Types of Databases

There are several types of databases, each with its own use case and structure.

1. Relational Databases (RDBMS)

Data is stored in tables with rows and columns. Uses SQL for querying.

  • Examples: Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server

2. NoSQL Databases

Stores unstructured or semi-structured data. Designed for scalability and flexibility.

  • Types: Document (MongoDB), Key-Value (Redis), Column (Cassandra), Graph (Neo4j)

3. Hierarchical Databases

Data is stored in a tree-like structure. Example: IBM's IMS.

4. Network Databases

More flexible than hierarchical. Data can have many-to-many relationships.

Choosing the Right Type

Choose based on your app's scalability, structure, and consistency requirements.