There are many coding languages that developers use to create online platforms, websites, and apps. One of these coding languages is React Native, which has become popular among the coding community. People from different backgrounds use React Native. Advanced iOS developers to React beginners use it in programming. Hire react native developers who can build UI, have knowledge of JavaScript and API services, can work on the frontend, and maintain cross-platform compatibility, infrastructure, and app integration.

Due to its rich capabilities and ability to dig into native ones on each platform, React Native has become the most well-known name for creating complex hybrid apps that deliver a natural user experience.

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Why do you need to be careful while selecting the right database for React native?

A developer is under a lot of stress to create an app that can be modified at any time. As a result, it might be challenging for developers to choose the correct technology stack for React Native that includes the right database.

In coding, data is of utmost importance and it is saved in variables if it isn’t a large program. When a program or software is restarted the data is set to its original value, which is a huge disadvantage as this can result in loss of data. In this regard, the database plays a vital part in keeping data stored and allowing us to retrieve it even after restarting. Async Storage, SQLite, Realm, PouchDB, and more databases are available for usage in react native apps.

React Native is useful for building mobile apps for iOS and Android with its JavaScript framework. It's built by Facebook's JavaScript toolkit and it helps create unique user interfaces. It's designed for mobile platforms rather than the web.

What are the different React native databases available for use?

1. MMKV Storage

MMKV storage allows you to save data in a React Native application quickly. Everything is developed in C++, so it's quick and efficient. Another benefit? The library is basic and light (50K Android/30K iOS), and it shrinks, even more, when packed. MMKV also supports redux-persist and allows you to save any form of data with or without encryption.

Features

Encryption support (secure storage)
Multiple instances support (separate user data with global data)
Customize storage location
High performance because everything is written in C++
~30x faster than AsyncStorage
Uses JSI instead of the "old" Bridge
iOS, Android, and Web support
Easy to use React Hooks API

Pros	Cons
For secure local storage, MMKV offers encryption capabilities.	Synchronous storage necessitates simpler application code
It has synchronous storage.	People that are new to ignite will have a slightly longer learning curve (but still easier to use due to synchronous storage)
It is significantly faster.	The Chrome Debugger will no longer work because it is built on JSI, thus flipper is the only option.

2. Realm Database

Realm is based on SQLite. It makes use of native JavaScript objects that are dynamically mapped to a full, proprietary database engine. As a result, we can give a simple API while yet maintaining performance. Realm allows you to create advanced searches, represent complex data, and link things in a graph.

Realm is faster than even raw SQLite on common operations and has an extremely rich feature set. Realm is a lightweight database in Android, but it doesn't use SQLite. Realm uses very less memory in comparison to SQLite. Realm is very fast in reading & writing data compared to SQLite.

Features:

As Realm is an object store, relationships between objects are allowed via "links".
Each "link" creates a "backlink" as an inverse relationship to whichever objects are linking to the current object.
Realm can update its instance version.
Realm has "zero-copy architecture" (along with the previously mentioned lazy-loaded data access).

Pros	Cons
It outperforms other databases in terms of speed.	It has all of the necessary features that any database should have.
It is compatible with a variety of platforms.	If we can quickly store the entire structure of a Realm, I believe it will be beneficial to react-native programmers.
It is free and simple to incorporate into a project.
It comes with a lot of documentation.

3. SQLite

In mobile applications, SQLite, a C-language library, is used as the datastore. SQLite is particularly useful for offline applications, and many platforms come with SQLite support out of the box, making it simple to set up. One of the most well-known free Android development databases is this one. Its most distinguishing feature is that it is open-source, making it extremely adaptable to any developer's project and demands.

Features

The JavaScript API is the same on iOS and Android.
In both Java and Native modes, Android can be used.
Simple callbacks or Promises are used to connect with SQL transactions in JavaScript.
Importing a pre-populated SQLite database from the app package and sandbox
Callback API is supported on Windows, just like it is on iOS and Android.

Pros	Cons
SQLite is a serverless database that runs without the use of a server. On the SQLite pros and disadvantages list, this is a plus. Because the database is serverless, no server activities are required for it to function.	One of the benefits of SQLite is that it is serverless, which increases speed and reduces complexity. However, it also means that the database is only accessible on the system where it is kept. It does not, for example, allow remote work on another PC.
SQLite is a lightweight and straightforward choice. It isn't hampered by unnecessary features. It does not require any setting (thanks to being serverless). It also doesn't necessitate a lot of database administration and requires fewer resources.	It is unsuitable for large-scale applications. SQLite is compact and light, making it ideal for use on a PC or phone as local storage. SQLite is less suitable for the larger program with a high number of concurrent users and a large amount of data. These applications necessitate a far more powerful, server-based database management system.
In a nutshell, it's basic and straightforward to use.	It just has a little database. This brings us to the next point on our SQLite advantages and disadvantages list. That is, the amount of data it can hold is limited. Because SQLite maintains the complete database in a single disc file, the file's size is limited by the system's capabilities. So, if you need a large database, you should generally look into a client/server DBMS
Self-contained performance SQLite is (generally) faster than its server-based or file-based counterparts. This is because it just loads the data that is required, rather than whole files.
SQLite does not require much support from the operating system or an external library, for example, because it is self-contained, which helps to improve its performance efficiency

4. Firebase

The Firebase Realtime Database is a cloud-based NoSQL database that allows you to store and sync data in real-time amongst your users. Google Firebase is a Google-backed app development platform that allows developers to create apps for iOS, Android, and the web. Firebase delivers analytics tracking, reporting, and app issue fixes, as well as marketing and product experimentation capabilities.

