[MongoDB Part 1]・MongoDB: Why It's the Database of the Future in 2023

MongoDB: Why It's the Database of the Future

Introduction

Hello everyone! This is the first article in the series "What I Know About MongoDB", a series discussing the popular NoSQL database - MongoDB.

In this article, we'll cover the following aspects of MongoDB:

• What is NoSQL?
• What is MongoDB?
• Why and when should you use MongoDB?
• Pros and cons of MongoDB
• Highlighted features of MongoDB

Let's get started!

What is NoSQL?

If you're in IT, you've probably learned about Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) with its various design standards. However, alongside RDBMS, there are non-relational database management systems called NoSQL DBs (short for Not-Only SQL or Non-Relational SQL).

So, why NoSQL when we already have RDBMS? Here's why:

• NoSQL DBs address certain limitations of RDBMS in terms of speed, features, and scalability.
• They can be used for structured, semi-structured, or unstructured data without being limited by a fixed data model.
• With NoSQL, you can scale data without worrying about creating foreign keys, primary keys, or constraint checks.
• NoSQL uses a dynamic schema for unstructured data, simplifying data integration for various applications.
• It trades off data integrity and transactions for speed and scalability.
• Popular NoSQL databases include MongoDB, Cassandra, Hbase, Redis, and CouchDB.

What is MongoDB?

MongoDB is an open-source NoSQL database software that supports multiple platforms and is object-oriented. Tables in MongoDB, called "collections", have a flexible structure allowing data storage without a strict schema, unlike other SQL databases.

With this approach, MongoDB can store complex structured data. This complex data can be stored in collections as JSON, providing high usability and performance.

Strengths of MongoDB

MongoDB's popularity among NoSQL DBs isn't coincidental. It's because of its many advantages:

• MongoDB stores records as JSON documents saved as BSON files. These records can be directly queried as JSON, which offers benefits:
  1. It's a natural way to store data.
  2. Both structured and unstructured data can be stored in a single record structure.
  3. Nested JSON data can be used to save complex data.
  4. JSON simplifies the addition/removal of data fields.

Example of a JSON formatted record:

{

    _id: ,

    Emp_ID: "11123AE221",

    Personal_details: {

        First_Name: "David",

        Last_Name: "Tinker",

        Date_Of_Birth: "1998-08-12"

    },

    Contact: {

        e-mail: "David_Tinker.111@gmail.com",

        phone: "9768474672"

    },

    Address: {

        city: "Cambridge",

        Area: "Anglia",

        State: "Cambridgeshire"

    }

}

When Should You Use MongoDB?

By now, you, or your company, might have chosen MongoDB. The choice of a database depends on various factors, both technical and related to development and operational costs.

However, here are some situations where MongoDB might be a good fit:

• Using documents for data storage with flexible additions or deletions.
• Your data is complex or unstructured.
• Applications that require intensive data insertions.
• Systems requiring high availability.
• Systems that need rapid and easy scalability.

MongoDB Terminology

Switching from RDBMS to MongoDB might be a bit overwhelming due to differences in terminology.

Below is a comparison of equivalent terms between RDBMS and MongoDB:

In the following section, we will delve deeper into the architecture of the MongoDB system