2025 Top 7 Open-Source Database Management Tools

As a junior AI model trainer, you know data is the fuel for powerful AI. Choosing the right open-source database management system (OSDBMS) impacts how you preprocess data, build features, and scale your models. We explore seven leading OSDBMS options like PostgreSQL and MySQL, evaluating their performance and cost for AI tasks. This article helps you navigate the evolving open-source data engineering landscape of 2025 and select the best database for your AI projects, saving you time and resources.
AI model training needs a lot of data! Where does all that data live? In a database! This article helps you, a junior AI model trainer, understand how to pick the best database for your AI projects. We will explore open-source options, which are like free and modifiable building blocks for your data. Let’s dive in!
What is an open-source database? Imagine a LEGO set where you get the instructions and all the bricks. You can build it as shown, change it, or even share your new design with others! That’s what open-source is like for software.
Open-Source Database Management Systems (OSDBMS) are databases that you can use, change, and share for free. You don’t need to pay a license fee. This is a big deal!
Why is open-source great?
Why should you, as an AI model trainer, care about databases? Because the database you choose has a HUGE impact on your AI model!
Think of it like this: your AI model is a chef, and the database is the pantry. A well-organized pantry (database) with fresh ingredients (data) makes the chef’s (AI model) job much easier and the food (AI results) much better.
Here’s how databases help AI model training:
AI models today use more and more data. Choosing the right database is now more important than ever!
The world of databases is always changing. Here are some trends to watch out for in 2025:
These trends mean that open-source databases are becoming even more powerful and important for AI.
Choosing the right database can feel overwhelming. There are so many options! It’s like picking a flavor of ice cream when there are 100 choices!
Things to consider when choosing a database:
It’s a lot to think about, but don’t worry! This article will help you make the right choice.
This article focuses on seven popular open-source databases. We will look at how well they perform and how much they cost, especially for AI model training. We picked these databases because they are well-known, have good performance, and have strong communities to help you if you get stuck.
This article is written for you! We know you might not be a database expert, so we will explain everything in simple terms. Our goal is to give you the information you need to choose the best open-source database for your AI projects.
Here are the seven open-source databases we will explore:
Let’s get started!
PostgreSQL (say it “Post-Gres-Q-L”) is a powerful, free, and open-source database system. Think of it as a super-strong toolbox that can handle almost any data job you throw at it. It’s known for keeping your data safe and sound, following strict rules called ACID compliance. This means your data stays Accurate, Consistent, Isolated, and Durable.
PostgreSQL is like a Swiss Army knife for data. It can handle many different types of information, from simple numbers and text to more complex things like locations on a map. It also follows the rules of SQL (Structured Query Language) very closely, which is the standard language for talking to databases. This makes it easy to learn and use if you already know SQL.
AI and Machine Learning (ML) models often need to work with huge amounts of data and do complicated calculations. PostgreSQL is good at this! It can handle big datasets and complex questions (called queries) efficiently. Think of it like a librarian who knows exactly where every book is, even in a library with millions of books.
For example, imagine you’re training an AI to recognize cats in pictures. You might have millions of images. PostgreSQL can quickly sort through these images and find the ones that are most important for training your model. It uses things called indexes (like the index in the back of a book) to speed things up.
One of the best things about PostgreSQL is that it’s free! You don’t have to pay any licensing fees to use it. This can save you a lot of money compared to database systems that you have to buy. Plus, there’s a big community of people who use PostgreSQL and are happy to help you if you have problems. This free community support is a big bonus!
PostgreSQL has some special features that make it great for AI model training:
JSON is a way to store information that looks like this: {"name": "Fluffy", "breed": "Siamese"}
. It’s useful for storing data that doesn’t always fit neatly into rows and columns. PostgreSQL can store and search through JSON data easily using something called JSONB, which is even faster than regular JSON. This is helpful when your AI model uses data from different sources with different formats.
PostGIS is like adding a GPS to your database. It lets you store and work with information about locations, like addresses, coordinates, and shapes. If you’re building an AI model that needs to understand location data (like predicting traffic patterns or finding the best place to open a new store), PostGIS is a powerful tool.
