A Comparative Study of SQL And Nosql Database Management Systems

Database Management Systems (DBMS) are widely used in almost all modern software applications, and this characteristic significantly impacts their further development and operation. Over several decades, relational database systems (RDBMS) have established themselves as a dominant type of DBMS. At the same time, the explosive growth of the global web and the need for effective data processing led to the appearance of new challenges for the existing data storage methods. This fact is the main reason why Not Only SQL (NoSQL) databases were created, offering an alternative to the traditional approach. The purpose of this paper is to make a comparative analysis of SQL and NoSQL database systems, studying their essential characteristics and differences. Using a literature review and comparison of selected database systems (MySQL, PostgreSQL for SQL and MongoDB, Cassandra for NoSQL), the performance of both types of databases was analyzed. Based on the results of research, recommendations were made on the use of database systems in modern applications. Conclusions were drawn about the advantages and disadvantages of both data storage techniques, taking into account such factors as consistency, flexibility, scalability, performance, ease of use, and use cases. Although some NoSQL databases use rigid schemas and can ensure the same level of consistency as RDBMS, SQL databases still remain the best choice when it comes to transactions. On the other hand, NoSQL databases appear to be more attractive in the era of big data and web applications, which require extensive horizontal scaling of database servers. Therefore, the choice of the database type should be based on the specific needs of the application, and not on the supposed binary opposition of SQL and NoSQL. It is possible to use various databases for different components of a single application, which is known as the polyglot-persistence approach.