Top Local Databases for React Native App Development in 2020

React Native App Development: React Native has established itself as a prime choice for startups and establishments seeking a cost-effective and time-efficient way to enter the app domain.

And with this establishment, the focus has shifted once more to incorporate the platform into the process of app development, especially when entrepreneurs are looking to build cross-platform applications. 

Increasing this full-grown demand for the development of React Native apps is the pressure on React Native developers to develop high-performance offline first apps that can be scaled whenever necessary.

This, in turn, has led them to look back on the technology stack and platform choice from which to build React Native apps. In particular, the application's backbone- React Native database. 

In this article, we will look into names that are fit for the development of React Native apps today and that are worthy of being in the list of top React Native databases for 2020. 

But let's get started in full disclosure mode. Let's highlight the variables we looked at when curating the list of the top react native databases for 2020 and for a few more years to come.

Factors to check when choosing the database for React Native apps:

Data Complexity

For several server-side and client-side scripting languages, key-value storage is the default option. Mainly, it is necessary to serialize both values and keys in strings, either by a React Native developer or through the library itself.

Although necessary now, serialization can bring serious stops and issues in how your application performs, especially when it operates within a limited smartphone resource environment. 

Ideally, a native development company chooses a database that helps you store more complicated data compared to key-value pairs such as complete documents and objects and comes with complicated data types.

Lines of Code

Any advanced database should be your last choice if you use more than 20 lines of code to write a simple CRUD operation.

Not only would an advanced DB make coding complicated, but it would also have a major impact on the performance of the database and the overall cost of development of the React Native App.

Additionally, processing so many lines of code would greatly slow the application down. 

So do not use a database that comes with advanced features if it carries the chances of lowering the user experience of your app and delaying the release speed.

Synchronization of Offline Data

If you're developing an application with low complexity that doesn't offer multiple-user collaboration, you can use a simple database that would work well with a simplified synchronization function.

Once an internet connection establishes, these types of apps can sync with the server. 

Syncing functionality requires the database to be complex since collaboration is the primary feature of an application.

Applications such as Trello, however, which cannot show different versions of a document or project, require a reacting native app development firm to achieve perfect synchronization even when the network conditions are patchy.

Memory Management

Inefficient memory handling practices on the database can cause the application to crash. Compaction is one of the memory management proactive processes in which documents or data that are not used are deleted from the memory.

The process is like the programming part of the 'garbage collection,' which ensures free memory is available at any given point in time. 

Handling of Data Conflicts and Concurrency

The more collaboration-related features you add within your application; the more data conflicts are likely. 

You should look for databases that share the website or repository pages with conflict-handling policies. Find out how they handle syncing and conflicts in the database documents or look at the trade-offs and the effect it would have on the application.

Based on these five factors, we have identified the options for the local React Native database that would be best suited for the development of your reaction native application process.

The Best React Native Databases for App Development:

1. Realm

For the development of real-time and offline applications running on wearable and mobile devices, the Realm database was created.

When you create React Native Mobile Apps for iOS and Android, the database has proven equally beneficial.

It's not built on ORM or SQLite, so it comes with a database engine of its own and doesn't rely on the key-value stores. 

This is one of the reasons why React native developers use Realm as one of the Native Database options chosen for handling large data or for developing high-performance applications.

While other databases for simple apps are available, the combination of native Realm and React is best suited for large-sized apps. 

Realm and React Native Benefits: 

• Realm Sync– Sync services operate in the background and records, saving all user interactions and requests for service locally. 
• Offline friendliness via Redux Offline – Redux offline can be a great option for those who are looking for a solution to implement offline-first architecture through Realm for React native apps. 
• Security– For all different mobile platforms, it uses multiple encryption standards.

Costing: 

In the react native app, the Realm is a local database that is completely open-source and free. The pro version, however, comes with a price. But it would cost $1750 per month if you purchased the platform to create native reaction apps.

2. Firebase

Firebase supports the NoSQL real-time database for the development of native reaction applications. It is selected primarily for its offline change of data and practices of data synchronization.

The reason Firebase for Startups is so intrinsic is that it is fully capable of handling the M and C requirements of the MVC needed for React Native applications. 

Firebase Benefits for Native App Development: 

• Real-time data synchronization – at the same time, the data is synchronized in real-time for all clients with Firebase for React Native. This becomes very important because of the unavailability of internet connection when an app goes offline unannounced.
• Low setup efforts – Firebase provides a cross-platform API that requires minimal setup when used within an application. In addition, to access the data, you won't need an application server, as it can be accessed directly via a mobile phone. 
• Offline persistence – the combination of Firebase and React Native gives developers the ability to develop real-time applications with the ability to persist offline. This involves marking the online or offline presence of users, and storing timestamps whenever users are disconnected. 

Costing: 

The Firebase is free to store up to 1 GB of data. But it does offer a minimum price of $25 for 2.5 GB of data storage in addition to a pay as you use the package.

3. SQLite

It was designed to give mobile applications local storage. The prominence of the word Lite in the name of the database means that it is a lightweight library and that minimal setup is required.

For direct access to the database, it can also be directly integrated within the mobile application. 

Benefits of SQLite for React Native based Application Development:

• ACID compliance– It is an ACID-compliant database that, with some omissions, implements SQL standards. The library's architecture is file-based, and some tools can handle all the data types with ease and simplicity.
• Offline persistence – Developers can use a react-native-SQLite-storage plugin to manage data within the application to allow for offline persistence via SQLite. 

Costing: 

SQLite is free to use in the public domain and is open source. However, if you want to obtain a copyright infringement license, you would have to pay $6000 in one-time fees.

4. PouchDB

PouchDB is an open-source JavaScript database that stores data in JSON format and allows developers to make the most of React Native by developing, reading, updating, querying, and deleting queries with a single JavaScript API.

The database is compatible with MySQL, CouchDB, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB. 

PouchDB React Native App Development Benefits: 

Because the PouchDB remains inside a browser, there's no need to perform network queries. This, as a whole, leads to quicker execution of queries. 

Developers can sync data with any supported server and can thus run both offline and online applications.

5. Async Storage

Async storage is a local storage system that allows developers to store data locally and to retrieve data between reboots of the app. The database comes with React native in-built so it can be used without any further deployment. 

The benefit of Async Storage for React Native Apps: 

• Even after the user has closed the app or device, it comes in handy when you have to save the data the app needs to use.

6. Watermelon DB

Built on SQLite, it is a React Native high-performance reactive database that can scale hundreds to thousands of records without losing its speed. With a focus on real-world performance, the database has been well optimized for building complex applications in React Native. 

Watermelon DB's benefits for React Native App Development: 

In addition to scaling over 100-10000 documents, Watermelon DB also allows developers to take full advantage of the use of native reaction by: 

• Offline first system
• Static typing with the Flow function 
• Building SQLite foundation applications

7. Vasern

It is one of the most compact, fast, and open-source databases for the development of React Native apps.

The Vasern API is not only used for local data storage but also for cloud storage and customer synchronization across the app. The design and structures of Vasern are inspired by diverse open source databases. 

Benefits of this Multi Open Source Database Inspiration include: 

• It is an open-source service 
• Developer-friendly end-to-end synchronization of databases 
• Consistency and performance focus 
• Fast-track

Conclusion

While these are the current top native React databases and the speculated time, there are several other backend tools that developers use to create their application and react to the native app development companies.

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