Features:

Data is synced across all clients in real-time and remains available even when an app goes offline.
Firebase frees developers to focus on crafting fantastic user experiences. You don’t need to manage servers.
You don’t need to write APIs. Firebase is your server, your API, and your datastore, all written so generically that you can modify it to suit most needs.
Firebase caters to a cloud-hosted database in which the data is stored as JSON and further synchronized constantly to each associated client.
The cloud-based database can be leveraged for managing the app’s data and providing swift data outcomes.

Pros	Cons
Authentication with email and password, Google, Facebook, and Github.	Due to Firebase's data stream nature, queries are limited. Because traditional relational data models do not apply to NoSQL, your SQL skills will be useless.
Data in real-time.	There will be no installation on-site
APIs that are ready to use
At the data node level, security is built-in. Google Cloud Storage provides file storage.
Hosting static files
To create highly scalable apps, treat data as streams.
Don't be concerned about the state of your infrastructure!

5. Watermelon DB

In React Native and React online projects, WatermelonDB is a novel means of managing user data. It's designed for creating complicated React Native applications, with real-world performance as the top priority. Simply said, your software must launch quickly. Watermelon's architecture is database-agnostic, allowing it to be used across multiple platforms. It's a high-level data management layer that can connect to any react-native database layer, based on platform requirements.

Features

Watermelon DB uses lazy loading, which means it only loads data when it is requested, making your application highly scalable.
Even with 10,000 records, most queries take less than 1 millisecond to complete since all querying is done on a different thread on the SQLite database.
Regardless of how much data you have, you can launch your app right away.
It's compatible with iOS, Android, and the web.
It's statically typed with Flow, a JavaScript static type checker, in mind.
It's quick, asynchronous, multi-threaded, and cached to a high degree. It's made to work with a synchronization engine to keep a react native local database in sync with a distant database.

Pros	Cons
Because it's web-based, developers can create a web version that can also save data locally (instead of being online-only like the Realm Web SDK)	To sync data, developers have to create their backend (which means they also have to do their auth and make a rest API)
SQL is used in relational databases.

6. PouchDB

PouchDB is an open-source JavaScript database that is based on Apache CouchDB and is optimized for use in browsers. PouchDB was intended to assist web developers in creating apps that are as functional offline as they are online. It allows apps to save data locally while offline, then synchronize it with CouchDB and other compatible servers once the app is back online, ensuring that the user's data is always up to date. PouchDB is equally effective when used offline and online. It operates offline by saving data locally and then synchronizing it with the servers and CouchDB when connected to the internet. It uses IndexedDB and WebSQL in the browser to store data locally. You can use PouchDB to interact with both distant and local databases indefinitely without seeing any discrepancies.

Features

PouchDB can be used in a variety of browsers because the API it provides is the same in all of them.
PouchDB is simple to learn and understand if you have a basic understanding of programming languages.
As a lightweight API, we can easily incorporate it using the script tag.

Pros	Cons
As PouchDB is embedded in the browser, there is no need to run queries over the network, making it extremely speedy.	It is pretty slow if you have a big database, or you are emitting a lot of keys.
Although you can synchronize your data with any of the supported servers, you can run apps both online and offline.

7. Vasern

Vasern is a React Native data storage system based on linked-consistent key-value stores. Its data engine is created from the ground up to provide native performance. Our goal is to provide an end-to-end database system that is open source and developer-friendly.

Features

UTF-8 encoding is used for support languages.
Basic data types are supported (string, int, double, DateTime, and reference)
Make a schema. Records can be created, updated, queried, and deleted.

Pros	Cons
Vasern is designed not only for local data storage but also for cloud storage and syncing among app clients.	Unless there are severe concerns, a stable release of Vasern will be announced within a month.
JavaScript is a scripting language that may be used in both web and mobile applications.	Vasern will continue to be updated and enhanced after the stable release.
Provides easy APIs, allowing native mobile app development and programmer to concentrate on the application rather than the database setup and optimization. React Native data storage solution is quick, light, and open source.
With no effort, anyone can install, run, and sync data to their Vasern servers (under development.

8. Small organizations also use server-side databases for react native app development like MySQL, MongoDB, and DynamoDB.

Amazon DynamoDB X	MongoDB X	MySQL X
Amazon offers a hosted, scalable database solution with data stored in Amazon's cloud.	One of the most prominent document storage solutions, accessible as a fully managed cloud service or for self-managed infrastructure setup.	Widely used open-source RDBMS
Amazon	MongoDB, Inc	Oracle

What are the most important factors that all developers need to consider before selecting a database?

Ensure that enough memory is available in the database for the software to execute properly. Choose a database that can handle complex data structures such as entire documents or objects. When users reconnect to the internet, it's critical to integrate the database that allows data synchronization. Go for a database that can be combined with a minimum of effort.

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Conclusion :

When looking for the correct database for your React Native app, your developers should be very clear about all of your requirements. Realm performs admirably as a local database, regardless of the developer's needs. SQLite does not give the same degree of security, efficiency, or flexibility that realm offers. Furthermore, while Firebase is well-founded and well-suited for constructing real-time applications, if you have a larger strategy and concept, Realm or SQLite are better choices.

Each database has its own set of key benefits, features, and drawbacks. It would be unfair to compare them because they are all unique! The goal is to examine your project's goals, create a list of databases, study them in-depth, and choose the best one that meets your needs.

If you are looking for experienced react native developers you can get in touch with our team at Clarion. We have extensive experience of 20 years in providing IT solutions to small and medium-sized companies. You can also avail our two weeks free trial and get to know our team!

Author

Shalaka Gadgil - Content Writer

How Developers Need to Choose the Right Database for React Native App

Why do you need to be careful while selecting the right database for React native?