The Most Used Local Databases for React Native App Development [UPDATED]

Last updated on September 22nd, 2023

The intricacy of your data is a major factor in deciding which React Native app database to use. When evaluating a database, you should also consider its memory management capabilities and how it handles conflicts. You can use a local database or a database on the server. To meet your business needs, such as offering offline functionality or enhancing your app’s scalability, you’ll find information in this blog about the best databases for React Native app development.

1. Realm Databases :

Architecture, native offloading, and databases are just a few things that affect how well React Native apps work. Just have a look at the great things about the Realm database that make it the best choice for a local database out there.

Like traditional databases like SQLite, Realm has a zero-copy design architecture that doesn’t make unnecessary copies of raw data by putting all the data in a single file. Realm does this by simply figuring out the offset, reading data from a memory-mapped area, and then giving back the raw value.

Benefits of Using Realm:

• A faster way to do queries:

The Realm database stores object files on the disc, making it faster than other local databases for React Native because it can perform data queries even faster than other React Native databases. Also, all of the read and write operations in Realm happen on the main thread without any pause.

• Multithreading is allowed:

Realm supports multithreading, which means you can have as many threads working on the same thing simultaneously. Realm takes care of this by automatically updating the data on every thread to make transactions go more quickly.

• Security:

As a React Native app, your data can be encrypted with the help of the Realm database. Realm encrypts and decrypts data with the standard AES-256 encryption method. Every time you want to use the data in your Realm, you first need to encrypt it with a key so that it can’t be read. This is a great security feature that will keep your data safe from being stolen or used.

2. Firebase :

In Firebase’s dynamic non-relational is possible to store unstructured data. React Native local database. React The database’s data synchronization capabilities can support native offline-first apps. Firebase can store a wide variety of storage units because it is extensible. However, unstructured data types like documents and JSON are best suited for this approach.

Firebase is a great option if you want your app easily scalable. It scales horizontally means that you may continue to use your current servers while adding more. Databases with horizontal scalability (e.g., elastic databases) are also called elastic. Elasticity in this context refers to the ability to both remove and create new server objects.

As a product of Google, one of the most powerful modern technology companies globally at the time, Firebase is worth noting. In terms of data management, this company is a pro.

Distinguishing traits:

• Persistence when not connected to the Internet

Developers can use this capability to create apps that save data locally instead of relying on the Internet. The software will also send all the data to the server whenever a connection is made again. In addition, when an app is disconnected, Firebase saves the user’s progress by the minute.

• Synchronization in real-time

With Firebase, you can sync data from numerous devices simultaneously, saving you time and effort. Teamwork apps will benefit from this feature because it will provide a copy of your data in a sudden loss of connection.

• Deployment in a flash

Firebase is more than just a database management system. Server, API, and datastore are all part of the backend service (BaaS). React Native apps benefit greatly from APIs when it comes to database setup. You link your iOS and Android apps to the Firebase server simultaneously during the process.

• Cross-platform

Firebase is compatible with a wide range of mobile devices. The API makes it possible to manage all threads from a single location.

3. SQLite :

A NoSQL database built around existing storage entities rather than built on top of them is Firebase. This approach of scalability offers the database an enormous potential for expansion. You can also scale out your React Native app while running with Firebase.

Apps can customize the Cloud Firestore Security Rules to suit their requirements. You can think of your security rule patterns as defense’s against malicious queries in your database. Firebase doesn’t need an intermediary service to defend itself from unsolicited queries from clients.

Server-side data protection is lacking and vulnerable to unauthorized access. Firebase doesn’t encrypt the information it stores, to be more exact. That makes it unsuitable for applications that collect and utilize sensitive information (banking apps). Consider databases like Realm, which encrypt their data to protect it from unauthorized access.

SQLite is a relational database management system. SQLite Lite is a lightweight library version of a database that does not require a different setup. Mobile apps can use SQLite to access and manipulate databases natively.

SQLite ACID compliance has the following advantages: an ACID-compliant database that implements SQL standards:

• Using a plugin, you may access and manage the database from the app.
• Using SQLite for security
• The SQLite Encryption Extension (SEE) is available on the company’s official website and allows users to encrypt their data with SQLite.

License fees are necessary to use the extension, but this is a one-time expense. The plugin uses various encryption techniques to prevent unauthorized access to the data during reading and writing activities.

Besides SEE, there are several alternative SQLite implementations:

• X SQLite is a C++ library that wraps SQLite data in encryption.
• 256-bit AES encryption is supported by SQLCipher, an open-source plugin that uses OpenSSL’s libcrypto API.
• Custom API-based encryption can be implemented using SQLite Crypt.
• SQLite improves the performance of React Native apps

SQLite can answer queries in milliseconds. By reducing disc access. SQLite information processing knowledge is required, and the ability to identify and measure the processes that take up the most time to perform operations and queries.

It is possible to speed up the insert, update, and delete operations in SQLite using the Begin and End operators instead of many DML code statements. 

SQLite ACID compliance has the following advantages: an ACID-compliant database that implements SQL standards. However, there are substantial omissions. Having these four pillars in place ensures the integrity of database information, even if one or more of them goes wrong. SQLite features a file-based design that makes it easy to use when handling various kinds of data.

Using PRAGMA instructions, it’s possible to enable SQLite’s offline persistence mode.

4. PouchDB :

As long as you have a JSON-encoded database, you can query and modify the data using the easy JS API.

While offline, PouchDB may save data locally and sync it with compatible servers and CouchDB when the app is back online, keeping all user data synchronized. PouchDB is a small and lightweight requirement.

It makes it simple for a React Native app to protect its users’ data. Passwords are stored in the short form with the PBKDF2 crypto algorithm to protect encrypted keys from degraded attacks in React Native’s built-in authentication mechanism.

