Difference Between Redis and MySQL Server

Redis

Redis is an abbreviation for Remote Dictionary Server. It is an open-source in-memory data store. It is widely used as a cache, message broker, database, or search engine. It is popular with developers who want to perform fast queries, high-end caching, and high performance. It is implemented in C and ANSI languages. It can be implemented in operating systems, including OS X, Linux, and BSD, without external dependency. It also provides a faster response time and can handle millions of requests in real time.

Since Redis provides high efficiency, Redis is used for gaming, IOT, healthcare, finance, and ad-tech industries where fast processing is of utmost importance. It performs real-time analysis, caching, and chat/messaging. It also supports different data structures such as lists, sets, bitmaps, hashes, etc.

Working of Redis

Generally, Redis is used both as a cache memory and a database. It enables users to use both functions simultaneously or implement one specific function. Redis replicates the information and keeps the records in multiple replica servers. It enhances the performance and provides quick recovery in case of failure of a particular server.

Redis is open-source software that only supports cache and not a database. Therefore, the user requires a separate database with Redis. If the user has the Enterprise version of the software, then the user can implement the software as both database and cache in a single system. It is advantageous as it removes the latency and complexity of execution in two different systems. Moreover, the user can also implement it as a multi-model primary database. It can be used for application development and low-latency micro-service architecture.

Some Features of Redis

Redis is widely popular because of the features provided by it. Some of the features are as follows:

Built-in Data Structures

It provides support to several data structures. At the foundation level, it is a collection of native data types developed to perform queuing, event processing, and caching. It has all the built-in data types required to build and support an application. It also provides an extensible engine that enables users to add more application functionalities.

Some of the built-in data types are as follows:

• Hashes: The data structure is used to store values and field storage.
• Lists: it can be described as an ordered collection of elements.
• Strings: It contains textual information. The maximum size of a string is 512 Mb.
• Sets: It is an unordered collection of unique elements. It enables the user to implement union or intersect operations on the data.
• Sorted Sets: It is an ordered collection of unique elements.
• Streams: They are message queues for log data structures.
• Bitmaps: It is preferred to perform bit-level operations.

The data structures enable the users to organize the data efficiently. It provides seamless implementations of different operations in the application.

Data Persistence

It is one of the most important features provided by Redis. Persistence refers to the capability of the data to remain available in case of server failure. Redis stores the data in persistent storage, either SSD or HDD. It makes the data durable and can be stored for longer intervals.

Moreover, Redis also supports multiple persistence mechanisms such as AOF and RDB. It ensures that the data persists in the nonvolatile memory. The data persistence is achieved by either the data or by journaling. Journaling refers to the practice where a record of updation is added to an AOF written afterward. Redis rewrites the data every 2 seconds. It ensures that the data does not lose even if the system fails. Snapshotting is regularly forwarding the datasets from memory to a disk using the RDB Dump file format.

High Availability

It provides options for fault-tolerance and failure-resistant databases with minimal error cases. It has various features that can ensure the high availability of data. It also provides a data replication option. It creates a primary replica architecture in a single node. It ensures that the data is available for different applications in the system. It ensures reliability and consistent performance.

Redis has a master-slave architecture; it increases the server's performance by easing the load handling on the central server. It divides the requests between different servers and ensures fast recovery when there is an outage on the primary server.

Data Clustering

Redis Cluster also enables automatic sharding and replication for data availability. Despite storing all the data in a single node, the data is stored across multiple nodes. It creates data clusters, enabling the user to perform different operations even when a specific subset of nodes cannot communicate with the remaining cluster. Clusters can be referred to as a mesh of nodes connected using a TCP connection.

Client Side Caching

Redis also enables users to perform client-side caching. It enhances the performance of the application. Generally, each data query consumes a lot of bandwidth. Redis caches the most commonly used keys by the users to retrieve the data on the client side; it increases the application's performance.

It exploits the memory applicable on application servers to store subsets of the data stored in the database. It also stores frequently used queries in the memory to retrieve the data faster. It does not require communicating with the database to retrieve the results stored in its memory. It is beneficial to use the application memory to store results as it enhances the application's performance and considerably reduces the response time.

Advantages of Using Redis

Some of the advantages of using Redis for databases are as follows:

• The cache storage can withstand failure and can offer continuous service.
• It provides a pub/sub mechanism that ensures high-performance data replication.
• It also lets the user load millions of data pieces into the cache in seconds.
• It implements the RESP protocol that can be read and understood by humans.
• It also has a hashing mechanism.
• It allows clients with different programming languages to implement its operations.

Disadvantages of Redis

Some of the disadvantageous that users may face upon using Redis are as follows:

• It requires high performing system. The system should have massive RAM to use Redis effectively.
• It does not provide a graphical user interface for handling the values and keys in the database.
• It requires prior technological knowledge as it is challenging to work with command lines for non-technical background personnel.

MySQL Server

It is a relational database management system that implements SQL commands to perform different operations on the database. SQL stands for standard query language and is popularly used by database engineers and administrators to interact with databases. MySQL is a popular database management system that provides an interface to perform CRUD operations on the database. It offers a wide range of applications; it is used in web and mobile applications to SAAS and e-commerce websites. It can be used in operating systems, including LINUX, Windows, Mac, and UNIX.

MySQL also offers a fast, powerful, and secure storage system for user data. The data is stored and organized based on the relational model developed by the user. The relational model follows a strict logical structure. It is a core component in the LAMP open-source enterprise stack. Other components of the LAMP include Linux as its operating system, Apache as the server, and PHP is implemented as the object-oriented scripting language. The responsibility of MySQL is to manage the relational database for the application. Most of the websites and web applications are implemented on MySQL.

