Therefore, before committing to a specific database, it is good to compare the two databases. The goal of this post is to outline the various features of each database which will allow you to correctly evaluate what database to use and why.
What is MongoDB?
MongoDB is one of the most popular, cross-platform document-oriented database. It is a NoSQL database that stores the data in the form of optimized JSON objects or Binary JSON.
The documents in a MongoDB database are then stored in logical groups known as collections. You can have a document containing key-value pairs of various types such as strings, number, nested objects, arrays, dates, etc.
MongoDB is highly flexible with a minimal learning curve allowing new users to quickly adopt into small to large scale applications.
What is Cassandra?
Cassandra is a free, open-source, and distributed wide-column datastore. Cassandra stores data in table-like format which is closely similar to relational database. However, Cassandra is not a relational database as it removes support for feature programs such as strict schema definition, joins, and subqueries.
Cassandra is highly flexible and supporting additional feature such as metadata, JSON support, etc.
Cassandra is developed to be a high-tolerance datastore that allows data to replicated in various nodes. This means that it provides exceptional levels of reliability and removes the single point of failure.
There are various variations of the Cassandra database. However, in the context of this post, Cassandra refers to the open-source Apache Cassandra version of the database.
| Feature | MongoDB | Apache Cassandra |
| Developer | MongoDB Inc, 2009 | Apache Software Foundation, 2008 |
| Language | C++, Go, JavaScript, and Python | Java |
| Data Model | Document-oriented as JSON objects | Wide-column tabular store |
| Indexing | Primary and secondary index support | Supports primary and secondary indexing on the cursor allowing for basic filters |
| Transactions | Full ACID transaction compliance | No ACID transactions support |
| Query Language | MongoDB Query Language | Cassandra Query Language |
| Write Scalability | Limited | Full write scalability support |
| Operating System Support | Windows, OS X, Linux, Solaris | Linux, Unix |
| Scalability | Vertical/Horizontal | Vertical/Horizontal |
| Security | SCRAM and certificates,
TLS/SLL Server-Side Engine encryption LDAP and Kerberos auth |
TLS/SSL
User Authentication |
Conclusion
It is good to keep in mind that the above listed features do not accurately capture what each database is capable of. It is therefore a good measure to perform you internal testing based on your application requirements and features.
