The mobile application has become a quintessential part of any business. The mobile application market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.27% between 2022-2026. The number of mobile applications in the market is enormous. For your mobile app to stand out, it is important to maintain the quality and efficiency of the mobile application. Choosing the right technology stack is determining factor to build an excellent mobile app.

There would be a requirement to store certain user data in almost all mobile applications. There is also user engagement data stored in the database which is crucial for every business. The data helps to under user engagement and preferences that can be used to make updates. It can be a challenging task for developers to choose a database from so many of the databases available. This will mainly depend on the kind of application to be developed and what are the requirements. Other than serving the main purpose for which it was built mobile applications should be efficient and fast.

Things to consider while choosing a database for the application:

One of the most popular questions is how to choose a database out of so many available? Whether you are building an app for android or ios platforms. There are some fundamental factors to keep in mind.

1. Data type and volume

There are different forms of data to be stored in the database. The way the data is stored in the database varies across applications. In the case of building a data-intensive application the size of the database should be checked, the size of data a database can handle is not the same for all databases.

2. Scalability

Business and user base will keep on growing with time. The need of adding new functionality may arise, and the database needs to be scalable to incorporate the requirement.

3. Data Security

The basic user details like name, mobile number, and email address are requested by almost all applications that are stored in the database. The data security cannot be compromised by the application therefore selecting a secure database is a necessity.

4. Platform

The application is for ios android or both. It is beneficial to know if there are any possibilities of supporting other platforms during the lifecycle of the application. Assessing these factors would be helpful to choose the database.

Types of the database:

Databases are characterized based on the way the data is stored and managed.

1. Distributed database

The data is stored in a distributed manner across multiple systems, those systems can be across the distinct or same location. A distributed database is apt for mobile applications with users from several geographical locations.

2. Centralized database

The centralized database stores all the data in a single place and mobile applications built for organizations, institutions, and banks prefer this type of database.

3. Operational database

In this type operations like adding, deleting, or editing is permitted in real time to the users. For mobile applications that require more data operation, it is good to opt for an operational database like applications used to store data of employees, and customers.

4. Cloud database

The data is stored in the cloud platform. Internet is required to access the data stored in the cloud. With the connectivity, the application users can access the data from anywhere at any given point in time.

5. Relational database

In a relational database, data is stored in rows and columns. The relationship between the data stored is predefined. In this format, the application users get an insight into the relationship between the data.

Top 10 databases for mobile application development

We have prepared a list of the best database for mobile applications available in the market. It would help you in making your choice.

1. ArangoDB

ArangoDB is a multi-model database system. It is a great database for react applications that handles extensive and complicated data. It supports a variety of data models like graphs, documents, and key-value data.

2. MySQL

My SQL is an open-source relational database. It is capable of storing and handling large volumes of data. MySQL stores data in a structured form, and it is suitable for applications where not many changes are required regularly.

3. MariaDB

It is an operational database that is easy to use, faster, and high-performance. One of the most popular relational databases. It has a better support engine and it also uses query optimization that increases the speed.

4. CouchBase

CouchBase is an open-source document-oriented database and it does not store data in rows and columns. It is an easy-to-use database and supports HTTP-based REST API that makes communication with the database easier.

5. Amazon Web Services DynamoDB

It is a powerful, cost-effective, fully managed, non-relational database. It is highly scaleable which makes it the best choice for applications that are expected to grow in the future. A variety of data types is stored and managed in the AWS Dynamo database effectively.

6. IBM DB2

As the name suggests the DB2 is a product of IBM. It is a relational database that stores, retrieve, and analyzes data efficiently. It stores both structured and unstructured data. IBM DB2 is powered by Artificial Intelligence which simplifies the querying process. The replication function enables the storage of data safely.

7. Oracle

Oracle is a cross-platform, multi-model, relational database. It is commonly used for running online transaction applications. Oracle is efficient in handling large data with an efficient memory caching mechanism. One of the reasons it is popular is because of its scalability.

8. Mongo DB

Mongo DB is a non-SQL database that stores data in an unstructured format. It is suitable for building complex and highly scalable databases for mobile applications. Mongo is a source available, that builds cross-platform applications.

9. Firebase

It is a cloud-based database in which the data is stored as JSON. The user can access the data in real-time. Firebase is supported by google. It supports cross-platform applications by using a single API. It is optimized for high traffic and high volume of data.

10. Microsoft SQL Server

It is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft. This database leverages artificial intelligence with a number of cognitive operations. Data analytics can also help with business intelligence.

Also read: The best framework for mobile application development

Conclusion

Certain factors govern the choice of the database while building an application. Having clarity about the requirements of the database is essential. The correct choice of database is as important as choosing the right software company to build your application.

The mobile application should be future-ready. There will be updates and functionality to be added in the future, the database should be able to incorporate those changes seamlessly. We have tech experts on our team that have experience and knowledge of all the popular and efficient databases. We have helped several enterprises from different industries in building mobile applications. Connect with us if you have any queries regarding mobile application development.