MongoDB vs NeDB: What are the differences?

Introduction

MongoDB and NeDB are both document-oriented NoSQL databases, designed to handle large volumes of data with high performance and scalability. While they share some similarities, there are key differences between them that differentiate their features and functionalities.

1. Data Storage and Querying: MongoDB is a fully-featured database that supports complex querying, indexing, and aggregation. Its query language allows for powerful filtering, sorting, and data manipulation. On the other hand, NeDB is a lightweight database that provides a simpler querying mechanism with fewer features. It supports basic querying operations but lacks advanced querying capabilities like indexing and aggregation.

2. Scalability and Cluster Support: MongoDB is designed to handle large-scale applications with horizontal scalability. It supports sharding, which allows distributing data across multiple servers, and replica sets for high availability. NeDB, on the other hand, is primarily designed for small-scale applications and does not provide native support for clustering or scalability beyond a single instance.

3. Disk Space and Memory Consumption: MongoDB consumes more disk space and memory compared to NeDB. MongoDB stores data in a binary JSON (BSON) format, which requires additional space compared to NeDB's plain JSON data storage. It also requires more memory for indexing and caching due to its more extensive features.

4. Durability and Write Performance: MongoDB provides configurable write durability options, allowing users to choose between different consistency levels. It offers synchronous writes, ensuring data durability at the cost of lower write performance. NeDB, on the other hand, focuses on write performance and provides asynchronous writes by default, sacrificing some durability. This makes NeDB suitable for use cases where performance is critical, but data loss in case of failure is acceptable.

5. Deployment and Integration: MongoDB is a client-server database that requires a dedicated MongoDB server to be set up and maintained. It supports multiple programming languages and has extensive integrations with various frameworks and tools. NeDB, on the other hand, is an embedded database, which means it operates within the application itself without the need for a separate server. It provides a lightweight and simplified integration experience suitable for single-application deployments.

6. License and Community Support: MongoDB is released under the Server Side Public License (SSPL), which is not recognized as an open-source license by many organizations. This has led to some concerns and limitations in its adoption. NeDB, on the other hand, is released under the MIT license, which is widely accepted and allows for more unrestricted usage and contribution. NeDB also has a smaller but active community that provides support and contributes to its development.

In summary, MongoDB and NeDB differ in terms of their feature set, scalability, performance characteristics, deployment options, licensing, and community support. MongoDB provides a robust and feature-rich solution for large-scale applications, while NeDB offers a simpler and lightweight approach suitable for smaller applications with performance as a primary concern.