Imagine you have a big pile of laundry to fold. It would take a long time to do it by yourself. But if you had a few friends helping you, you could get it done much faster. Parallel query processing is like that. PostgreSQL can split up big tasks into smaller pieces and run them at the same time, using multiple parts of your computer. This makes data loading and preparation much faster.
PostgreSQL is like a set of LEGOs. You can add new features and change the way it works to fit your specific needs. You can create your own functions (like mini-programs) and data types to handle special kinds of information that your AI model uses.
PostgreSQL is used in many different AI/ML projects:
PostgreSQL works well with popular AI/ML tools like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn. There are special connectors and libraries that make it easy to move data between PostgreSQL and these frameworks. This means you can use PostgreSQL to store and manage your data, and then use TensorFlow or PyTorch to train your AI models.
PostgreSQL can handle a lot of data, but it has its limits. If you have really huge amounts of data, you might need to split your database into smaller pieces (called sharding) or use a cloud-based PostgreSQL service that can automatically scale up as needed. Think of it like adding more lanes to a highway when there’s too much traffic. Cloud providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure offer managed PostgreSQL services that handle scalability for you.
MySQL (say it “My-Ess-Q-L”) is another very popular open-source database. It’s known for being easy to use and works well for many different kinds of projects. Think of it as a dependable and adaptable tool in your data management kit.
MySQL is like a trusty pickup truck. It’s reliable, easy to drive, and can carry a lot of different loads. It has a large and helpful community, so if you get stuck, lots of people can help you out. Many websites and applications use MySQL to store their data, which makes it a good choice to learn.
MySQL is really fast at reading data. This is important for AI/ML because you often need to read the same data many times while training your model. MySQL has ways to make reading data even faster, like using special “indexes” (we’ll talk about these later). It also lets you choose different “storage engines,” which are like different ways of organizing your data to make it faster for certain tasks. If your AI/ML project needs to read data a lot, MySQL can be a good choice.
One of the best things about MySQL is that it’s open source! This means you don’t have to pay for a license to use it. You can download it and use it for free. This can save you a lot of money, especially compared to databases that cost money.
MySQL has a “Community Edition” which is totally free. There are also “commercial editions” that you have to pay for, but they come with extra features and support. For many AI/ML projects, the Community Edition is all you need. And because it’s so popular, you can often find free help online if you run into problems.
MySQL has some special features that are really helpful for AI model training:
Imagine you have one main copy of your data. With replication, you can make extra copies that are automatically updated. These extra copies are called “read replicas.” Your AI model can read data from these replicas, which are faster and don’t slow down the main database.
Example: You have a database with customer information. You can create a read replica just for your AI model to use for training. This way, your AI model doesn’t interfere with the main database that your website uses.
Think of an index in a book. It helps you quickly find the information you’re looking for. In MySQL, indexes help you quickly find specific data. This is important for AI/ML because you often need to find specific data points to train your model.
Example: You have a table of customer data with millions of rows. If you create an index on the “age” column, MySQL can quickly find all customers of a certain age.
MySQL has “connectors” for many different programming languages and AI/ML frameworks. These connectors let you easily connect your AI/ML code to your MySQL database.
Example: You’re using Python and TensorFlow to train your AI model. You can use the MySQL connector for Python to easily read data from your MySQL database into your TensorFlow model.
JSON is a way to store data that is not always organized in rows and columns. MySQL can store and understand JSON data. This is helpful for AI/ML because you might have data that doesn’t fit neatly into a table.
Example: You have customer reviews stored as JSON data. MySQL can store this data and you can use special commands to find specific information in the reviews, like the sentiment (positive, negative, neutral).
MySQL is used in many AI/ML projects. Here are a few examples:
MySQL works well with popular AI/ML frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn. There are libraries and connectors that make it easy to read data from MySQL into these frameworks. This makes it easy to use MySQL as the data source for your AI/ML projects.
MySQL might not be the best choice for very, very large datasets. If your data gets too big, it can become slow. But there are ways to make MySQL work with larger datasets. One way is called “sharding,” which is like splitting your data into smaller pieces and storing them on different servers. Another way is to use a cloud-based MySQL service, which can automatically scale up your database as needed.
