How Elastic Search is Different From Traditional Databases

In the world of data management, the choice of database technology can greatly impact the efficiency and capabilities of an application. Traditional relational databases have long been the standard for storing structured data, but with the rise of big data and real-time analytics, new technologies like Elasticsearch have emerged as good alternatives.

In this article, we will learn about the key differences between Elasticsearch and traditional databases and highlight their unique features, strengths, and use cases in detail.

Below are things that help us to understand the difference between Elastic Search and traditional databases are as follows:

1. Data Model

• Traditional databases, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL and Oracle, typically adhere to the relational data model, where data is organized into tables with predefined schemas.
• These databases use SQL (Structured Query Language) for querying and manipulating data, and they enforce ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) properties to ensure data integrity.
• In respect, Elasticsearch follows a document-oriented data model, where data is stored as JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) documents.
• These documents are schema-less, meaning each document can have different fields and structures.
• Elasticsearch uses its own query DSL (Domain-Specific Language) for searching and aggregating data and it focuses on near real-time search and analytics capabilities rather than transactional consistency.

Example:

Consider a traditional relational database table storing customer information:

Now, let’s compare this with how the same data might be represented in Elasticsearch:

{
  "customer": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "John Doe",
      "age": 30,
      "email": "john@example.com"
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "name": "Jane Doe",
      "age": 25,
      "email": "jane@example.com"
    }
  ]
}

2. Search and Querying

• Traditional databases depend on SQL for querying data, which follows a structured approach based on predefined schemas. While SQL provides powerful capabilities for complex queries and joins, it may not be well-suited for full-text search and unstructured data.
• Elasticsearch, on the other hand, excels at full-text search and real-time analytics. It uses its own query DSL, which supports complex queries, aggregations, and filtering.
• Elasticsearch’s inverted index data structure enables fast search operations, making it ideal for use cases such as log analytics, e-commerce search, and social media monitoring.

Example:

Suppose we want to search for customers in a traditional database who are older than 25:

SELECT * FROM Customers WHERE Age > 25;

In Elasticsearch, the equivalent query using the Elasticsearch Query DSL might look like this:

{
  "query": {
    "range": {
      "age": {
        "gt": 25
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Scalability and Performance

• Traditional databases are typically designed to run on a single server or a small cluster of servers, which can limit their scalability as data volumes and query loads increase.
• Scaling traditional databases horizontally often involves complex partitioning and sharding strategies.
• Elasticsearch, on the other hand, is inherently distributed and designed for horizontal scalability. It can scale to handle petabytes of data across thousands of nodes in a cluster, allowing for seamless expansion as data volumes grow.
• Elasticsearch’s distributed architecture and built-in replication provide fault tolerance and high availability, ensuring consistent performance even under heavy workloads.

Example:

Consider a scenario where an e-commerce platform needs to handle millions of product search queries per day. Traditional databases may struggle to keep up with the high query volumes and may require costly hardware upgrades or performance tuning. In contrast, Elasticsearch can effortlessly scale out by adding more nodes to the cluster, ensuring fast and reliable search performance.

4. Use Cases

• Traditional databases are well-suited for transactional applications that require strict data consistency and ACID compliance, such as financial systems, inventory management, and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems.
• Elasticsearch, on the other hand, shines in use cases where fast search and analytics capabilities are paramount, such as log and event analytics, full-text search engines, and real-time monitoring and alerting systems.
• Its ability to handle large volumes of unstructured data and perform complex aggregations makes it an excellent choice for modern data-driven applications.

Example:

A social media analytics platform that needs to analyze millions of tweets in real-time to identify trending topics and sentiment analysis would benefit from Elasticsearch’s fast search and analytics capabilities. Traditional databases may struggle to keep up with the high ingest rates and complex querying requirements of such a use case.

Overall, Elasticsearch and traditional databases differ in their data models, querying capabilities, scalability, and use cases. While traditional databases excel at transactional consistency and structured data management, Elasticsearch offers unparalleled speed and scalability for search and analytics on unstructured data. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each technology, organizations can choose the right tool for their specific requirements and build robust and scalable data solutions.