Working of MySQL

MySQL has a client-server architecture, meaning there is a virtual or physical division between the client and server side for the application while the server is on the same side as the database and files are stored; the client is located on the other side. It means there is no direct interaction between the database and the client. The server is responsible for interacting with the database. The client is either located on a remote system or can have a virtual division in the same system. The client uses SQL queries to request data from the server through the network.

Summary of MySQL Server

Below is a brief explanation of the working of MySQL:

1. MySQL enables the user to create relational databases to store and modify the stored data. The data is represented in tabular structures. Each table is linked with another based on different relationships between the stored data.
2. Clients can implement specific SQL queries to perform CRUD operations using MySQL.
3. The server sends the response to the respective query to the user.

Features of MySQL

MySQL is one of the most popular RDBMS. It is fast and user-friendly. Some of the features of MySQL are as follows:

High Performance

MySQL uses the client-server architecture. It provides fast and robust services. Its server is more efficient when compared to other RDBMS available. Moreover, it also has different cache memories that enhance the application's performance in loading utilities. It also has features such as Triggers and Stored procedures that further increases its performance.

Open Source

MySQL is open-source software and is available on the internet. You can download the software easily from the official website and install it in your system without requiring you to pay for the application. The user can also perform modifications to the application. It is easy to learn without a steep learning curve. It uses a general public license to define the actions performed by the user when using MySQL.

Multiple Data Types

The user can use MySQL to store different values in the data fields. It provides support for multiple data types. It includes data types such as double, float, character, and variable character. The user can also store date and time as data in the fields. The user can use the following data types to store time-related data in MySQL timestamp, time, year, and date.

Support for Large Databases

The user can work on large databases by using MySQL. It provides support to databases with over 40 million records. The user can store up to 200,000 tables and 5 billion rows.

Multi Threaded Server

MySQL is developed to allow users to process multiple requests simultaneously. Clients can implement queries on different databases simultaneously. It also provides different interfaces for the user to interact with the servers. The users can use a Graphical user interface (GUI), command line, or web browser. The user can choose the preferred interface based on their expertise and requirement to retrieve the desired results.

Multi-Language Support

MySQL supports multiple languages. Users can use programming languages such as Java, Python, C, PHP, and Javascript to interact with the MySQL application. Since the software can be used using multiple languages, it is a popular choice among developers.

Advantages of MySQL

Some of the advantages of using MySQL for database management are as follows:

• It provides seamless connectivity via UNIX and TCP/IP sockets.
• It offers high security. Using MySQL, the database administrator can implement SSL protocol, dual passwords, and access management.
• It has zero downtime. It means the software is available 24/7/365 with accuracy and speed.
• It is available online, and the user can modify it.
• It is popular among developers and is backed by a massive community of developers.

Disadvantages of MySQL

• It lacks a debugging tool.
• The user cannot implement check constraints in MySQL.
• The efficiency of the program decreases significantly for large transactions.

Key Difference Between Redis and MySQL Server

Both Redis and MySQL are popular tools for database management. However, there are several key differences between the two software. Therefore, it's better to compare the two before making a decision. Some of the factors that a user must consider before using either of the software for database management tools are:

Primary Database Model

The primary database model to store the data is quite different in Redis and MySQL. In contrast, Redis uses a key-value store as the database model. The key can be of different types. It can be a simple or compound object associated with a large, unique data field.

While in MySQL, the primary database model is relational. The data is arranged as a collection of tables. The tables are associated with each other based on specific relations. Each table has a primary key that can be either a single or composed of several keys that can be used to identify each record in the table.

Partition Methods

In Redis, the memory partition is performed primarily using sharding. This method is used over several Redis instances to ensure that every instance contains a subset of the keys. While in MySQL, there are various methods to perform partitioning. The user can use Sharding with MySQL Cluster or can perform horizontal partitioning. In MySQL Clusters, the partitioning is performed across the table nodes. It allows the user to scale the database horizontally at a nominal cost. Each table row is assigned to a separate physical partition in horizontal partitioning.

Data Schema

Redis has no fixed data scheme. It does not require a blueprint to manage the data stored in the database. It does not need a table field or a data model to structure the data. While MySQL has a predefined data schema, and data is arranged based on the data schema. The schema is a collection of tables used to store data with data modeling structures.

Access Control

Redis does not have a multiple-level access control system. It uses a password-based access control. Any personnel who is aware of the password can perform modifications to the database. Whereas in MySQL, the user has the option to implement granular authorization. It implements the authorization in two stages. In the first stage, the connection is either accepted or rejected. It depends upon the identity information and the password provided by the user. In the next stage, the server tests each statement to ensure that the statements are enough or not.

Connection Methods

In Redis, clients use RESP (Redis Ser1ialization Protocol). It is a text-based protocol and can be quickly unstable. The protocol establishes a connection between the client and the server. It serializes data types, such as strings, numbers, and arrays. While in MySQL, ADO.NET protocol is used. The protocol is responsible for providing consistent access to MySQL. Various types of connections can be established with the server. It includes standard TCP/IP connection and TCP/IP connection over Secure Shell or via local socket.

Pricing

Both the Redis and MySQL software are open-source applications and are free to use. But certain limitations and versions of both applications require users to purchase licenses. There are various limitations in the Free version of the Redis. The user will require to use the Enterprise version to use all the desired functions. MySQL also has three additional premium plans. The three plans provide different features, and the user can choose based on their business requirement. The three additions are Standard, Enterprise, and Cluster, Carrier Grade. The standard edition costs $2000 per year, the Enterprise edition costs $5000 per year, and the Cluster Carrier edition costs $10000.