There are many differences on which we can make a comparison between both; MongoDB and Redis. In this article, we are going to compare both Redis and MongoDB, depending on different parameters, and at the end, we will conclude which one is better for which type of application.
What is Redis?
The word Redis is the acronym of “Remote Dictionary Server”, and was developed by Salvatore Sanfilippo in 2009. Redis is a purpose-built database which means it needs some static memory to store data, unlike other databases whose data can be stored on the storage devices. Also, it follows the model of persistent data structure which means its users can perform development with excellent performance and with minimum complexity.
Redis has an advanced feature like it can execute the “Lua scripts” because of which it is known as an intelligent cache, and due to this feature it can be used for high-speed computations.
Moreover, Redis stores data in sorted form, in lists, and in a well-organized structure in the documents. Also, it stores data in the form of key-values, to understand key-values, consider an example of a data Name= John, here “Name” is the key, and “John” is the value.
Now, if we talk about the more features of the Redis, then, it has flexible data structures, it allows replication, and it provides the best performance by supporting the caches.
What is MongoDB?
10 gen, which is a software company that launched the first version of MongoDB in 2007, later in 2013, the company’s name was changed to MongoDB Inc. MongoDB, is developed according to the model of JSON documents, in which data is stored in the form of documents, these documents collectively known as collections, and these collections make a structure of the database.
The data which is stored in the documents is not in an organized structure like in Redis, rather it allows every type of data to be stored in it without the limitation of data type or following any schema.
The key features of MongoDB are: it supports the ad-hoc queries, it allows primary and secondary indexing, it allows the process of replication through which one can copy entire data from one MongoDB server to the other MongoDB server.
Comparison between Redis and MongoDB
There are many differences on which we can compare both Redis and MongoDB. The detailed comparison is explained in the table:
| Parameter | Redis | MongoDB |
|---|---|---|
| Primary database model | Key-Value | Document-based |
| Secondary database model | Document store, Graph DBMS, Spatial DBMS, and Search engine | Spatial DBMS, time-series DBMS, and Search engine |
| Developed in (language) | C | C++ |
| Typing | Partial | Yes |
| SQL | No | Read via SQL queries only |
| API’s | Proprietary protocol | Proprietary protocol using JSON |
| Server-side scripts | Lua scripts | Javascript |
| Map-reduce | Through Redisgears | Yes |
| Advantages | Supports the caches, easy to maintain, has persistent structure, is able to process up to 1 GB, and is easily replicated over different clusters | It provides good speed, the handling of MongoDB is easy than Redis, scalable, allows aggregation, and has a rich query language |
| Disadvantages | Wire encryption is not allowed, it follows role-based accounts control, can’t connect to massive databases, beginners cannot put data in the database easily, and there is no cluster solution | Structures are not dependent of one on another and Ineffective with catches lacking persistence |
| Performance | It can handle a large volume of workload | It can not handle a large volume of workload easily |
Conclusion
MongoDB and Redis both are popular NoSQL databases, where Redis uses the Key-value model to store data and MongoDB uses the JSON document data to store the data. Both have advantages and disadvantages on the basis of which both can be used for different purposes.
In this article, we have compared both Redis and MongoDB and also discussed in detail the features and working of both databases. Redis can be used in companies where troubleshooting is not an important factor whereas, in companies in which performance is considered strictly, MongoDB will be recommended. Similarly, MongoDB is very much easy to use as compared to Redis, likewise, if you are going to handle a lot of queries, MongoDB will be better than Redis because of its simple JSON document model.
