Database software have been existing ever since the introduction of personal computers. However, the databases used in today’s businesses are far more complex in comparison to what they were in the early stages of development. Although MS Access is still a favourite choice for many business owners and programmers till date, it still cannot fulfil the requirements if your business operation involves a lot of complexities.
If you are looking for a database software, which can cater to the requirements of a small and medium scale business, then a free or open source database software could be your best choice. The open source database software is free to download and use, but you would have to spend some amount on its deployment on the server or cloud. A free software, on the other hand, offers a number of quality features and services free of cost but the services are limited. If you want more features, you can always upgrade to a paid version.
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Why Free and Open Source Database Softwares are Famous?
The Internet is a large sharing space that changes with the blink of an eye, and this holds true in terms of software as well. In case of an open source database software, anyone can download it for free and ask for help from people of similar interests to make any necessary changes, or you can even make changes to it yourself based on your requirements.
Best Open Source Database Software
MySQL is by far the best open source database software for businesses of any scale. It was originally created by the Sun Company but was later acquired by Oracle, which is a giant in terms of offering software solutions around the world. The basic version of MySQL is still available as a free download.
The best part about SQL is that it can be integrated with any computer language famous in the present scenario like C++, JAVA, PHP etc. MySQL is the most reliable database software for web-based businesses from that fact that it can provide error messages in many different languages.
MySQL also has its share of drawbacks like trouble in fixing bugs in the database. But, it still has so many other features that make it a great choice for those looking for a free option.
Firebird
Firebird has been in the existence since its inception in the year 1981 and is still a favourite choice for many leading business houses and programmers. It is a great option for IT-related businesses as it can support a wide range of operating systems like Unix, Windows, and Linux.
Firebird also has loads of ANSI SQL standards that can be easily used for the operations related to development and testing of IT related projects. Excluding this, Firebird has following noteworthy features:
- Firebird is capable of tracing API for real-time monitoring
- It supports different architectures like Classic, SuperServer, and Embedded
- It comes with handy development tools like IBObjects and FIBPlus
Firebird would be your best choice for IT-based businesses. However, it also has some limitations, for example, lacks integration of tables with other databases. Meanwhile, it also doesn’t support integrated replication.
Cubrid
Cubrid is yet another powerful open source database software designed especially for the web-based applications. It provides a flexible platform for the user that is powerful enough to get the desired results without any limitations.
Cubrid provides extensive tools for most of the web development languages like JDBC, Perl, Ruby, Python, and PHP. Although there are some limitations of this open source database software like it doesn’t support iOS and Apple systems, but still, Cubrid is an excellent choice for business owners involved in web development.
Cubrid is capable of providing a database solution platform to the users for their websites, who can contact the Cubrid core development team for queries and suggestions related to the database anytime they need.
Best Free Database Software
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL is a one of the best free database software and a considered a favourite choice for many giant MNC’s like Cisco and Fujitsu.
PostgreSQL has been in business for the last 15 years and there are no chances of its abating in the foreseeable future. Just like Firebird, it also supports a variety of operating systems available nowadays like Linux, Unix, Mac OSX, Solaris, Windows, etc.
PostgreSQL can also run stored procedures in almost every programming language, including Java, Perl, Python, Ruby, and C++. However, it has some limitations like some discrepancies are found in this free database in high transaction rate environments and it requires a fair amount of effort in development.
MongoDB
MongoDB is another remarkable free database software among the agglomeration of thousands of databases on the internet. It is relatively young compared to other players in the market, having its inception in the year 2009, but still, MongoDB has become a heartthrob of many giant MNC’s like Forbes, Expedia, and MetLife.
MongoDB has recorded a record 30 million downloads in a very small life-span of just about nine years. It has many exciting features related to document validation and encrypted store engine, which make it famous among the giant e-commerce websites.
Maintaining your database is one of the most crucial tasks for any business house and before opting for any particular software, you must be well aware of all your requirements. After all, you wouldn’t want to be making any compromises while handling your database.
