Complete Guide to Database Types in Web Hosting

When I began my web building journey, I don’t really think I cared about databases; I just cared about “getting it online.” Over time I began to understand that a database is essentially where all of the important information lives—user accounts, blog posts, the “forgot password” links, etc. Without databases, many websites simply wouldn’t function. So, what kind of databases might we typically see as part of hosting? Let’s keep it simple:

Relational Databases (SQL)​

The most common type of database is a relational database, examples of this type include MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB.

A relational database is a structured way to organize and store information which is primarily organized into tables (think of a spreadsheet) to connect the data and store it. They are best for websites where the data is structured, for example an e-commerce site or a WordPress Blog.

Reasons for their popularity:

• They are reliable and easy to use.
• They can conduct complex searches.
• They work with almost any CMS without issue.

I have used MySQL plenty of times, and the result always feels like it is going to work.

NoSQL Databases​

Websites that manage vast amounts of data will tend to use a NoSQL database, like MongoDB or Cassandra.

They permit the data to be stored in flexible structures instead of storing all of the data in defined tables (e.g., documents, or key-value pairs). This is very useful if you are building a website that you expect to grow rapidly, for real-time web apps, or for analytical purposes.

Reasons for Utilization:

• Greater flexibility with semi-structured data.
• Better able to cope with extreme spikes in traffic.
• Particularly useful for applications needing to scale rapidly.

In-Memory Databases​

If you are truly interested in having a high-speed database, then you should investigate in-memory databases like Redis or Memcached which use RAM instead of disk.

Reasons for their advantage:

• They are fast.
• They are great for temporary data storage, such as caching.
• They relieve strain on the primary database.

They are basically just turbo charged for websites.

Graph Databases​

These are less popular but extremely powerful. Graph databases such as Neo4j focus on the connectivity of the data. They can be useful for social networks, recommendations, or fraud detection.

Reasons why they are impressive:

• The ability to map relationships extremely well.
• The ability to map multi-faceted relationships better than SQL or NoSQL.

Summary​

So, here are the types of databases you will observe in web hosting:

• SQL for structured data.
• NoSQL for flexibility.
• In-memory for speed.
• Graph databases for connectivity.

Each having respective advantages. For reliability, go with SQL. For speed, try a Redis. For a project akin to Facebook, then explore graph databases.

In short, databases are the secret engine behind websites—and knowing how they work makes building sites a whole lot easier.