is maintained safely and is accessible to be called upon at a moment’s notice, regardless of where you are, all of them use sophisticated data models and full data warehouses.
3.4 Social Media
Every social media network keeps tons of user data in databases that highly suggest people, organizations, products, and subjects to you (the end-user). This highly sophisticated data cross-referencing process makes use of powerful database tools.
The social networking database software options are numerous. While some businesses like NoSQL databases, Facebook, for instance, continues to operate MySQL with success in its data centers.
3.5 eCommerce
Any online business that uses a platform like WooCommerce to sell its goods or services must have a database to run effectively. Databases here assist in the organization of goods, prices, client data, and past purchases.
The proprietor of the online store can then use their database to suggest other possible products to clients. The standards established by PCI Compliance would protect this data as it is maintained in extremely secure databases.