Amazon DynamoDB vs Realm

Overview

Amazon DynamoDB

Stacks4.0K

Followers3.2K

Votes195

Realm

Stacks279

Followers441

Votes16

Amazon DynamoDB vs Realm: What are the differences?

Introduction

Amazon DynamoDB and Realm are both NoSQL databases that offer powerful features for storing and accessing data. However, they have some key differences that make them suitable for different use cases.

Data Model and Query Language: One of the key differences between Amazon DynamoDB and Realm is their data model and query language. DynamoDB uses a key-value and document data model, where each item is identified with a unique primary key. It supports both simple key-value operations and more complex queries using secondary indexes. On the other hand, Realm uses an object-oriented data model, where data is represented as objects with properties and relationships. It provides a powerful query language that allows querying and filtering data based on properties and relationships.
Scalability and Performance: Another important difference is in terms of scalability and performance. DynamoDB is designed to handle massive amounts of data and can scale horizontally to handle high traffic and large data volumes. It offers automatic scaling and high throughput capabilities, making it ideal for applications that require low-latency and high-performance operations. Realm, on the other hand, is designed for mobile and edge applications with limited resources. It offers local data synchronization and caching, which allows for offline access and better performance on mobile devices with limited connectivity.
Deployment and Management: When it comes to deployment and management, DynamoDB is a fully managed service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It takes care of the infrastructure and scaling automatically, so developers can focus on building applications. It provides a web-based console, SDKs, and APIs for managing and accessing data. On the other hand, Realm can be deployed either as a cloud service (Realm Cloud) or as an on-premises solution (Realm Object Server). Developers have more control over the deployment and management process, but it also requires more manual configuration and maintenance.
Integration and Ecosystem: DynamoDB is tightly integrated with other AWS services, making it easy to build end-to-end applications using AWS ecosystem. It can be easily used with services like AWS Lambda, Amazon S3, and Amazon EC2, allowing for seamless integration and interoperability. Realm, on the other hand, is designed to work with multiple platforms and frameworks. It provides SDKs for various programming languages and frameworks, including iOS, Android, React Native, and Xamarin, making it suitable for building cross-platform applications.
Security and Compliance: In terms of security and compliance, DynamoDB provides built-in security features such as encryption at rest and in transit, fine-grained access control, and integration with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). It is also compliant with various industry standards and regulations. Realm also provides built-in security features, including encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access control, and integration with authentication providers. However, it may require additional configuration and setup to ensure compliance with specific regulations.
Cost: The cost is another factor to consider when choosing between DynamoDB and Realm. DynamoDB pricing is based on provisioned throughput capacity and storage usage, with additional charges for data transfer and other optional features. It offers different pricing options, including on-demand capacity and reserved capacity. Realm pricing is based on the number of users, data transfer, and storage usage. It offers different pricing tiers based on the number of users and storage requirements.

In Summary, Amazon DynamoDB and Realm differ in their data model and query language, scalability and performance, deployment and management, integration and ecosystem, security and compliance, and cost. These differences make them suitable for different types of applications and use cases.

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Advice on Amazon DynamoDB, Realm

Doru

Solution Architect

Jun 9, 2019

Reviewon

Amazon DynamoDB

I use Amazon DynamoDB because it integrates seamlessly with other AWS SaaS solutions and if cost is the primary concern early on, then this will be a better choice when compared to AWS RDS or any other solution that requires the creation of a HA cluster of IaaS components that will cost money just for being there, the costs not being influenced primarily by usage.

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Detailed Comparison

Amazon DynamoDB	Realm
With it , you can offload the administrative burden of operating and scaling a highly available distributed database cluster, while paying a low price for only what you use.	The Realm Mobile Platform is a next-generation data layer for applications. Realm is reactive, concurrent, and lightweight, allowing you to work with live, native objects.
Automated Storage Scaling – There is no limit to the amount of data you can store in a DynamoDB table, and the service automatically allocates more storage, as you store more data using the DynamoDB write APIs;Provisioned Throughput – When creating a table, simply specify how much request capacity you require. DynamoDB allocates dedicated resources to your table to meet your performance requirements, and automatically partitions data over a sufficient number of servers to meet your request capacity;Fully Distributed, Shared Nothing Architecture	Feels like Home - Realm’s data structures look like the Objects and Arrays of your language, but provide additional features such as: querying, relationships & graphs, thread safety, and more.;Memory-Efficient - Realm is not built on SQLite. Instead, a custom C++ core is used to provide memory-efficient access to your data by using Realm objects, which usually consume less RAM than native objects.;F-F-Fast! - Realm offers extraordinary performance compared to SQLite and other persistence solutions.
Statistics
Stacks 4.0K	Stacks 279
Followers 3.2K	Followers 441
Votes 195	Votes 16
Pros & Cons
Pros 62 Predictable performance and cost 56 Scalable 35 Native JSON Support 21 AWS Free Tier 7 Fast Cons 4 Only sequential access for paginate data 1 Scaling 1 Document Limit Size	Pros 7 Good 3 Cloud Syncing 3 Elegant API 2 React Native Support 1 Strong Adoption Growth Cons 1 No offline support for web till now
Integrations
Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL PostgreSQL MySQL SQLite Azure Database for MySQL	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Amazon DynamoDB, Realm?

