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Using CAP Theorem choose a database.
Using CAP Theorem choose a database.

Using CAP Theorem choose a database.

When building a large-scale distributed system, choosing the right database is crucial for meeting both user expectations and business requirements. The CAP Theorem offers valuable insights into the trade-offs involved in selecting a database, especially when it comes to consistency, availability, and partition tolerance.

The CAP Theorem states that a distributed database system can only guarantee two out of the following three properties at any time:

  • Consistency:

    Every read operation will return the most recent write, ensuring all users see the same data at the same time.

  • Availability:

    Every request will receive a response (either success or failure), even if some of the system’s nodes are down.

  • Partition Tolerance:

    The system will continue to function properly even when network partitions occur, meaning parts of the system can’t communicate with each other.

CAP Theorem Categories and Database Selection:
Consistency-Availability(CA)
Using CAP Theorem choose a database.
Using CAP Theorem choose a database.
  • SQLite

    SQLite is an in-process library that implements a self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration, transactional SQL database engine. You can find more information in the official documentation: https://www.sqlite.org/

  • PostgreSQL

    PostgreSQL is an object-relational database management system (ORDBMS), developed at the University of California at Berkeley Computer Science Department. You can find more information in the official documentation: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/

  • MySQL(single-node)

    MySQL in a single-node setup operates as a standalone instance, ensuring strong consistency and high availability within the limits of a single machine. You can find more information in the official documentation: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/

Availability-Partition Tolerance(AP)
Using CAP Theorem choose a database.
Using CAP Theorem choose a database.
  • Cassandra

    Cassandra is a highly scalable, distributed NoSQL database designed to handle massive amounts of data across multiple nodes with no single point of failure. You can find more information in the official documentation: https://cassandra.apache.org/_/index.html

  • DynamoDB

    DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database service by AWS, designed for seamless scalability, low-latency performance, and high availability. You can find more information in the official documentation: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/dynamodb/

  • Redis

    Redis is an in-memory key-value store known for its lightning-fast performance and versatility. It supports data structures like strings, hashes, lists, sets, and sorted sets, making it suitable for caching, session storage, real-time analytics, and messaging. You can find more information in the official documentation: https://redis.io/docs/latest/

Consistency-Partition Tolerance(CP)
Using CAP Theorem choose a database.
Using CAP Theorem choose a database.
  • MySQL

    MySQL is a widely-used, open-source relational database that supports both single-node and distributed setups. You can find more information in the official documentation: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/

  • HBase

    HBase is a distributed, scalable, NoSQL database designed to handle large amounts of sparse data. Built on top of the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS), it provides strong support for availability and partition tolerance (AP) under the CAP theorem. You can find more information in the official documentation: https://hbase.apache.org/

  • MongoDB

    MongoDB is a popular NoSQL database designed for flexibility, scalability, and ease of development. You can find more information in the official documentation: https://www.mongodb.com/docs/atlas/

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Software architecture
Consistency
Availability
Partition tolerance
Distributed systems
Software architecture
Consistency
Availability
Partition tolerance
Distributed systems

Harshad Kathiriya
Harshad KathiriyaA seasoned technical enthusiast and blogger with a passion for exploring cutting-edge technologies, having 12+ years of experience in complete Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) covering Requirements Gathering, Data Analysis, Data Modeling, Database Design, Development, Testing and Deployment of business applications. He enjoys sharing practical insights, tutorials, and best practices to help fellow developers and tech enthusiasts stay ahead in this fast-paced digital world.