Top 5 NO SQL databases to learn
Tags: beginners, newbie, nosql, hasanelsherbiny
Published: 2023-09-30 07:35:00

in our previous article we have shown [What Is NO SQL Database And how it's different from SQL databases?](https://dev.to/hasanelsherbiny/sql-vs-nosql-875)

in this article we are showing Top 5 NO SQL databases to learn and most important feature of each one.

## 1. MongoDB
MongoDB is one of the most popular NoSQL databases and is known for its flexibility and scalability. It is a document-based database, which means it stores data in BSON (Binary JSON) format. MongoDB is widely used for web and mobile applications, and its query language is rich and expressive.

Features:

- Schema-less design.
- Horizontal scalability through sharding.
- Support for geospatial data.
- Aggregation framework for data processing.
- Strong community and a vast ecosystem of libraries and tools.

when to use:

Content management systems.
Real-time analytics.
Catalogs and e-commerce platforms.
IoT (Internet of Things) applications.

## 2. Cassandra
Apache Cassandra is a highly scalable NoSQL database designed for handling large amounts of data across multiple commodity servers. It is a wide column store database that excels at write-heavy workloads and offers high availability and fault tolerance.

Features:

- Distributed architecture with no single point of failure.
- Linear scalability.
- Tunable consistency levels.
- Support for time-series data.
- Built-in caching.

when to use:

Time-series data and monitoring.
Social media platforms.
Logging and event data.
Sensor data and telemetry.

## 3. Redis
Redis is an in-memory data store that is often used as a cache or a message broker. It is known for its exceptional speed and low latency. Redis supports various data structures, including strings, lists, sets, and more, making it versatile for different use cases.

Features:

- In-memory storage for ultra-fast data access.
- Pub/sub messaging system.
- Support for transactions.
- Data persistence options.
- Geospatial indexing.
when to use:

Caching and session management.
Real-time analytics.
Leaderboards and counting.
Queues for task processing.
Geospatial applications.

## 4. Couchbase
Couchbase is a NoSQL database that combines the flexibility of JSON data modeling with the performance and scalability needed for modern applications. It supports both key-value and document data models, making it suitable for a wide range of applications.

Features:

- Distributed architecture with automatic data sharding.
- High availability with built-in replication.
- Integrated full-text search.
- Cross-data center replication.
- Mobile database synchronization.

when to use:

User profile and session data storage.
E-commerce product catalogs.
Real-time recommendation engines.
Mobile and edge computing.

## 5. Neo4j
Neo4j is a graph database designed for handling highly connected data. It is excellent for applications that require querying relationships and traversing complex data structures. Neo4j uses the Cypher query language, specifically designed for graph queries.

Features:

- Native graph storage and processing.
- ACID-compliant transactions.
- Support for schema constraints.
- Graph algorithms and analytics.
- Visualization and exploration tools.

when to use:
Social network analysis.
Fraud detection.
Recommendation engines.
Knowledge graphs.
Network and IT operations.

finally this is not a comparison between these databases, so pick the most proper database depending on your situation and use cases.