Azure Cosmos DB

Azure DocumentDB is a fully managed NoSQL database service built for fast and predictable performance, high availability, elastic scaling, global distribution, and ease of development.

Cloud Firestore

Cloud Firestore is a NoSQL document database that lets you easily store, sync, and query data for your mobile and web apps - at global scale.

Cloudant

Cloudant’s distributed database as a service (DBaaS) allows developers of fast-growing web and mobile apps to focus on building and improving their products, instead of worrying about scaling and managing databases on their own.

Google Cloud Bigtable

Google Cloud Bigtable offers you a fast, fully managed, massively scalable NoSQL database service that's ideal for web, mobile, and Internet of Things applications requiring terabytes to petabytes of data. Unlike comparable market offerings, Cloud Bigtable doesn't require you to sacrifice speed, scale, or cost efficiency when your applications grow. Cloud Bigtable has been battle-tested at Google for more than 10 years—it's the database driving major applications such as Google Analytics and Gmail.

Google Cloud Datastore

Use a managed, NoSQL, schemaless database for storing non-relational data. Cloud Datastore automatically scales as you need it and supports transactions as well as robust, SQL-like queries.

CloudBoost

CloudBoost.io is a database service for the “next web” - that not only does data-storage, but also search, real-time and a whole lot more which enables developers to build much richer apps with 50% less time saving them a ton of cost and helping them go to market much faster.

Firebase Realtime Database

It is a cloud-hosted NoSQL database that lets you store and sync data between your users in realtime. Data is synced across all clients in realtime, and remains available when your app goes offline.

restdb.io

RestDB is a NoSql document oriented database cloud service. Data is accessed as JSON objects via HTTPS. This gives great flexibility, easy system integration and future compatibility.

Realm React Native

Realm JavaScript enables you to efficiently write your app’s model layer in a safe, persisted and fast way. It’s designed to work with React Native and Node.js.

Redux Persist

It is a library allowing to save the redux store in the local storage of your browser. It promises to retain the users’ redux-state which is an attractive proposition for most developers.

Related Comparisons

Amazon DynamoDB vs Realm: What are the differences?

Introduction

Data Model and Query Language: One of the key differences between Amazon DynamoDB and Realm is their data model and query language. DynamoDB uses a key-value and document data model, where each item is identified with a unique primary key. It supports both simple key-value operations and more complex queries using secondary indexes. On the other hand, Realm uses an object-oriented data model, where data is represented as objects with properties and relationships. It provides a powerful query language that allows querying and filtering data based on properties and relationships.
Scalability and Performance: Another important difference is in terms of scalability and performance. DynamoDB is designed to handle massive amounts of data and can scale horizontally to handle high traffic and large data volumes. It offers automatic scaling and high throughput capabilities, making it ideal for applications that require low-latency and high-performance operations. Realm, on the other hand, is designed for mobile and edge applications with limited resources. It offers local data synchronization and caching, which allows for offline access and better performance on mobile devices with limited connectivity.
Deployment and Management: When it comes to deployment and management, DynamoDB is a fully managed service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It takes care of the infrastructure and scaling automatically, so developers can focus on building applications. It provides a web-based console, SDKs, and APIs for managing and accessing data. On the other hand, Realm can be deployed either as a cloud service (Realm Cloud) or as an on-premises solution (Realm Object Server). Developers have more control over the deployment and management process, but it also requires more manual configuration and maintenance.
Integration and Ecosystem: DynamoDB is tightly integrated with other AWS services, making it easy to build end-to-end applications using AWS ecosystem. It can be easily used with services like AWS Lambda, Amazon S3, and Amazon EC2, allowing for seamless integration and interoperability. Realm, on the other hand, is designed to work with multiple platforms and frameworks. It provides SDKs for various programming languages and frameworks, including iOS, Android, React Native, and Xamarin, making it suitable for building cross-platform applications.
Security and Compliance: In terms of security and compliance, DynamoDB provides built-in security features such as encryption at rest and in transit, fine-grained access control, and integration with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). It is also compliant with various industry standards and regulations. Realm also provides built-in security features, including encryption at rest and in transit, role-based access control, and integration with authentication providers. However, it may require additional configuration and setup to ensure compliance with specific regulations.
Cost: The cost is another factor to consider when choosing between DynamoDB and Realm. DynamoDB pricing is based on provisioned throughput capacity and storage usage, with additional charges for data transfer and other optional features. It offers different pricing options, including on-demand capacity and reserved capacity. Realm pricing is based on the number of users, data transfer, and storage usage. It offers different pricing tiers based on the number of users and storage requirements.

Amazon DynamoDB vs Realm

Overview