Nexa Lab Blog – A web database is an essential part of modern web applications, as it stores and manages data online to support dynamic content and user interactions. Web databases serve as the foundation for data management and web development, making information accessible, secure, and efficiently managed across multiple platforms.
Now, let’s learn more about web databases, including their definitions, types, and best practices.
What Is a Web Database?
A web database is a system for storing and displaying information that is accessible from the Internet. It is a type of web application designed to be managed and accessed through the Internet.
Web databases are ideal for situations where the information should be shared or when it must be accessed from various locations or different devices. They are especially beneficial when the system is to be shared between locations or different devices, such as tablets, computers, and cell phones. Web databases can be used for a range of different purposes, including membership databases, client lists, inventory databases, and more.
In a web database, each field in a table has to have a defined data type, such as numbers, strings, and dates. Proper database design involves choosing the correct data type for each field to reduce memory consumption and improve performance.
Web databases enable collected data to be organised and catalogued thoroughly within hundreds of parameters. They are customisable to an individual’s or business’s needs and can be used for various purposes, such as creating website polls, feedback forms, client or customer and inventory lists, and more.
Web databases can be accessed from anywhere by authorised users, allowing for sharing and collaboration. Examples of web database software include Microsoft Office Access, OpenOffice Base, Webex WebOffice database, FormLogix Web database, and MySQL, which is a relational database management system often used with web hosting for managing either personal or business website databases.
What are The Types of Web Databases?
Web databases can be categorised into several types based on different criteria, such as data model, location, design, and hosting. Some of the common types of web database are:
- Data Model Based:
- Hierarchical Databases: Data is organised in a tree-like structure, with data linked based on a common point of linkage.
- Network Databases: Similar to hierarchical databases, child records can be associated with multiple parent records.
- Object-Oriented Databases: These databases are designed to work well with object-oriented programming languages such as Java, C++, and Python.
- Relational Databases: Data is organised into tables, rows, and columns. SQL is commonly used to query this type of database.
- Non-Relational Databases (NoSQL): These databases are designed to handle unstructured data and can scale horizontally.
- Location-Based:
- Centralised Database: The database is stored and maintained in a single location.
- Distributed Database: The database is spread across different physical locations for improved performance and reliability.
- Design Based:
- Operational (OLTP) Database: These databases are designed for transaction-oriented applications.
- Analytical (OLAP) Database: These databases are designed for data analysis and reporting.
- Hosting Based:
- On-Premises Database: The database is hosted on the company’s own servers.
- Cloud Database: The database is hosted on a cloud service provider’s platform.
Each type of database has its own strengths and is suited to different kinds of applications. The choice of database often depends on the specific requirements of the web application.
The type of database you manage also affects the programming language you use. Click the link we’ve provided below to read our most recent post on learning how to compare programming languages.
Learn More: Choosing the Right Software Framework: A Strategic Approach
How Web Databases Work
Web databases operate on a client-server model where the database services are hosted on a server and accessed over the internet. When a user interacts with a web application, the application makes requests to the database server using APIs or query languages. The server then processes these requests, retrieves the required data, and sends it back to the client application.
PhoenixNap’s blog post provides a great, simplified overview of how a web database works. Here’s the step-by-step:
- The client makes a request: When a user interacts with a web application through their browser—be it searching for a product, logging in, or posting a comment—the browser sends a request to the web server.
- The server processes the request: The server receives the request and processes it. This involves interpreting the request, determining what data is needed, and then communicating with the database.
- The database initiates an action: The database receives the request from the server, initiates the appropriate action, such as retrieving, updating, or deleting data, and then sends the results back to the server.
- The database generates a response: The database generates a response based on the data stored within it. This response is then sent back to the server.
- The response is displayed to the client: The server receives the response from the database, processes it, and then sends it back to the client’s browser to be displayed.
Web databases store information in record and index structures. The record structure is visible to users, while the index structure is typically not available for users to browse. A number of web databases use artificial intelligence to handle updates to links.
While HTML code doesn’t support direct interaction with databases, there are a lot of ways around this limitation. The most popular solution is to use a secondary programming or scripting language like PHP or Python that is capable of both connecting to a database and generating “static” HTML output.
How to Choose the Right Web Database
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for selecting a web database. Everything is dependent on your data characteristics, project size, and team capabilities. However, you can follow some general best practices to do it.
Before you decide which web database to use, it’s important to first understand your data and then know what your requirements are. Then, after that, you can start to choose which database management system fits your needs.
Here is the overview.
1. Understand Your Data
Understanding your data type is the first critical step before selecting a web database management system. The nature of your data can direct you to a suitable database. For example:
- Structured Data (Tabular Data): If your data is organised in a tabular format with predefined schemas, a Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) like MySQL or PostgreSQL might be suitable.
- Semi-Structured Data: If your data lacks strict adherence to a fixed tabular schema but possesses some degree of structure, NoSQL databases that offer flexible schema and document-based storage could be well-suited.
- Unstructured Data: If your data lacks a predefined data model and may include multimedia files, text documents, emails, etc., databases designed for object storage or file systems could be efficient.
- Time-Series Data: If your data is organised based on timestamps and is frequently generated by sensors, logs, or IoT devices, databases optimised for handling time-series data offer excellent performance.
2. Define Your Database Requirements
Determine the type of data you want to store, its structure, and any specific functionalities required. This process helps you create a clear roadmap for developing your database and ensures it aligns with your website’s goals and functionality.
3. Choose the Right Database Management System (DBMS)
Selecting the appropriate DBMS is fundamental to your website’s success. Consider factors such as the scalability of the database, the type and amount of data you’ll be storing, and the specific needs of your project.
You can choose from a variety of database management systems. If you want to use a relational database management system, you can choose MySQL or PostgreSQL. If you prefer a NoSQL approach, MongoDB is a good choice.
Other options include object-oriented DBMS that store and manage objects, such as GemStone/S and Objectivity/DB. The final options will be cloud-based DBMS hosted on cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and GCP. Examples include Amazon Aurora and Google Cloud Spanner.
After you are done choosing your DBMS, don’t forget to evaluate Options and Conduct Tests: Take your time to evaluate different databases, conduct tests, and consider scalability, performance, and security.
Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to databases. The best database for your web application depends on your specific needs and constraints.
Aside from selecting a suitable DBMS, you must also have the appropriate framework for your project. Learn more about this in our recent article by clicking the link provided below.
Learn More: How Do You Compare Programming Languages? 5 Things That You Need to Consider
Conclusion
Web databases are integral to the development and management of modern web applications, providing the necessary infrastructure for data storage, management, and security. By understanding the different types of web databases and how they function, developers can select the most appropriate system that aligns with their application’s needs.
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