MongoDB Vs MySQL: Know The Difference
MongoDB Vs MySQL – They are two database management systems that you can use to store and manage data. MySQL is a relational database system that stores data in a structured tabular format. In contrast, MongoDB stores data as JSON documents in a more flexible format. Both offer performance and scalability, but they give better performance for different use cases.
What Is MongoDB?
MongoDB is a powerful open source and free-to-use non-relational database system popular for storing high volumes of data. It was released 12 years ago in 2009 by 10gen (now MongoDB Inc.) with a Server-Side Public License. NoSQL database program written in C++, Python, and JavaScript with cross-platform compatibility. It supports operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, and languages like C, PHP, Java, Ruby, Node.js, and more.
MongoDB differs from traditional database systems in terms of how that data gets stored.
Instead of storing data in rows and columns, MongoDB takes a document-oriented design that represents data in various JSON-like documents and collections. These documents contain a series of value or key pairs of different types, such as nested documents and arrays. The key/value pairs can be structured differently from one document to another.
MongoDB offers greater security, reliability, and efficiency in addition to the flexibility of modifying the data structure or schema. As a result, it facilitates higher speed and storage requirements.
What Is MySQL?
MySQL is a free, open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). It organizes and stores data into a tabular format with rows and columns in which data types are related. It has a GNU General Public License, and you can find its repository on GitHub.
This database was created originally in 1995 by MySQL AB, a Swedish company whose founder was Swedes David Axmark, Finland Swede Michael Widenius, and Allan Larsson. However, Sun Microsystems bought MySQL AB, and in 2010, Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems.
MySQL’s nomenclature is also interesting — it combines two terms:
- My: The name of Michael Widenius’s daughter.
- SQL: Stands for Structural Query Language.
SQL is a domain-specific programming language that can manage data in an RDBMS by performing functions on data, including create, extract, delete, and modify.
MySQL works with many operating systems, such as Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and Solaris, to implement RDBMS in a device’s storage system, allow network access, manage users, facilitate database integrity testing, and create backups. It’s written in C++ and C and uses a lexical analyzer, while its SQL parser uses yacc.
This database has received positive feedback, especially for average usage with its easy-to-use interface. Performance-wise, it’s fast and stable, and it features a multithreading and multi-user database server.
MySQL is available in two editions: open-source Community Server and proprietary Enterprise Server. The latter offers lots of server plugins to install with no change to the codebase.
MongoDB Vs MySQL: Know The Difference
| Basis | MongoDB | MySQL |
| Data Structure | Data is stored and represented in JSON(Javascript Object Notation) like documents. | Every record is stored as a table-cell structure with rows and column |
| Schema | MongoDB stores data in collections with no enforced schema. In other words, incoming data can have a pre-defined structure and it can adhere to it, however, different documents in the same collection can have different structures if required. | MySQL requires a schema definition for the tables in the databases. Therefore, the schema cannot be altered. Only inputs that conform to the given schema are accepted. |
| Language | MongoDB uses the MongoDB Query Language (MQL), designed for easy use by developers. | As the name suggests MySQL uses SQL, which is a structured query language. |
| User Friendliness | MongoDB is an attractive option to developers because of its easy-to-use and understanding of data storage philosophy. | MySQL is a bit complex compared to MongoDB because of the schema of tables, foreign keys, normalization, etc. |
| Scalability | MongoDB databases can be scaled both vertically and horizontally ( horizontal scaling also known as Scaling out means adding additional nodes or machines to your infrastructure to match new demands whereas vertical scaling is adding more power to your existing machine for example upgrading CPU and RAM ). | MySQL Database can be scaled vertically ( Scaling vertically means adding more power to your existing machine for example upgrading CPU and RAM). |
| Foreign keys | MongoDB does not support the usage of Foreign keys. | MySQL supports the usage of foreign keys ( foreign keys are used to link one table to another table). |
| Supported languages | MongoDB supports languages like C and C++. | MySQL supports languages like C, C++, and JavaScript. |
| Performance | MongoDB is optimized for write performance( means writing speed performance of MongoDB database is far greater than MySQL database). | MySQL is optimized for high-performance joins across multiple tables |
| Replication | In MongoDB, it uses sharding and replication ( sharding allows partitioning of data across multiple servers using the shared key and The technique of synchronizing (organizing) data across many servers to offer redundancy is known as replication). | MySQL supports master-slave replication and master-master replication ( replication feature allows a server -the master to send all changes to another server – the slave). |
| Flexibility | MongoDB documents’ schema-less nature makes it simple to build and upgrade applications over time, without the need for difficult and costly schema migration processes like you would with a relational database. | MySQL database is less flexible in comparison to MongoDB because of its schema design. |
| Cyber Attacks and security | In MongoDB, No Schema definition is required so lesser risk of attacks due to its design and MongoDB is more secure in comparison to MySQL because of its schema-less design. | In MySQL Risks of SQL injection attacks are there due to its schema design so MySQL is less secure in comparison to MongoDB. |
| JOIN Operations | MongoDB does not Support JOIN operations. | MySQL supports JOIN operation. |
| Community Support | Right now MongoDB has around 200k repositories over GitHub with around 1 million commits which shows it will be quite difficult to resolve an issue in MongoDB if you are stuck somewhere in comparison to MySQL because of less community support and documentation ). | MySQL has more than 200k repositories over GitHub and around 7 million commits so MySQL community support is far greater than MongoDB. |
| Handling Unstructured Data | MongoDB is an ideal choice if you have unstructured and/or structured data with the potential for rapid growth | MySQL can not be used to handle unstructured data. |
Conclusion
By now, we have a good understanding of MongoDB and MySQL. In simpler words, MongoDB is a document-Oriented NoSQL database that is used for handling Unstructured data whereas MySQL is an Open source RDBMS (Relational database management system ) that uses SQL (Structured query language) to operate and retrieve data in a database and follows a specific row-table based schema.
Now, the question is what to choose between MongoDB and MySQL. The answer to it is simple: it all depends on various factors such as which type of data you are working on (whether it is structured or unstructured), your needs, and system requirement for any further clarification you can contact us
