Apache Aurora vs Microsoft SQL Server: What are the differences?
## Key Differences between Apache Aurora and Microsoft SQL Server
1. **Architecture**: Apache Aurora is a distributed, horizontally scalable job scheduler, designed to support large-scale clusters, while Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system used for storing and retrieving data in a structured format.
2. **Use Case**: Apache Aurora is commonly used for managing long-running services and cron jobs in a data center, prioritizing fault tolerance and scalability, whereas Microsoft SQL Server is primarily utilized for managing and storing transactional and analytical data for applications.
3. **Language Support**: Apache Aurora is written in Java and Python, providing a flexible and extensible framework for developers, whereas Microsoft SQL Server primarily uses T-SQL, a proprietary language, for querying and manipulating data.
4. **Horizontal Scalability**: Apache Aurora allows for easy horizontal scaling by adding more nodes to the cluster to handle increased workloads, whereas horizontal scaling in Microsoft SQL Server often involves sharding or partitioning the database to distribute data across multiple servers.
5. **Open Source vs Proprietary**: Apache Aurora is open-source, freely available for users to modify and contribute to its codebase, while Microsoft SQL Server is a proprietary software product developed and sold by Microsoft Corporation, with licensing fees associated with its use.
6. **Community Support**: Apache Aurora has a large and active open-source community contributing to its development and providing support through forums and documentation, whereas Microsoft SQL Server has a strong support network from Microsoft, including regular updates, patches, and technical assistance for licensed users.
In Summary, Apache Aurora and Microsoft SQL Server differ in their architecture, use cases, language support, scalability options, licensing models, and community support.