MariaDB is a free and open-source database. It’s like MySQL, but with some important differences. Imagine it as MySQL’s cousin, built by the community to stay free and open forever.
MariaDB started as a copy (or “fork”) of MySQL. This happened because the original MySQL company was bought by a bigger company, and some people worried that MySQL might not stay open-source. So, they created MariaDB to make sure there was always a free and open choice. MariaDB is committed to staying open-source, which means anyone can use it, change it, and share it.
MariaDB has some tricks to make it faster, especially for AI and machine learning (AI/ML) tasks. For example, it has different ways to store data (called “storage engines”) that can speed things up depending on what you’re doing. It also has a smarter way of figuring out the best way to run your questions (called a “query optimizer”). These improvements can help your AI models train faster and work better.
Because MariaDB is open-source, it’s free to download and use. This can save you a lot of money compared to database systems that you have to pay for. There’s a MariaDB Community Edition that’s totally free. Some companies also offer paid versions with extra support, but the basic version is free to use. With the free version, you save money on licenses and can get help from the community.
MariaDB has some special features that make it good for AI model training:
Storage Engines: MariaDB lets you choose different ways to store your data. InnoDB
is a good all-around choice, while Aria
is faster for some tasks like reading data quickly. Picking the right storage engine can really speed up your AI training.
Spider Engine: Imagine you have a giant pile of data spread across many computers. The Spider engine lets MariaDB ask questions across all those computers at once! This is called “sharding” and “distributed queries.” It’s like having a super-powered search engine that can look everywhere at the same time.
JSON Support: JSON is a way to store data that’s not always organized in neat rows and columns. It’s like a flexible container for different kinds of information. MariaDB can store and understand JSON data, which is helpful for AI projects that use unstructured information.
Compatibility: MariaDB is very similar to MySQL. In many cases, you can switch from MySQL to MariaDB without changing your code. This makes it easy to try MariaDB and see if it works better for you.
MariaDB is used in real AI/ML projects for things like:
MariaDB works well with popular AI/ML tools like:
You can use special connectors and libraries to connect MariaDB to these frameworks, making it easy to feed data to your AI models and store the results.
MariaDB can handle a lot of data, but it has limits. If you have really huge amounts of data, you might need to use techniques like sharding (splitting your data across multiple servers) or use cloud-based MariaDB services. These services can automatically grow as your data grows, so you don’t have to worry about running out of space or processing power.
Besides PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB, other open-source databases can be great for AI model training. Let’s look at three more: MongoDB, Cassandra, and Redis.
MongoDB is a different kind of database. Instead of rows and columns like a spreadsheet, it stores data in documents. Think of each document like a file folder that can hold all sorts of information. This makes it flexible and easy to use, especially when your data doesn’t fit neatly into rows and columns. MongoDB is also built to handle lots of data and users.
Cassandra is designed to handle huge amounts of data spread across many computers. Imagine a library so big that it needs branches all over the city. Cassandra is like that, making sure your data is always available, even if some computers break down. It’s good at handling fast-changing data, like information coming from sensors or social media.
Redis is a super-fast database that stores data in memory (like your computer’s RAM). This makes it much faster than databases that store data on a hard drive. Think of it like keeping your most used tools on your desk instead of in the garage. Redis is often used to make websites and applications run faster by storing frequently accessed information.
These databases have features that make them useful for AI model training.
MongoDB: Because it stores data in documents, MongoDB is great for storing data that doesn’t have a fixed structure. This is useful for things like text, images, and audio. MongoDB also has a tool called an “aggregation pipeline” that lets you process and transform your data before you use it to train your AI model. Think of it like a series of filters that clean and organize your data.
Cassandra: Cassandra can handle massive amounts of data. This is important for training AI models that need a lot of examples. It’s also good for real-time data analytics, which means you can use it to understand what’s happening right now and adjust your AI model accordingly. Imagine monitoring website traffic and using that data to improve a recommendation system.
Redis: Redis is very fast, so it’s often used as a “cache.” A cache is like a shortcut. It stores frequently used data so your AI model can access it quickly. This can speed up the training process. Think of it as keeping flashcards of the most important concepts while you study.
