MongoDB vs DynamoDB: Choosing the Right Database for Your Project

Databases have changed the way individuals and corporations handle and manage large amounts of data. It has enabled app developers, software engineers, data scientists and others to make life simpler than ever before. MongoDB, DynamoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Cassandra, Redis, Aerospike, Firebase Realtime and others are well-known databases.

We can divide these databases into two categories: SQL databases and NoSQL databases. A SQL-type database is best for structured data, and stores data in tabular format. A NoSQL database, on the other hand, stores data in objects in common formats like JSON and BSON. Unstructured data is best served by NoSQL databases.

In this article, we will learn more about the differences between SQL and NoSQL databases and then move to the section to discuss DynamoDB vs. MongoDB with a detailed comparison.

Also Read: MongoDB vs Firebase

Quick Comparison Table

DynamoDB	MongoDB
In-built IAM security model (default)	No default security setup.
Limited data type options for storage	Wide range of data types available for storage
Comparatively higher latency	Less latency
Limited drivers support	Wide range of drivers available
Strictly disallows schema-type storage	Is schema-less but allows schema-type storage

Above is a quick comparison of AWS DynamoDB vs. MongoDB, but to understand both databases deeply and which one is better, we have to first learn what databases are in their real sense.

What is a Database?

Databases are centralized storage systems for application data that may be administered by an administrator. A database can have multiple users associated with it with different permissions.

Users can read, write, update, and delete data in a database, adding to its unique features. They must, however, have certain permissions to do so. In addition to data storage, database management services also provide many other services. Services like regular backups, access controls, partitioning, and security are just a few examples.

What is a SQL and NoSQL Database?

Databases are divided into two types, SQL and NoSQL. Before understanding the difference between DynamoDB and MongoDB, it is important to understand them well.

SQL Database

An SQL database, often known as a relational database, is a type of database that stores data in tabular structures and allows for the storage of structured data. Consider it as an Excel spreadsheet. SQL databases may be used to store data for both small and large-scale applications.

MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, PostgreSQL, OracleDB, and many other SQL databases are popular.

NoSQL Database

A NoSQL database, often known as a non-relational database, facilitates the storing and manipulation of unstructured data. NoSQL databases are ideal for real-time web applications and large amounts of data.

MongoDB, DynamoDB, Redis, Cassandra, Firebase, Couchbase, and other NoSQL databases are popular.

Difference between MongoDB vs DynamoDB

A comparison is made perfect and accurate by taking into account the different factors of comparison and aspects of the study. We will do the same and consider discussing the different aspects of both these databases to better understand the differences.

MongoDB vs DynamoDB: Synopsis

MongoDB Inc. started the NoSQL database management solution in 2009. It was first published under the moniker 10gen in 2007 in partnership with DoubleClick.

DynamoDB was founded later in 2012 by Amazon for the Amazon Web Services platform. DynamoDB is a key-value NoSQL database service and is fully managed by AWS.

MongoDB vs DynamoDB: Installation and Set Up

There lies an ultimate level of difference between the two databases when it comes to installation and setting up. The DynamoDB offers effortless installation. The installation starts with you creating an AWS account for DynamoDB. After a few steps, the user will be asked to set a secret access ID and key.

On the flip side, the MongoDB database installation is a bit difficult, especially for beginners. MongoDB requires setting up a server-starter file so users can turn up the server each time they want to work with the local database.

MongoDB vs DynamoDB: Security

When it comes to the security of the databases, the cup again goes to DynamoDB this time. DynamoDB comes with an in-built security model. It acquires the Identity and Access Management (IAM) security model which provides immense protection to users and resources. With only a few steps of configuration, its security was proved to be intuitive and cooperative.

Meanwhile, MongoDB is secure too, however, it doesn’t come as a default thing. The database is comparatively vulnerable to breaches and does not come with that much of an impressive security system.

MongoDB vs DynamoDB: Data Models, Types, & Schema

MongoDB uses BSON-type data storage and allows document sizes of up to 16MB per document. Also, MongoDB stores multiple types of data, for instance, strings, timestamps, decimals, integers, and more.

On the other hand, DynamoDB supports a limited number of data types for storage and limits each of them to just 400KB in size.

Moreover, even though MongoDB is a schema-less database, it still allows its users to enforce schema-type storage with the help of ODMs and even the in-built schema validation. DynamoDB strictly disallows schema-type data structures without offering the ability to do so in any way.

MongoDB vs DynamoDB: Programming Languages Support

If your team demands variety in use cases, MongoDB supports nearly all of the main programming languages. Nodejs (JavaScript), Java, Python, Scala, C, C#, C++, Clojure, PHP, Perl, PowerShell, and more languages are among them.

DynamoDB, on the other contrary, only supports a minimal number of languages, such as Java, JavaScript, Swift, Node.js, .NET, PHP, and Python.

MongoDB also provides a more powerful query language than DynamoDB which is capable of doing complex read and write operations.

MongoDB vs DynamoDB: Additional Services

With the MongoDB database, we can use MongoDB Atlas which is the best tool for managing MongoDB cloud databases. MongoDB Atlas provides many features that can be great for developers who want to use MongoDB capabilities without the hassle of managing a large infrastructure. You can consider it as a highly capable database management system.

On the other hand, DynamoDB is fully managed by AWS services and does not have any additional tools as compared to MongoDB.

MongoDB vs DynamoDB: Cost

If you have a small project you can use the MongoDB database for free and upgrade the storage capacity whenever needed at an affordable price.

Whereas if you want to use DynamoDB you have to use AWS which also gives a free tier but for limited usage after which it costs a little more than MongoDB.

Note: Here we are trying to oversimplify the cost difference between MongoDB and Amazon DynamoDB. In reality, Cost highly depends on factors such as resources used, storage, network usage, etc. We can’t straightforwardly say which one is cheaper than the other.

Conclusion

In this article, we have compared MongoDB and DynamoDB using different aspects, however, we don’t compare their use cases, as there is no comparison in that, both have their distinct use cases which are important to consider while deciding between the two. Such as for multi-cloud infrastructure, MongoDB is considered better.

When comparing MongoDB to DynamoDB, it is also important to consider how each database handles automatic scaling of provisioned resources based on workload demands.

Considering the use cases, and the above comparison, we hope you will able to choose the perfect database for your next project.

Read More: MongoDB Cluster and Its Types