What You Get from Using PouchDB:

• Any compatible server can be synchronized using this tool.
• PouchDB is a CouchDB-based database that can be used both online and offline.
• Because SSL is supported, AES256 encryption is no problem.
• It aids in the replication of data like a pro.

5. DB Watermelon :

SQLite is used to build this database. It can handle many records without compromising the application’s performance. React Native app development with real execution is perfectly suited for this upgrade.

Watermelon DB’s benefits include:

• It’s a lightning-fast, sociable, multi-strung, and unusually reserved database.
• An offline-first approach is maintained when changing to your backend.
• It allows for both static and flowing composting.

6. Vasern :

Vasern is an open-source database that is both lightweight and quick. In addition to being a top-notch database, it is also widely used.

In addition to cloud storage and synchronization, the Vasern API is used for both. Van was heavily influenced by the architecture and structure of several open-source databases.

Vasern has the following advantages:

• It’s a lightning-fast database.
• End-to-end database sync is easy to use and friendly.
• Vasern, an open-source database, is a powerful tool.
• The performance of React Native apps is the primary concern.

7. BerkeleyDB :

React Native databases are available, but you must select the proper one for your app. The performance of your mobile apps will be influenced by the mobile app database you use.

Another sophisticated React Native database, BerkeleyDB, offers a variety of options for handling data. To put it another way, you can use key-value strings or a relational database model like SQLite to store your data.

The advantages of BerkeleyDB are that it allows simultaneous access by several users:

• The interface is incredibly user-friendly.
• Suitable for high-volume transactions in the financial sector.

8. Back4app :

Using Back4app, it is possible to construct APIs without detailed code specifications. Cloud-based app backends with proven functionalities and third-party services can be built using this platform. As a server-less platform, it is easy to implement relational requests and related data models. A prominent open-source backend system, Parse Server Open-Source technologies underpin this platform. The two benefits are:

• Querying in Real-Time Using live queries, you can transmit data immediately to clients who have subscribed to your service. In this way, the user doesn’t have to send the same request to the service repeatedly.
• REST APIs and GraphQL provide auto-generated REST API and GraphQL approaches for any database action or call function.

9. DigitalOcean  :

The database cluster service includes Managed Digital Ocean PITR (point-in-time recovery) and end-to-end SSL encryption, making it a high-performance and fully managed data set cluster. It is an excellent alternative in place of manually setting up, securing, and managing data sets.

The DigitalOcean has to offer:

• Digital Ocean’s advantages for developing React Native apps
• It’s easy to set up and maintain
• Automated failover and scalability
• Backups are completely free, and the system is quite fast.

10. Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS):

Several cloud-based databases are available, such as Amazon RDS, which simplifies setting up and operating one. It offers scalable capacity at a low cost while automating time-consuming administrative activities, including provisioning hardware, setting up databases, patching, and doing backups and restores. As a result, you can devote more time and energy to developing and maintaining your applications’ specific requirements for speed, availability, security, and compatibility.

Related Article:  React Native Vs Flutter – The Best Choice to Make in 2021

Six well-known database engines are available to you through Amazon RDS, including Amazon Aurora (PostgreSQL), MariaDB (MySQL), Oracle Database (SQL Server), and SQL Server (Amazon RDS). 

Final Words:

For cross-platform apps, the growing popularity of the React Native framework necessitates the existence of an abundance of database options. The complexity of the data, codes, synchronization, memory management, and data conflicts all play a role in determining the best database.

Frequently Asked Questions For React Native NoSQL Databases

1. What are the top 5 react native app development companies?

Given below is the list of top 5 react native app development companies – 

• iTechnolabs
• Miquido
• Cheesecake Labs
• Droids on Roids
• BairesDev

In order to choose the one from the above-stated list of react native app development companies, you must conduct a thorough research into a company’s experience, portfolio, and working principles before making a hiring decision. 

2. What is a React Native NoSQL database?

• Before defining an NoSQL database, it is important to define the term ‘database’

• A database is used to store loads of data in a structured form so that it is easily accessible to the user

• In the domain of app development, a database stores data, such as code and user data, in a structured form

• When the structured form are relational tables, the database is an SQL database

• However, when the database stores data in a document format, it is called NoSQL database

• NoSQL database can be read as ‘No SQL’ or ‘Not Only SQL’ database

3. What are some of the best Local databases for React Native?

We present to you a list of top 5 react native local databases. Take a look –

• Firebase
• SQLite
• RealM
• Async Storage
• PouchDB
• Vasern
• Watermelon DB

4. How to Choose the Best Database to create React Native App?

Keep in mind the following factors if you are looking for the best local database for react native – 

• It is important to choose a react native offline database that works perfectly well offline and can conduct data synchronisation accordingly
• Never ever choose a database that cannot efficiently deal with sophisticated data

• Make sure that the chosen database adheres to diligent models of data-conflict handling
• Take care that your database writes minimal codes to ensure better app performance

• Most importantly, prevent frequent app crashes by choosing a database that has proficient memory management

5. What are some Major Types of React Native NoSQL Databases?

Given below are some major categories of react native NoSQL databases. Please take a look – 

• Document Databases – 

The database typically stores large amounts of app data in the form of documents with diverse and specific extensions.

• Wide-Column Databases –

These databases use tables to structure their unlimited data but give a broad range of formatting options in order to customise the table with regards to the demands of the app. 

• Key Value Stores – 

Key value stores use specific keys to represent a specific data collection and use the same key to access and recover the data when needed. 

• Graph Databases – 

Such databases leverage graphs to establish diverse relationships between various sets of data, structured or otherwise, to help its users conduct intelligent data analysis.