The Role of the Database in Web Programming
Websites of various niches are available on the Internet. Some examples are social networking sites such as Facebook, blogging sites such as BlogSpot and many more.
Websites are of two types namely static and dynamic. Static websites are the most primitive types of site. Changing the contents of a static website requires the web master to modify the source code or the HTML file. Dynamic websites on the other hand are those that are connected to a database. This allows information to be saved in a database and more often than not, the content differs from user to user.
Static websites are quite easy to make and they are pretty straight forward as well. Dynamic website on the other hand requires the user to learn at the minimum of 4 languages which are HTML, CSS, the web programming language that the user wants to adopt for the making of the software as well as the language of the database. Some examples of a web programming language are PHP, ASP and a few more.
Currently, there are four major databases available when it comes to web programming. These are MySQL, SQLServer, Oracle and PostgreSQL. Currently, the most popular database being used on the Internet is Microsoft SQL Server followed by MySQL. MySQL is mainly used with the web programming language PHP while SQL Server is used with Microsoft programming languages such as ASP and .NET although it isn’t limited to only this.
As mentioned before, MySQL is popular amongst those that are using Perl or PHP. MySQL is currently being developed by Sun Microsystems. Depending on what the purpose would be, there are several types of MySQL databases available for the public. Some examples are the MySQL Enterprise, MySQL Cluster, MySQL Community Server and many more. Most often than not, the version of MySQL given when a person buys a hosting is the Community Server version.
SQLServer on the hand is being developed by Microsoft. The server can often be obtained through Microsoft Store although buying in bulks is also possible. SQL Server is being used by multiple Microsoft applications such as .NET, Visual Studio, BizTalk Server as well as Microsoft Office. It offers scalability that most programmers like making it one of the finest and most used database. In addition to that, Microsoft also has support staffs that are well adept in SQL Server. Thus, allowing questions to be answered relatively faster as compared with community forums.
Oracle is another well known database in web programming. It can be run with different operating systems such as Windows, Linux and others. Currently, there are 4 versions to choose from and each with its own features. There is a version catered specifically for mobile devices as well as the standard and enterprise versions.
PostgreSQL is a cross platform, open sourced database. Some of its most famous users are Yahoo, MySpace, Skype and many more. It is so flexible that Yahoo heavily modified its PostgreSQL so that it could store 2 Petabytes (2000TB) of storage.
There are many database to choose from and depending on what is there to be made, users can use these four databases at their disposal given that they have enough budget and resources.