It takes a lot to develop an application. There are so many segments for one to handle. Be it the script that gives the application its rightful appeal or the code that helps in running it, there is definitely a lot in the bolster.

Although getting the storage in line for any application is key. Initially, the most favorite choice for any developer was to use MySQL as the legitimate database. Although, now there are plenty in the list. Some of these names are Oracle, Redis, Cassandra, Elasticsearch, PostgresQL, DB2 etc. 

But today we will be talking about MongoDB. The database management tool makes the list of popular ones. MySQL is still a name even an amateur developer who has just written a “Hello World” knows about. But with time there have been some decent offers from this side. And, MongoDB is a part of that. Therefore let’s begin our duel on MongoDB vs MySQL.

Why is it important to choose the right Database?

Well, there can be more than one reason to choose the right database. You could be a student who is working on a project or someone who is working on landing out a big project. Oftentimes, the approach with people could be that I know that DBs and it is pretty handy for me so I’ll be using that one. MySQL is among the most popular one and by that logic, I don’t see it losing any time in the future. 

Although, if you don’t pay attention to this then it might hurt the integrity of your database. Each and every project requires different DBs to work effectively. This also depends on a variety of different parameters that we will be discussing later. Although, it is important to understand the type of data we will be processing and what your business expects in terms of providing access to the customers. There have been many instances where choosing the wrong database led to poor customer service. 

MySQL – About

This is among the most famous databases out there. In fact most of the curriculums actually teach MySQL first to their students. It is also among the most popular databases that is used alongside PHP. It is a database that is generally a choice for web apps. Also, this one can be used for both small and large applications. It uses standard SQL queries to work. The database has been the number one choice for many considering it is fast, reliable, easy to use, and most importantly free. 

Features of MySQL

  • It is very easy to use and only requires basic knowledge of SQL.
  • It provides a decent security layer for intruders.
  • It utilises the client/server architecture.
  • It is free to use and an open-source project.
  • It is easy to scale and supports multi-threading.
  • Theoretically one can increase the size of data to 8 gb.
  • It is compatible with multiple platforms like Novell NetWare, Windows, Linux, and many others. 
  • It provides the feature of rollback.
  • It provides higher performance with faster, reliable, and cheaper solutions.

MongoDB – About

MongoDB is also an open source database. Although, it is among the most popular No SQL based databases. It was actually written in C++ and is a highly scalable database. The database works on the concept of collection and document. MongoDB can be used cross-platform and gives the user the comfort of high-performance, high availability, and easy scalability. MongoDB servers can actually host multiple databases at the same time. 

Features of MongoDB

  • MongoDB is document based and can hold multiple documents at the same time.
  • Structure that is provided for a single object is clear.
  • Joining databases is not complex in MongoDB.
  • It allows you dynamic queries and they are as powerful as SQL.
  • It can be fine tuned very easily.
  • It is very easy to scale your application using MongoDB.
  • Doesn’t require conversion of application objects to database objects
  • It uses internal memory for faster implementation.

Parameters to Choose a Database – MongoDB vs MySQL

Database Structure

Let’s just begin from the simpler one. MySQL has been there for more than a couple of decades. MySQL is often used in case of databases. This database uses tables and rows to store data. And, for searching the database uses structured query language(SQL). It uses a standard schema asking for all the data in a particular structure. Also, the data that is stored is of a particular data type.

If we talk about MongoDB then it uses JSON type of data structure. It allows the user to store different data types for a particular database. MongoDB doesn’t require any sort of schema. It stores data related to each other without any fixed data type. In order to achieve MongoDB has to become an unstructured yet relational database. The searches are done using MongoDB Search Query. Here you can also have different documents but the key can be the same for that. The database can be used for more complex data hierarchies, data arrays, and multiple other complex structures in the database. Without a doubt, MongoDB is a better database in this case.

Also, MySQL takes use of a predefined schema while the schema used in case of MongoDB is dynamic. Also, it is important to mention the reason since MySQL is a structured database, it takes advantage from a predefined schema. Although in the case of MongoDB, it requires a dynamic approach. It is also important to mention that MySQL provides a trigger mechanism while MongoDB does not.

Database Indexing

It is something that both the Databases use in order to search data faster. Therefore, it kind of becomes a necessary evil. In case of MySQL, if the index is not defined then it will search the entire document. 

Also since MongoDB is an unstructured database, therefore, it is required to select the document within that search.

Data Storage and Size of the Data

It is important to understand the fundamental difference between how data is stored in case of MongoDB vs MySQL. Talking about MySQL, the date here is stored in the form of Tables using interlinked methods. On the other hand, MongoDB takes use of pairs and collection based storage. Also, MySQL supports the usage of keys to map values from one table to another while MongoDB does not.

Before you start reading this, I must tell you that the answer to this can be quite controversial. Necessarily Database just provides a way to store data so that it can be accessed later on. Therefore, it is not fixed what can be the maximum size of your database in case of both these DBMS. In order to find the answer myself, I had to go through multiple blogs. 

The one thing that I found was that it mostly depends on the hardware and the operating system you are using. Although, one of them claimed MongoDB to have a claimed theoretical data handling upto 128 TB. The operating system used for that was Linux. Although till now only 64 TB has been journaled. But if we bring MySQL in the picture the MyISAM which is the engine used by the Database. It has the default limit to 256 TB. Although, the permission for that can be extended upto 65,536TB. 

Speed

There is no way one could actually say that the one is better than the other. Both of the databases come up with their own set of pros and cons. For instance, MongoDB is relatively fast if you are working with large volumes of data. Also, if the data is unstructured. The reasonable plus in speed is because of how MongoDB search queries. Although on the other hand, MySQL is a great choice if you are looking for a small chunk of data. MySQL provides a much easier and familiar infrastructure which makes it a perfect database for small data. Infact, if you’ll test both the database structures then you’ll see that they respond differently in different scenarios. 

Security

Both the DBMS provides a decent amount of security to the confidential data. Although, the approach in case of MongoDB is flexible while in case of MySQL, it is more rigid. How? Let me explain. In the case of MongoDB, it uses features like Auditing, authentication, and authorization. And, it can also work with features like TLS and Secure Socket Layers. It provides access to each of its clients based on their roles. Although, if we talk about MySQL, it works on a more privilege based model. This means there will be a difference between the USER and the Admin. Also, one cannot share such privileges with a USER without making them an Admin. It also establishes connections that are encrypted on the Transport Layer. Also, one should be aware that SQL is vulnerable to SQL injection attack.

Which one to choose in MongoDB vs MySQL?

Well, this will highly depend on what kind of application you want the database for. MySQL is a perfect fit for systems that are legacy for example accounting. It takes advantage of a row based transactional system. Also, it is best suited if you are looking for a relational database. On the other hand, MongoDB can be used for a variety of different applications. It includes applications like Content Management, Internet of Things, Mobile, and much more. There are multiple other conditions where it would be a right fit. 

So this was about MongoDB vs MySQL. We are an app development company and these are some usual questions that we have to answer often. If you are looking for someone to develop your application then we can help. In order to send us an enquiry mail us at [email protected]. We have also written an article over Subscription based Games, therefore to check them out click on the link here. We hope this article might have been of some help to you. If there is anything that you want us to cover then you can write down in the comment section. Also, thank you for reading this until the end. 

 

 



Sudeep Bhatnagar
Co-founder & Director of Business
Sudeep Bhatnagar

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