Top 4 MySQL alternatives

MySQL has long been the preferred open source database software solution. However, with newer options coming into the market, it is only natural to be intrigued by what the alternatives have to offer for database admins and developers. Today we bring to you 4 capable MySQL alternatives for your zero cost database solutions requirement –

1. PostgresSQL is a database solution has been in active development for the last 15 years and has emerged as a pretty robust database. It offers a high degree of customizability and provides an interface to process custom data types. It is compatible with a lot of programming languages such as C/C++, Ruby, Python, Perl, and Java. Features like the query rewrite system and table inheritance further elevate the reliability of SQL as a viable MySQL alternative.

2  Redis This in-memory data memcached. Just like memcached, Redis’ ability to store entire data in-memory substantially speeds up the querying time. It is a great choice to share data across multiple servers, multiple applications, and multiple processes. Redis’ capability to process much higher number of data types (including lists, hash, unordered sets, and sorted sets) and built-in persistence makes it a much better alternative to memcached.

3  MariaDB – If digital behemoths like Facebook and Google use this database system, then there is little doubt about the popularity of this open source database solution. Since it is built by the same team that is behind MySQL, developers will find that they can reuse a lot of components from MySQL to MariaDB. It also features new additions like server optimization and alternate storage engines. Developers can also upgrade MySQL security patches to work with MariaDB which in turn, improves the efficacy of these MySQL patches.

4  MongoDB – This solution moves away from traditional data storage formats and stores data in JSON-like documents. Instead of tables and rows of a typical SQL structure, it stores data in collections and documents. Its dynamic schema design facility allows developers to create fields without defining their structure. As a result working with complex data structures, hierarchical relationships and data arrays become simpler. Its replication and auto-sharding feature ensure immense help with huge data sets.

Do you know of any other free and open source database alternatives to MySQL? Do write to us and let us know. Or add them as your comments below.