Event Store vs SQLite: What are the differences?
# Introduction
When considering options for storing data in a web application, developers often come across Event Store and SQLite. These two database systems serve different purposes and have key differences that can impact the decision-making process.
1. **Data Model**: Event Store is a database system that focuses on event sourcing, where data is stored as a series of events that have occurred. On the other hand, SQLite is a relational database management system that stores data in tables with a well-defined schema.
2. **Concurrency Handling**: Event Store is designed to handle high concurrency scenarios by providing optimistic concurrency control, allowing multiple clients to write to different streams concurrently. SQLite, on the other hand, uses a traditional locking mechanism to handle concurrent write operations, which can lead to performance bottlenecks in high-volume write scenarios.
3. **Query Language**: When it comes to querying data, SQLite uses SQL (Structured Query Language) for data retrieval, manipulation, and management. In contrast, Event Store requires developers to use its Projections feature, which allows for transforming and querying event data in real-time.
4. **Scalability**: Event Store is built with distributed systems in mind and offers features like sharding and replication for horizontal scalability. SQLite, being a file-based database, is more suited for single-user applications or small-scale deployments and may face limitations in handling large volumes of data.
5. **Data Integrity**: In terms of data integrity, Event Store ensures event consistency through append-only data storage, making it suitable for systems where audit trails and event sourcing are critical. SQLite, while offering ACID compliance, may lack some of the event sourcing capabilities that Event Store provides.
6. **Use Cases**: Event Store is ideal for applications that require tracking changes over time, implementing event-driven architectures, and maintaining a reliable audit trail. On the other hand, SQLite is well-suited for mobile applications, small-scale deployments, embedded systems, and scenarios where a lightweight and simple database solution is required.
In Summary, the key differences between Event Store and SQLite lie in their data model, concurrency handling, query language, scalability, data integrity, and use cases, making them suited for different types of applications and development scenarios.