Amazon RDS vs InfluxDB: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this Markdown code, we will discuss the key differences between Amazon RDS and InfluxDB. Amazon RDS is a managed relational database service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), while InfluxDB is an open-source time series database designed to handle high write and query loads. Below are the key differences between these two databases.

1. Scalability: Amazon RDS provides horizontal scalability by allowing users to scale database instances vertically or horizontally. It supports multiple database engines like MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle DB, etc. On the other hand, InfluxDB is specifically designed for time series data and provides high scalability with built-in support for sharding and replication. It can handle a large volume of writes and queries efficiently.

2. Data Model: Amazon RDS follows a traditional relational database model where data is organized in tables with rows and columns. It supports complex data relationships, transactions, and ACID properties. In contrast, InfluxDB follows a time series data model, where data is stored as series consisting of points with a timestamp and associated tags and fields. It optimizes storage and query performance for time-based data.

3. Query Language: Amazon RDS supports SQL as the query language, providing a wide range of capabilities for data retrieval, manipulation, and analysis. Developers familiar with SQL can easily work with Amazon RDS. On the other hand, InfluxDB uses its own query language called InfluxQL, specifically designed for time series data. It provides functions and operations optimized for time-based querying and filtering.

4. Data Retention: In Amazon RDS, data retention is managed based on the storage capacity of the chosen database engine. Data can be stored for a long duration, but it may have performance and cost implications. In InfluxDB, data retention is configurable at the database and individual measurement level. It supports data expiration policies and downsampling to efficiently manage the retention of time series data.

5. High Availability: Amazon RDS offers high availability through Multi-AZ deployments, where data is automatically replicated across different availability zones. This ensures that the database remains accessible even in case of infrastructure failures. InfluxDB, as an open-source database, relies on clustering and replication techniques for achieving high availability. Users need to set up and manage a cluster of InfluxDB nodes to ensure data availability.

6. Ecosystem and Integrations: Amazon RDS benefits from the extensive AWS ecosystem and provides seamless integration with other AWS services like Amazon S3 for data backup, AWS CloudWatch for monitoring, and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) for security. InfluxDB also offers integrations with various tools and platforms like Grafana for data visualization, Telegraf for data collection, and Kapacitor for real-time streaming data processing.

In summary, Amazon RDS is a managed relational database service with horizontal scalability, support for various database engines, and comprehensive SQL querying capabilities. InfluxDB, on the other hand, is a specialized time series database designed for high write and query loads, optimized for time-based data modeling, and using InfluxQL as its query language.