As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate the economy, the need for businesses to establish a credible online presence has never been more important. As we all know, people have been asked to stay in their homes in order to keep infections from spreading further, and it’s during these times that the internet has become more than just a means to connect and share information; it has become a basic need.
There are many things that web developers need to take special care of when choosing and creating a project. User interface, feature sets, and others are just a few factors, but one of the most difficult decisions web developers face is choosing a database system to rely on. There are many options such as MySQL, MSSQL, MongoDB, and PostgreSQL, and each of them offers a unique set of features. Choosing the wrong database system may not only cost you precious launch time, but it can even cripple your project before it’s even completed.
With this in mind, what are the factors we need to consider when choosing a database system?
Project Characteristics
You first need to determine the characteristics and features of your web project. Factors such as user authentication, the type of data you’ll be storing, future features sets, as well as the projected size of how big the database is going to grow all need to be considered. By defining your project early, you’re going to be able to choose a database option that suits your needs better.
Ideal Database Systems Based On Project Characteristics:
Database systems vary, both in feature sets and cost. Some database systems are more feature-rich than others, while some are more affordable. The following is a general guide on what database systems are ideal for what types of projects:
Simple, Lightweight Projects
Simple projects don’t need the full SQL stack and it’s more likely that developers will want these projects to run fast. For this kind of project, MySQL is the ideal option because of its wide support and popular use in web apps like WordPress. It is known to be versatile and secure, that it’s simple to use for beginners and there are complex tools that are available to the advanced user. You do, however, sacrifice features like concurrent read and write operations.
Large-Scale Project + Structuring Requirements
MongoDB is the ideal database system for projects that need to be structured to cater to advanced data types such as an array. This database system is excellent at dynamic structuring, and is also scalable across various systems for large projects.
Large-Scale Project + Complex Transactions
PostgreSQL is the best option for projects that require a full-featured database system. It supports complex transactions just like SQL, and it is also capable of handling scaling just as MongoDB can, but with the added benefit of being able to function with multiple transactions.
This is ideal for when you’re building a massive database and you need every resource available. It’s also fairly versatile in that you can use it if you plan on transferring to a different database system or using it with web frameworks like Django. In fact, knowing How to use PostgreSQL with Django is one of the key skills that web developers need to have.
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