Multimedia Database

Storing Multimedia Data in MongoDB

MongoDB has a feature called GridFS which allows you to store files larger than 16MB that are not supported by BSON documents ( BSON is the binary representation of documents in MongoDB). GridFS converts a large file into smaller chunks. It uses two collections, ‘chunks’ and ‘files’, one for storing the actual chunks and the other for storing the metadata.

To get started, use the following commands in your terminal (Windows users should use GitBash or other alternatives).
 

mkdir mongodb_tutorial
cd ./mongodb_tutorial

 

Creates a new directory and makes it the working directory.

yarn init -y
touch index.js

 

Initializes a Node project and creates index.js file.

yarn add mongodb

 

Installs official MongoDB drivers for NodeJS

Now, open index.js in a code editor such as VSCode and copy and paste the following code.
 

const fs = require('fs')
const { MongoClient, GridFSBucket } = require('mongodb')


const MONGODB_URL = 'YOUR_MONGODB_URI'; // MongoDB connection URI
const DB_NAME = 'video_tutorial'; // Name of your MongoDB database
const COLLECTION = 'videos'; // Name of the collection to store videos


// Read video file from disk
const FILE_PATH = './video.mp4'; // Path to video file
const SAVE_PATH = './retrieved_video.mp4';
const VIDEO_NAME = 'video.mp4'; // Name of the video file in MongoDB


// Function to store video in MongoDB using GridFS
async function storeVideo() {
  const client = new MongoClient(MONGODB_URL);


  try {
    // Connect to the MongoDB server
    await client.connect()
    console.log('CONNECTED')


    // Access the database
    const db = client.db(DB_NAME)


    // Create a new GridFS bucket
    const bucket = new GridFSBucket(db, {
      bucketName: COLLECTION
    })


    // Open the video file for reading
    const videoStream = fs.createReadStream(FILE_PATH)


    // Create an upload stream to store the video
    const uploadStream = bucket.openUploadStream(VIDEO_NAME)


    // Pipe the video stream into the upload stream
    videoStream.pipe(uploadStream)


    // Event listener for upload completion
    uploadStream.on('finish', () => {
      console.log('Video stored successfully')
      client.close()
    })


    // Event listener for any errors during upload
    uploadStream.on('error', (err) => {
      console.error('Error storing video:', err)
      client.close()
    })
  } catch (err) {
    console.error('Error:', err)
    client.close()
  }
}


async function retrieveVideo() {
  const client = new MongoClient(MONGODB_URL)


  try {
    await client.connect();
    console.log('Connected to MongoDB')
    const db = client.db(DB_NAME)

    const bucket = new GridFSBucket(db, {
      bucketName: COLLECTION
    })

    // Create a write stream to save the video locally
    const downloadStream = fs.createWriteStream(SAVE_PATH)

    // Open a download stream to retrieve the video
    const videoStream = bucket.openDownloadStreamByName(VIDEO_NAME)

    // Pipe the video stream into the download stream
    videoStream.pipe(downloadStream)

    // Event listener for when the download is complete
    downloadStream.on('finish', () => {
      console.log('Video downloaded and saved successfully')
      client.close()
    })

    // Event listener for any errors during download
    downloadStream.on('error', (err) => {
      console.error('Error downloading video:', err)
      client.close()
    })
  } catch (err) {
    console.error('Error:', err)
    client.close();
  }
}

storeVideo().then(()=>retrieveVideo()).catch(e=>console.log(e))

Run the following command in your terminal to run this script.

node index.js

 

If no errors occur, your project directory will have the retrieved video.

Similarly, you can store large files in a MongoDB database with a simple script. Let’s now look at some common use cases of a multimedia database.

Use Cases of Multimedia Databases

On a small scale, the added complexity of multimedia databases outweighs the benefits they offer. However, these databases are crucial for efficiently managing large volumes of multimedia information. Following are some of the use cases of these databases:-
 

• Entertainment and Media Streaming

Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime rely heavily on highly efficient multimedia databases to deliver video content at varying stream qualities to thousands of endpoints.
 

• Educational Platforms

Due to the rise in e-learning, many companies offer educational content online, including video lectures, notes, live classes, etc. Multimedia databases play a vital role in such educational systems.
 

• Media Asset Management

Advertising agencies depend on multimedia databases for storing all sorts of media assets, such as images, videos, graphics, etc., for efficiently managing media campaigns. Content creators also rely on these databases as they have to deal with large volumes of video content, which can be tough to work without a dedicated database.
 

