Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
What is MongoDB?
2.1.
Features of MongoDB
2.2.
When to use MongoDB?
3.
What is Redis?
3.1.
Features of Redis
3.2.
When to use Redis?
4.
MongoDB vs Redis
5.
Frequently Asked Questions
5.1.
What is meant by hashes in Redis?
5.2.
What is sharding in MongoDB?
5.3.
What is a replica set?
5.4.
In which language is Redis written?
6.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Feb 5, 2025
Medium

MongoDB vs Redis

Career growth poll
Do you think IIT Guwahati certified course can help you in your career?

Introduction

Databases with dynamic functionality are essential for enterprises and brands with expanding data requirements. Which database is best for you can be quite subjective, especially when your needs are continuously changing. When it comes to Database Management, the choice between Redis and MongoDB can be difficult.

MongoDB vs Redis

This article provides an in-depth analysis of both Databases, their features, and use cases, along with various points on MongoDB vs Redis.

What is MongoDB?

Mongodb is an open-source NoSQL database that does not accept table-formatted input values. It instead accepts values in BSON format. It is a document-oriented database, which implies that information is kept in collections and documents. MongoDB also eliminates some of the problems associated with traditional RDBMS. 

Data replication, partitioning, and time-consuming writing operations are common problems for developers. Such criteria can be met with the help of a lightweight, adaptable, and precise database solution. MongoDB is the ideal database solution for addressing these issues. MongoDB supports the storage and manipulation of massive amounts of data by storing documents in a key-value pair format and collections in documents and functions.

Features of MongoDB

Features of MongoDB

MongoDB has numerous unique and innovative features that set it apart from other Databases. Among these characteristics are:

  • High Performance: MongoDB provides exceptional performance in all of its operations. It avoids carrying out redundant input/output processes, as other relational databases do. Because MongoDB's indexing process is substantially faster, select queries produce faster returns
     
  • Scalability: MongoDB's 'Sharding' feature allows for horizontal data scaling. Sharding is the process of distributing data over multiple servers. Massive amounts of data are evenly divided over numerous data pieces maintained by the master node
     
  • Data Replication & Higher Availability: When there is a hardware failure, the biggest issue is data loss or restarting the complete arrangement to store data again. MongoDB includes data replication features that store copies of data on several data servers

When to use MongoDB?

  • MongoDB can be useful throughout the design and early implementation phases when quick changes to our schema are required
     
  • MongoDB's JSON-like document structure enables rapid prototyping, simple integrations with front-end channels, and hackathons. It can be beneficial for junior teams who do not wish to cope with the complexity of an RDBMS
     
  • MongoDB is capable of serving millions of users, processing petabytes of data, and supporting hundreds of thousands of operations per second, making it an excellent choice for supporting mobile apps
     
  • MongoDB can store and serve rich information such as text, audio, and video. Using MongoDB GridFS, we can simply and efficiently store files greater than 16MB

What is Redis?

Remote Dictionary server, abbreviated as Redis, is an open-source data platform that facilitates the storing of numerous data kinds and massive volumes of data with a functional velocity. Redis is well known for its fast data storage, caching, and message broking. It is an in-memory data structure server, which means it can store binaries, bitmaps, lists, sets, hashed values, hyper logs, and sorted sets.
Traditional databases have limitations, such as a lack of support for various data types and insufficient RAM to hold massive volumes of data. Such problems in RDBMS can be readily overcome by using NoSQL databases. Some Database systems also have a number of redundancy difficulties. The solution is to use Redis.

Redis uses a key-value format to store data. It is a single-threaded, in-memory datastore. It is optimized and can handle both unstructured and structured data. To achieve high performance and implementation, it employs single-threaded multiplexed IO. 

Features of Redis

Features of Redis

Redis has a variety of characteristics that make it a popular alternative to other Databases. Some of these characteristics include:

  • Speed: In comparison to other data stores, Redis is exceptionally quick. Redis promises to be faster since it can store massive amounts of data in primary memory in a matter of seconds. It can load up to 110000 SETs per second
     
  • Lua Scripting: Lua Scripting is one of the fastest scripting languages. The goal of Redis is to provide users with fast data services. As a result, Redis' script was written in the Lua programming language. Lua is advantageous because its initialization is faster, allowing scripts to be executed faster without disrupting or slowing down the database for a response
     
  • Tenacity: Redis allows for the storage of numerous data types in main memory. Data is always changing due to upgrades and modifications. Based on the elapsed or updated time, these asynchronous modifications are saved to disk. Redis supports high availability and append-only file persistence

When to use Redis?

  • Redis may use pub/sub message queues with pattern matching to publish and subscribe to messages. As a result, Redis can support applications such as real-time chat and social media feeds
     
  • To decide how to store and arrange our data, Redis gives a number of data structures such as string, list, set, and hash. As a result, Redis grants us complete control over the implementation of database structures
     
  • We may create complicated data structures such as queues, arrays, sorted sets, and graphs for storage by combining the list, set, and hash
     
  • Redis is an in-memory data store with persistence features, making it an excellent choice for storing and managing sessions in web/mobile apps

MongoDB vs Redis

S.No. MongoDB Redis
1 String, integer, double, decimal, boolean, date, object_id, and geographical data types are supported by MongoDB. As a result, have predefined data types. Strings, hashes, lists, sets and sorted sets, bit arrays, and geographic indexes are all supported data formats in Redis. As a result, have partly predefined data types.
2 Multi-document ACID transactions with multi-statement syntax are supported. Support for multi-command and multi-record transactions. There is no support for default rollbacks.
3 The primary database model for MongoDB is Document Store. The primary database model for Redis is Key-Value Store.
4 MongoDB has no constraints on secondary indexes. Only the RediSearch module in Redis supports secondary indexes.
5 MongoDB only supports Master-Slave Replication. Redis allows for both master-slave and master-master replication.
6 MongoDB supports Map Reduce method. The Map Reduce technique is not supported by Redis.
7 MongoDB server operating systems include Solaris, Linux, OS X, and Windows. Redis server operating platforms include BDS, Linux, OS X, and Windows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is meant by hashes in Redis?

These Redis hashes translate string names into string values. These include both unique fields and their values. They are thought to be the ideal approach to represent an object in the form of a Redis data structure. 

What is sharding in MongoDB?

Sharding is the process of storing data records across many devices. It is a MongoDB strategy to meet data growth demands. It is a horizontal data split in a database or search engine. Every partition is known as a shard or database shard.

What is a replica set?

A replica set is a collection of Mongo instances that all have the same data set. One node in a replica set is primary, while another is secondary. All data is replicated from the primary to the secondary node.

In which language is Redis written?

ANSI C is the language in which Redis is written. It is mostly used for session management and cache solution. And unique keys are created by it for store values.

Conclusion

If troubleshooting is not a high priority for your firm, Redis may be a smart alternative. If performance is a vital factor for your firm, MongoDB is a smart choice. In this article, we provided a thorough examination of the two most popular databases on the market today: Redis and MongoDB. It discusses both databases and their features and provides various points on MongoDB vs Redis.

To better understand the topic, you can refer to MongoDB ClusterList of Redis Modules, and Introduction to Redis.

For more information, refer to our Guided Path on CodeStudio to upskill yourself in PythonData Structures and AlgorithmsCompetitive ProgrammingSystem Design, and many more! 

Head over to our practice platform, CodeStudio, to practice top problems, attempt mock tests, read interview experiences and interview bundles, follow guided paths for placement preparations, and much more!

Live masterclass