15 futuristic databases you’ve never heard of

Summary

The video script explores the evolution of databases, highlighting the shift from traditional SQL systems like MySQL and Postgres to modern, innovative databases. It reviews 15 emerging databases, including PlanetScale, CockroachDB, Neon, and others, focusing on their unique features such as serverless scalability, graph-based data models, and AI integration. The video emphasizes how these new technologies aim to solve the limitations of older systems, while also addressing challenges like cloud scaling, branching, and real-time analytics. It's a deep dive into the future of data management for developers.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The video discusses the need for speed and innovation in the tech industry, often symbolized by the phrase 'move fast and break things'.
• 🗄️ Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) like SQL have been foundational in computing, with Oracle and MySQL leading in their respective sectors.
• 🌐 The script introduces several new databases designed to handle modern challenges, including scalability and cloud-native operations.
• 🌌 PlanetScale is highlighted as a serverless platform for MySQL, leveraging Vitess for horizontal scaling, and offering a managed service with a user-friendly dashboard.
• 🧘‍♂️ Yugabyte offers a serverless database for PostgreSQL, aiming for infinite scalability and supporting multi-cloud strategies to avoid vendor lock-in.
• 🌟 Neon, currently in technical preview, is a serverless PostgreSQL option that can scale to zero and is written in Rust, offering a polished admin interface.
• 🔄 Dolt, inspired by Git, allows for database branching and merging, making it easier to experiment with data changes without disrupting the main database.
• 🦀 CockroachDB is a 'new SQL' database compatible with PostgreSQL, designed for horizontal scaling in the cloud, with a free tier and pay-as-you-go pricing.
• 💡 Cloudflare's D1 is a SQL Lite database for edge computing, allowing developers to write stored procedures in JavaScript for transaction management.
• 📊 Zeta is a serverless relational database with a spreadsheet-like interface, offering full-text search and branching capabilities, similar to Dolt.
• 📈 Eightbase is a relational database with a GraphQL API and a low-code tool for building front-end applications, aiming to simplify full-stack development.

Q & A

What is the concept behind 'move fast and break things' in the tech industry?

'Move fast and break things' is a philosophy encouraging rapid development and innovation, even if it involves taking risks or making mistakes along the way. It emphasizes speed over perfection, especially in early stages of development.

What is the relational database management system (RDBMS), and why is it important?

The relational database management system (RDBMS) organizes data in a structured way using rows and columns, forming relationships between different datasets. It's one of the most successful ideas in computing, still forming the backbone of many modern data systems like Oracle and MySQL.

Why is SQL considered outdated by some despite its widespread use?

SQL, developed in the 1970s, is considered outdated by some due to newer, more scalable database solutions and modern demands for handling big data. However, it remains critical as it powers many of today’s enterprise and web applications.

What problem did YouTube face with MySQL, and how was it solved?

YouTube faced scaling challenges with MySQL due to its massive traffic. Instead of switching to a NoSQL database, YouTube developed a library called Vitas, which allowed MySQL to scale horizontally, addressing the issue without changing the database system.

What are serverless databases, and how do platforms like PlanetScale and Neon use them?

Serverless databases are databases that automatically scale and manage infrastructure without user intervention. PlanetScale offers a MySQL-compatible serverless platform, and Neon provides a serverless PostgreSQL solution, with features like scaling to zero and advanced management dashboards.

What is 'branching' in databases, and why is it useful?

Branching in databases allows users to create experimental branches from the main database, similar to version control systems like Git. This enables developers to test changes without affecting the main database and merge successful changes later.

What is 'NewSQL' and how does CockroachDB fit into this category?

NewSQL refers to a class of databases that offer the scalability of NoSQL while maintaining the ACID properties and relational features of traditional SQL. CockroachDB is an example of NewSQL, built to scale horizontally while remaining compatible with PostgreSQL.

How does Cloudflare D1 differ from traditional SQL databases?

Cloudflare D1 is a lightweight, serverless SQL database running on the edge, designed for faster, localized queries. It offers stored procedures in JavaScript and can scale for web applications, though it lacks native transactions typical in SQL databases.

What are some advantages of using Zeta and 8base for database management?

Zeta provides a serverless relational database with a spreadsheet-like interface and full-text search capabilities. 8base, on the other hand, offers a relational database with a built-in GraphQL API and low-code tools for quickly building front-end applications.

How does SurrealDB combine features from different types of databases?

SurrealDB is a multi-model database that combines relational, document, and graph database features, offering flexibility in data modeling. It allows for SQL-like queries while supporting more complex, graph-based relationships, simplifying data interactions.