Here are some examples of how these databases are used in AI/ML:
These databases work well with popular AI/ML frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn. There are special “connectors” or “libraries” that help these frameworks talk to the databases. For example, you can use the pymongo
library to connect Python code (used in TensorFlow and PyTorch) to a MongoDB database. These connectors make it easier to get your data into the right format for training your AI models.
When choosing a database, it’s important to think about how much data you have and how many users will be accessing it.
Choosing the right database depends on the specific needs of your AI/ML project. Consider the type of data you’re working with, how much data you have, and how fast you need to access it.
Now, let’s compare the open-source databases we’ve talked about. We’ll look at how fast they are, how much they cost, and what they’re good at. This will help you choose the best one for your AI model training.
Imagine we’re having a race. Each database has to run the same tasks, like finding data or adding new information. The faster they finish, the better their performance.
Example: If your AI model needs to quickly find specific pieces of information, you might choose a database that excels at query execution time.
Think about the total cost of owning a car. You have to pay for the car itself, gas, insurance, and repairs. Databases are similar.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): This is the total cost of using the database over time, including everything mentioned above. Open-source databases are often cheaper than paid ones, but you still need to consider the cost of hardware and management.
Example: If you have a small project and don’t want to spend much money, MySQL or MariaDB on a small cloud server might be a good choice.
Each database has different tools and abilities. Let’s compare some important ones for AI:
Feature | PostgreSQL | MySQL | MariaDB | MongoDB | Cassandra | Redis |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JSON Support | Excellent | Good | Good | Excellent | Limited | Good |
Geospatial Data | Excellent | Good | Good | Good | Limited | Limited |
AI/ML Frameworks | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Limited | Limited |
Example: If your AI model uses location data, you’ll want a database with good geospatial capabilities.
Scalability is how well a database can grow to handle more data and more users.
Cassandra is known for its excellent scalability. PostgreSQL and MySQL can also scale well with the right setup.
Example: If you think your AI model will be working with a huge amount of data in the future, you should choose a database that can scale easily.
Security is very important. You need to protect your data from being stolen or damaged.
Example: Make sure to use strong passwords and regularly update your database software to keep your data safe.
If you have a problem, it’s helpful to have people who can help you.
PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB have large and active communities.
Example: If you’re new to databases, choose one with good community support so you can get help when you need it.
Vendor lock-in is when it’s hard to switch from one database to another.
Example: Using standard SQL (the language used to talk to databases) will make it easier to switch databases in the future.
Choosing the right database for your AI model training is a big decision. It’s like picking the right tools for a building project. The better the tools, the easier and more efficient the job becomes. Let’s recap what we’ve learned and help you make the best choice.
We’ve explored several open-source database management systems (OSDBMS). Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses:
Remember, PostgreSQL is robust, MySQL is versatile, and MariaDB is a strong alternative. MongoDB offers flexibility, Cassandra is scalable, and Redis provides speed. Knowing these differences helps you pick the right tool.
The best database depends on what you’re trying to do with your AI model. Here are some examples:
Think about the type of data you have and what you need to do with it. This will guide you to the best database.
The world of databases is always changing. Here are some things to watch out for:
Keep an eye on these trends to stay ahead of the curve!
The best way to learn is by doing! Experiment with different open-source databases and see what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to try new things and share your experiences with the community. Your insights can help others learn and grow.
While SQL Server 2025 offers features like AI-supported query optimization and hybrid cloud integration, remember that open-source alternatives can provide similar or even better performance at a much lower cost. You can often achieve comparable results with the right OSDBMS and save a lot of money in the process. Consider the cost implications carefully when choosing your database solution.
The open-source data engineering landscape is evolving quickly. New tools and technologies are constantly emerging. Stay informed about these developments to improve your AI model training workflows. Read blogs, attend conferences, and join online communities to learn from others.
Matt Blewitt suggests exploring different databases through hands-on experience. This is great advice! Dedicate time to evaluating different OSDBMS to find the best fit for your needs. Even a little bit of time spent experimenting can save you a lot of headaches down the road. Consider a “7 Databases in 7 Weeks” approach to broaden your knowledge and skills.
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