“Relational database and Non-relational database”
Published: 2023-03-18 14:52:31

**Relational database** and **non-relational database** are two types of database management systems that are commonly used in the tech industry. While both types of databases store and manage data, they differ in their structure, data model, and use cases. In this article, we will explore the differences between these two types of databases and provide two examples of each that are widely used in the tech industry.

**Relational Databases**
Relational databases are based on the relational model, which organizes data into tables with rows and columns. Each table represents an entity or a set of related entities, and each row in the table represents a specific instance of that entity. The columns of the table represent attributes of the entity. The relationship between tables is established through primary and foreign keys.

One of the key advantages of relational databases is that they provide a consistent and structured way to store data. This makes it easy to retrieve, manipulate, and query data using SQL (Structured Query Language). Some of the commonly used relational databases in the tech industry are:

**MySQL**: MySQL is an open-source relational database management system that is widely used in web applications. It is known for its scalability, high performance, and ease of use. Many popular web applications such as WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla use MySQL as their backend database.
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**Oracle**: Oracle is a powerful and complex relational database management system that is widely used in large enterprises. It is known for its robustness, security, and scalability. Oracle databases are used in many mission-critical applications such as banking, healthcare, and logistics.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nmv88vmmmoanza8oxw8z.png)



**Non-Relational Databases**
Non-relational databases, also known as NoSQL databases, are designed to handle unstructured and semi-structured data. Unlike relational databases, they do not use tables, rows, and columns to organize data. Instead, they use different data models such as key-value, document, column-family, and graph to store and manage data.

One of the key advantages of non-relational databases is that they are highly scalable and flexible. They can handle large volumes of data, and their schema-less nature makes it easy to add or modify data on the fly. Some of the commonly used non-relational databases in the tech industry are:

**MongoDB**: MongoDB is a popular document-oriented NoSQL database that is widely used in web and mobile applications. It is known for its flexibility, scalability, and ease of use. MongoDB is used in many applications that require fast and efficient handling of semi-structured and unstructured data.
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/juw7k0950spzyu85gz11.gif)



**Cassandra**: Cassandra is a highly scalable and fault-tolerant NoSQL database that is widely used in large-scale web applications. It is designed to handle massive amounts of data across multiple nodes in a cluster. Cassandra is used in many applications that require high availability, performance, and scalability, such as social media platforms, e-commerce sites, and IoT applications.

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/wcsvcjq6dl4yhzjm2q1x.png)



**Conclusion**

In conclusion, relational databases and non-relational databases are two types of database management systems that are commonly used in the tech industry. While relational databases are based on a structured and consistent data model, non-relational databases are designed to handle unstructured and semi-structured data. Both types of databases have their advantages and disadvantages, and their choice depends on the specific needs of the application. **MySQL**, **Oracle**, **MongoDB**, and **Cassandra** are some of the widely used databases in the tech industry that illustrate the different use cases for relational and non-relational databases.