MongoDB

There are a number of great advantages to using MongoDB, with the first being the flexibility with which it stores data. MongoDB is what’s known as a NoSQL database, which, rather than meaning No SQL, actually stands for ‘not only SQL’.

WHY CHOOSE MONGODB?

SCHEMA-LESS DATABASE

Unlike typical relational database management systems (RDBMS), MongoDB is schema-less, which means the data doesn’t have to be stored in rigid tables with a fixed structure. Instead, it's stored in documents, with each one representing a record, or a row in a table. As documents are non-structured, you’re able to vary number of fields within it. These documents are then stored in a collection, which is the equivalent of a table. This flexibility means the data can be changed over time without a massive overhaul to the whole database system and it affecting the performance of the application it’s connected to.

This way of storing data is ideal for an unstable schema: when the data isn’t uniform and has the potential to change in structure over time. The fact it can accommodate unstable schemas makes it easier to design databases, as you don’t have make the data fit into a structure – the structure will simply fit around the data instead.

JSON-LIKE DOCUMENTS

What’s more, these documents used to store data in MongoDB are known as BSON (Binary JSON) documents, which are based on JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) documents. JSON is an easily readable format which is easy to manipulate and makes for quick data exchange among the different parts of an application.

Usually, databases store simpler, scalar data types, such as strings and integers, while objects are non-scalar. This means that when retrieving data from a database, it then has to be transformed into objects. Likewise, before storing an object, retrieved from a webpage, for instance, it first has to be converted into scalar data types. Mongo’s BSON documents make this process, known as object-relational mapping (ORM), more straightforward, as the data they contain are already objects. It results in faster database retrieval which results in faster applications, as slow retrieval negatively affects loading time and overall performance.

HIGH SCALABILITY

A second benefit of MongoDB is its high scalability. For a start, it can be used as a distributed database, meaning that it can be stored on multiple servers when the need arises. It features native sharding, which sees it automatically break collections into smaller ones and results in faster data storage and retrieval. These scalability features make MondoDB ideal for handling Big Data and the exponentially growing data storage concerns faced by companies of all sizes.

However, this high scalability is only useful thanks to MongoDB’s powerful querying capabilities, which it achieves through a document-based query system. It also makes great use of indexing, which groups documents in data-structures that make them faster and easier to query.

HIGH AVAILABILITY

A third benefit of MongoDB is its high availability, which it achieves through replication. MongoDB will create and maintain a replica set of data to create redundancy in the event that something happens to the original. These can then be stored in different availability zones, for further redundancy, and MongoDB’s automatic failover capabilities will switch over to a replica in the event of a system failure.

EASY TO INTEGRATE

Lastly, as it’s written in JavaScript and stores data in a format similar to JSON, MongoDB is easily combined with other JavaScript frameworks and packages. A great example of this is the popular MEAN Stack, which is comprised of MongoDB, Express, Angular and Node. The MEAN stack allows you to build a full-stack JavaScript application, with Express and MongoDB handling the back-end operations, Angular responsible for the front-end, and Node allowing you to run the JavaScript codebase in a web server. As all the different parts of the application are JavaScript based, they can more easily pass data between them, resulting in a more efficient, performant web-based application.

MONGODB AND FRONTIT

We have a thorough understanding of how MongoDB can fulfil a company’s data storage needs and know how to take advantage of its powerful features to provide a database for applications of all scopes and sizes. We can help you to:

• Create an application with flexible and scalable data storage
• Integrate MongoDB into an existing website or app
• Migrate your existing database into MongoDB and make things easier for your database administrator going forward

WHY CHOOSE US?

Our development team is well experienced in integrating MongoDB into applications to make them as performant and smooth as possible. We can design a data model that’s in line with your business’ needs and can easily scale as your business grows. The time saved in the initial database design, as well as that saved by your database administrator, will save your company a great deal of effort and money in the long run.