• Healthcare and Medical Imaging

In medical fields, multimedia information such as MRI scans, X-Rays, Ultrasound Imagery, etc., are stored in multimedia databases so doctors can quickly examine patient history for future diagnosis or treatments.
 

Now that you are familiar with some common use cases of multimedia databases, let us look at how a relational database stores multimedia information.

Storing Multimedia Information in Relational Databases

Following are some common approaches used in relational databases for storing multimedia data such as images and videos:-
 

• SQL databases have a special datatype called BLOB which allows them to support the storage of large chunks of data directly in tables. It is suitable for smaller-sized multimedia files.
   
• Paths to multimedia data stored in the file system can be added to tables. The database stores the metadata while the actual multimedia file is stored in the file system. It is useful when there is a limitation on BLOB sizes.
   
• A hybrid approach involves using both BLOBS and references to multimedia files. Smaller files are directly stored in the database while the larger files are stored in the file system.
   

Different types of management systems utilize different techniques for storing multimedia files, some of which may provide additional functionality such as video transcoding, adaptive bitrate streaming, etc.

The following section will compare file-based multimedia storage and multimedia databases.

Most recommended topic - DBMS

File-Based Storage vs. Multimedia Database

File-Based multimedia storage directly stores the data in the file system, while multimedia databases use special underlying data structures to store the information. Both of these have their advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages of File-Based Storage:-

• Storing multimedia files doesn’t require additional software; the data is stored directly in the file system.
   
• The read-and-write performance is suitable for large multimedia files.
   
• The files are stored without any modification. Thus the data integrity is maintained.
   
• Integration with existing applications is straightforward.
   

Disadvantages of File-Based Storage:-

• Performing complex searches based on different criteria is impossible as the file system lacks querying capabilities.
   
• Data can be inconsistent due to multiple instances of the same multimedia file because every time a modification is made, all the instances must be changed.
   
• It is less scalable when large volumes of data have to be handled.
   
• Additional tools have to be set up to implement backup and security features.
   

Advantages of Multimedia Databases:-

• Database management systems provide complex querying abilities, allowing you to search based on various metadata parameters.
   
• Databases ensure consistency by supporting transactions and ensuring all the updates are managed efficiently.
   
• They are more scalable than file-based storage, which helps handle high volumes of data.
   
• Modern database systems have inbuilt tools for backup and recovery in case of failures. They also provide security features that ensure unauthorized personnel do not access your data.
   

Disadvantages of Multimedia Databases:-

• Multimedia databases add a layer of complexity to storing and retrieving data from the database, which may outweigh the advantages in smaller-scale applications.
   
• Working with these databases requires some learning which may not be ideal.
   
• The performance may seem degraded when compared to direct access. This occurs due to the additional features provided by the database.
   
• Some multimedia databases may mutate the raw files to store information efficiently. This results in a loss of data integrity.
   

When it comes to complex web applications or other similar large-volume use cases, using a database is highly recommended as they are much more scalable and secure than file-based storage. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are horizontal and vertical scaling?

Horizontal scaling is a technique used for handling high workloads by adding more machines or servers.

Vertical scaling, on the other hand, focuses on upgrading a single machine or server to endure increased workloads.

What are transactions in databases?

A transaction is a group of operations performed on a database that can be considered a single operation. This allows the database to have consistency among the various instances of the same multimedia file. 

What is a BLOB in a multimedia database?

A BLOB (binary large object) is a special data type in relational database management systems that stores large chunks of multimedia information directly in a table in the form of a contiguous sequence of bytes.

What is adaptive bitrate streaming?

Online streaming platforms serve multimedia of varying qualities depending on the network condition of the user endpoint, and they do so by encoding files in multiple qualities or bitrates and dynamically changing as the network conditions change.

Conclusion

Multimedia Databases are used for efficiently handling large volumes of multimedia information. They provide tools like video transcoding, compression, multi-bitrate encoding, etc., and complex querying abilities. Relational databases use BLOBS and references to store multimedia files, while non-relational databases such as MongoDB convert multimedia files into smaller chunks.

Overall, multimedia databases are crucial for various applications such as education, entertainment media, advertising, etc., as large data volumes have to be managed.

If you liked reading the article, you can read Features of Multimedia that shares in-depth knowledge on the features of multimedia. 

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