With many tools available for information storage, sometimes it can be difficult to determine the best one to use for a particular case. Find out when MongoDB may be the right tool for the job.
TL;DR: MongoDB has become quite popular in recent years, but is it the right tool to use for your application? When choosing a database, it is a good idea to pick one that has the features you most need and performs well in your particular situation. This way, you are less likely to be hit with surprises down the road.
What is MongoDB?
MongoDB is a NoSQL, document-oriented database. This means that it does not use SQL (Structured Query Language) for queries, and also does not use the relational tables used in traditional relational databases. Instead, it stores related information in a single document using a JSON-like structure (called BSON).
What are some advantages of MongoDB?
Big Data – Since MongoDB is easily scalable and can search through large amounts of data quickly in most cases, it is a good database to use when you have massive amounts of data. Its scalability helps when you are consistently adding more data to the mix.
BSON – BSON (Binary JSON) is a binary method of storing simple data structures using the same type of format as JSON (JavaScript Object Notation). Given that numerous programmers understand JSON already, using the BSON format for documents makes it easy for programmers to access the needed data.
An example MongoDB query using the BSON format. Source: MongoDB.
Document-Oriented – Unlike relational databases, which need to be normalized to try to eliminate duplicate data, MongoDB stores data in as few documents as possible instead. This means that related data is usually easier to put together and to locate later, making in more user-friendly in that area.
An example MongoDB document. Source: MongoDB.
When is MongoDB the right tool?
While being document-oriented is more user-friendly, the cost is that there will likely be some duplicated data, which is later resolved to the most recent and correct value. With that in mind, a normalized relational database is typically better when you are storing sensitive information (such as personal or financial information).
On the other hand, MongoDB is often a great database when you are dealing with big data and need to be able to make speedy queries on that data. For example, eBay uses MongoDB to store their media metadata, which is quite a large amount of information.
Of course, there are also cases where you deal with both big data and sensitive data. In such instances, you can get both MongoDB and a relational database to work together to use the best features of each database where they are needed.
Get a Hosted MongoDB Database
If you want to use MongoDB for your application, one way to do so is to use a service like Morpheus, which offers databases as a service on the cloud. With Morpheus, you can easily set up one or more databases (including MongoDB, MySQL, and more.
In addition to all of this, databases are deployed on a high performance infrastructure with Solid State Drives, and are backed up, replicated, and archived. You learn more by viewing pricing information, or you can even open a free account now!
