What to Choose Between MongoDB and MySQL and Why?

MongoDB and MySQL are two of the most demanding database services for web applications. Both are database management systems (DBMS) that allow extracting data from a web application and creating reports. However, they are designed in different ways, and that’s why a head-to-head comparison is often made between these two competitive database services.

In this blog post, we also will take a look at MongoDB vs MySQL, understand the differences, look for their advantages and disadvantages, and do a detailed comparison based on a few important factors such as their performance, security, flexibility, and scalability.

What is MySQL?

Released in 1995 by Oracle Corporation, MySQL is a very popular, free, and open-source relational database management system that has been leading the database rankings for a number of years. The term is a combination of two words “My” and “SQL” where the former denotes the name of the daughter of the Co-founder Michael Widenius and the latter is abbreviated for Structured Query Language.

A relational database structures the data into data tables in which data types may be correlated. SQL is a language used by programmers to build, modify, and extract data from the relational database, and also control the user access to the database. MySQL makes use of schemas to define the database structure that needs to be pre-defined, and the data must match this schema to be stored in the database.

Some of the popular brands that use MySQL are Netflix, YouTube, Twitter, Spotify, PayPal, Walmart, NASA, etc. It’s a widely used DBMS system and is well known for its analytical operations, complex query support, and transactions. MySQL is also tagged as one of the safest databases in the market.

What is MongoDB?

Developed by MongoDB Inc. in 2009 and licensed under Server Side Public License (SSPL), MongoDB is an open-source cross-platform document-oriented database program used for high volume data storage. It is classified as a NoSQL database program and uses JSON-like documents with optional schemas. Unlike MySQL, it’s a non-relational database and doesn’t use SQL or tables the way relational databases do. Instead, it creates documents that store information and uses Mongo Query Language for communication, or in other words, each record is stored as a document.

This type of database management system uses dynamic schemas, which means that one can create records without having to define the structure first. MongoDB lets you change the records’ structure (referred to as documents) by adding new fields or deleting existing ones.

MongoDB documents involve a series of different types of key/value pairs, including arrays and nested documents; however, the key difference is that the structure of the key/value pairs in a given collection can vary from document to document.

Some of the big brands using MongoDB are Adobe, Uber, Sony, Hootsuite, eBay, FourSquare, etc.

Why should you use MySQL?

Here are a few main advantages/reasons of using MySQL-

1. It supports features like Scale-out, Master-slave replication.

2. It has a very low overhead with MyISAM storage engine when used for read-mostly applications.

3. MySQL offers fast performance. Handling large documents becomes quite easy as the project scales.

4. MySQL comes with support for Offload Reporting, Geographical Distribution, etc.

5. Developers can clearly see the relations between data and identify errors quickly.

6. There’s a query cache for repeated statements.

7. MySQL offers high stability. Having a predefined schema enables developers to systemize their data, control its compatibility, and detect duplication.

8. It provides support for the memory stage engine for the tables that are used frequently.

9. Since SQL follows ACID principles, all the transactions are well-monitored, approved, and well-isolated. So, security is taken good care of in MySQL.

10. One can use the predefined schemas for different projects, thereby reducing the up-front preparation.

Disadvantages of MySQL

Here are some drawbacks as well of using MySQL-

1. Organizing the database is a bit difficult. One cannot change the schema during the development stage. For that matter, the data needs to be transferred back-and-forth and all the relations need to be updated.

2. At times, you may witness a server crash that can corrupt the system catalog.

3. Typos or wrong relation setup can affect the entire table’s performance.

4. System catalog transactions aren’t ACID compliant.

5. To add the information to the table, developers need to structure it into a column-row format. It can’t be done without structuring.

Why should you use MongoDB?

Below are the advantages of using MongoDB-

1. MongoDB is very flexible, thanks to JSON documents. You can edit a JSON document independently anytime and it won’t affect any other file.

2. MongoDB lets you use internal memory for storing temporary datasets.

3. It isn’t required to enter information into rows and columns. Developers make use of sub-documents and arrays for that matter.

4. It lets you store any type of file irrespective of the size without affecting your stack.

5. Developers don’t need to access different tables to obtain related information. The entire data is accessible in one document.

6. It is not required to predefine schemas and plan relations.

7. MongoDB allows replication of the database.

Disadvantages of using MongoDB

Following are some cons of using MongoDB-

1. It doesn’t identify duplicated documents automatically though developers can take the help of additional tools.

2. Transactions made using MongoDB are a bit complex.

3. Documents can get messy over time if they aren’t prioritized.

4. There isn’t any provision for Stored Procedures or functions, so you cannot implement any business logic at the database level.

MongoDB vs MySQL Comparison

We have compared MongoDB vs MySQL on the following factors-

1. MongoDB vs MySQL: Scalability

SQL databases provide you with vertical scalability; you can increase the server load to perform any operation. On the other hand, non-SQL databases enable you to use more servers rather than putting the load on a single server.

When we talk about MySQL sharding, developers usually segregate one server into partitions for large databases and multiple transactions with each partition being deployed on a separate server- this enables MySQL to utilize horizontal and vertical scaling. Frameworks are used by teams to perform sharding in MySQL.

Speaking of MongoDB sharding, it lets you perform sharding with no extra frameworks. You can directly create replicate sets in the application and store different documents on different servers.

If we compare replication of both, MongoDB is the clear winner here since data replication doesn’t ask for framework migration, which makes it fast and intuitive.

2. MongoDB vs MySQL: Security

MongoDB uses the role-based access control model having a flexible set of permissions. A role is assigned to users which grants them specific permissions over database operations and data sets. The entire communication is encrypted with TLS.

MySQL, on the other hand, supports the encryption features same as MongoDB and has a similar authentication feature. Roles can be assigned to the users and permissions can be allotted over particular datasets and data operations.

3. MongoDB vs MySQL: Performance

Performance is yet another factor to consider when we talk about MySQL vs MongoDB. If we consider the speed of executing basic features in MySQL and MongoDB, like Insert, Select, and Update, MongoDB is twice or thrice faster than MySQL. However, MySQL wins the race if we consider the performance factor by evaluating CPU consumption. Results produced by MongoDB can be faster if it possesses large computing power at its disposal. MySQL is comparatively slower by design but functions better when conditions are limited.

4. MongoDB vs MySQL: Flexibility

The schemaless design of MongoDB documents makes it pretty simple to develop and enhance applications without having to run a complex schema migration process which can be the case with a relational database.

Speaking of MongoDB, it comprises several dynamic options to update a collection’s schema such as building new fields based on an aggregation pipeline or updating nested array fields. Conversely, bigger MySQL databases migrate schemas and stored procedures slowly which are usually dependent on the updated schemas.

The Bottom Line

Both MySQL and MongoDB have their strengths and weaknesses. If the data demands multi-row transactions, a relational database like MySQL can be the ideal choice, however, if you require a more flexible and schema-free solution that can go well with unstructured data, MongoDB can be the perfect solution.

While MongoDB seems easy and better as far as development and scaling are concerned and also the fact that JSON structure offers more flexibility than relative tables, MySQL possesses a rich ecosystem and high-security standards which makes it a better choice than MongoDB as it is less secure.

In the end, your choice of database management system depends on the project priority and available skills.