Types of databases

Here’s a concise overview of the main types of databases:

1. Relational Databases (RDBMS):
   • Structure: Data organized in tables (rows and columns).
   • Examples: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server.
   • Use Case: Structured data and complex queries.
2. NoSQL Databases:
   • Structure: Various models (key-value, document, graph, wide-column).
   • Examples: MongoDB (document), Redis (key-value), Cassandra (wide-column), Neo4j (graph).
   • Use Case: Unstructured data, scalability, and flexibility.
3. Object-Oriented Databases:
   • Structure: Data represented as objects.
   • Examples: db4o, ObjectDB.
   • Use Case: Applications needing integration with object-oriented programming.
4. Graph Databases:
   • Structure: Data represented as nodes and edges.
   • Examples: Neo4j, ArangoDB.
   • Use Case: Relationship-focused data like social networks.
5. Time-Series Databases:
   • Structure: Optimized for time-stamped data.
   • Examples: InfluxDB, TimescaleDB.
   • Use Case: IoT data, financial monitoring, analytics.
6. Column-Family Stores:
   • Structure: Data stored in columns rather than rows.
   • Examples: Apache Cassandra, HBase.
   • Use Case: Large-scale storage and fast retrieval.
7. NewSQL Databases:
   • Structure: Combines relational models with NoSQL scalability.
   • Examples: Google Spanner, CockroachDB.
   • Use Case: High-throughput applications needing ACID compliance.
8. Document Stores:
   • Structure: Data stored in document formats (like JSON).
   • Examples: MongoDB, CouchDB.
   • Use Case: Applications with varied data structures.

Each type serves different needs based on data structure, scalability, and application requirements.