React Native Local Database- Which One is Best for App Development

While there are multiple React Native Local Database options are available, every business seeks the best one.   

Being one of the best tech companies in the industry, we understand the importance of choosing the best of everything as it not only improves Performance and Efficiency in data storage and retrieval but also provides seamless offline integration. And hence, we provide a list of some of the best local databases for React native app development in this blog for businesses to choose from.   

But let’s start with the basics first.   

What is React Native?   

React Native (RN) is a powerful JavaScript open-source framework. Although it serves as a hybrid app development platform, it also offers compatibility with multiple ‘native’ features.   

Big brands such as Instagram, Uber, Skype, etc. use it as it has grown at an astonishing pace since its launch by Facebook in 2015.   

According to a 2020 developer survey, global developers widely used React Native as the most popular cross-platform mobile framework. In fact, 42% of developers used it to build high-functioning apps in 2020.   

Moreover, there are extensive benefits of React Native for app development and is one of the most sought-after frameworks in the market today.   

Factors/Features to Look for in a React Native Local Database  

There are a few factors to keep in mind while choosing the right database for React Native:  

• Data complexity managed: The right database should be able to manage complicated data structures like full documents or objects. Either key values or a JSON structure preserve the data, making it important.   

• Memory management/ handling abilities: One of the topmost reasons for an app crashing is poor data management. Thus, the DB should be able to manage memory properly.  

• Offline data synchronization: With more and more users seeking apps that work in offline mode or with a slower internet connection, it has become important to integrate a database that allows data synchronization when users reconnect to the internet.  

• Management of data conflicts and concurrency: Data conflicts arise due to excessive collaboration features included in the app. Thus, databases that share conflict-handling policies on their websites or repository pages, should be chosen.   

• Lines of code: The database should be able to carry out functions with minimum lines of code, enhancing its performance and the overall development costs of React Native apps. Processing a lot of code lines would eventually slow down the app, which is mostly the case with advanced DBs.   

• Ease of use: The right RN database should facilitate integration with the least amount of effort. This helps in speeding up the development process and making the developers’ jobs much easier.   

Top 6 RN Local Databases for App Development   

1. Realm  

One of the best databases for React Native, Realm is an object-oriented database that was launched back in 2004. It offers support in the development of real-time and offline apps by managing complicated data types, for wearables and mobile devices. The database allows RN app development for both platforms, iOS and Android.   

It comes with its own search engines, eliminating the need for key-value store or object-related mapping. This is the most preferred choice for apps heavy on data or to ensure the high performance of the application.   

It is the best at fixing queries among all the other databases and is the best choice for large-sized apps.  

The realm database is used by Patreon, N26, Peek Stack, etc.   

Features:   

• Comes with excellent concurrency control since it’s built from the ground up in C++  
• A query engine helps in finding and filtering objects  
• Facilitates reactive mobile applications development in all places  
• Offers storage architecture through B+ trees to organize objects  
• Enables synchronization using the log component feature.  
• Offers enhanced security; the data stays in encrypted mode at all times  

Advantages:   

• User interaction is saved through synchronization that constantly runs in the background   
• Offers a rich set of APIs  
• Utilizes multiple encryption standards for each mobile platform, enhancing security  
• Offline-friendly through Redux offline  
• Data synchronization can be enabled   
• Easy to use  
• 10x faster in developing an app in comparison to SQLite  
• Lower experience latency & server bills  

Disadvantages:   

• APK size and RAM utilization increases   
• Values cannot be auto-incremented  
• Model classes have restrictions   
• Accessibility of the database from separate processes at the same time is problematic  

Pricing:   

• It is an open–source and free local react database app.   
• The pro version costs $1750 per month.  

2. Firebase  

Owned by Google, Firebase is a Backend-as-a-service (BaaS) database. Offering support to NoSQL and ideal for offline data change and synchronization, Firebase is one of the best local databases for React Native.   

This database handles MVC-based React Native apps that have high data requirements, making it the best fit for start-ups.   

Moreover, it has a performance tracking tool that helps a developer detect bugs in apps. Additionally, it gives complete access to data removal at any time from the Google server.   

Its high compatibility with SOX regulations makes it the most suitable database for the finance and banking industry.  

Brands like Halfbrick, Wishlist, and Alibaba use this database.   

Features:   

• Comes with extensive file storage capacity  
• Includes Machine Learning (ML) kit with multiple features like face recognition, language translation, etc.  
• A serverless framework of cloud functions that allows a developer to automatically run backend codes in response to HTTPS requests  
• Unlimited reporting of up to 500 distinct events (each with 25 attributes) through in-built analytics  
• Audience segmentation into different mobile app data is available   

Advantages:   

• Low setup efforts required  
• Controls on file can be fixed through the addressal of the user’s role   
• Easily combined with other apps   
• Data cached on devices for offline access to users  
• Facilitates data synchronization throughout different platforms  

Disadvantages:   

• Limited support for iOS features   

• Doesn’t work in countries that do not have Google access  
• Users often face data migration issues and data querying limitations  
• Realtime synchronization issues occur frequently   
• Unpredictable pricing as one must stick to a single vendor.  

Pricing:   

• Free react native storage service that offers up to 1GB of data storage.   
• Additionally, offers a minimum price of $25 for 2.5 GB of data storage as well as a pay-as-you-go package.  

3. SQLite  

A software library, SQLite works with a serverless and zero-configuration transactional database engine that is written in C language. It offers huge storage for mobile apps and writes content directly into files instead of the server. Stored in plain text, the content can be encrypted with an SQLite extension named SEE (SQLite Encryption Extension) or SQLiteCrypt, etc., to offer app security.  

The word Lite in the name of the database highlights how lightweight the library is, and the minimal setup efforts required. The database follows maximum SQL policies with additional tools that assist developers in the easy management of the data.   

SQLite is used by brands like Alibaba Travels, Accenture, and NetSuite Inc.   

Features:   

• A serverless database engine  

• Zero-configuration database as no setup is required for the same  
• A self-contained platform; free from all external discrepancies  
• Source code is fully readable as well as accessible to programmers and developers  
• The database is stored in one cross-platform disk file  

Advantages:   

• Saves data in the cross-platform database file  
• It is portable and easy to use  
• Offline persistence can be enabled in an app using its storage  
• Since it is ACID compliant, it implements nearly all the SQL standards  

Disadvantages:   

• Comes with a size limitation of up to 2GB max in multiple cases  
• The maximum database size supported is just 140 TB  
• Does not offer access or support to multi-client concurrency  

• Can only handle low to medium-traffic HTTP requests  

Pricing:   

• Available in the public domain; Free to use and open source  
• Obtaining a license for copyright infringement costs a one-time fee of $6000.  

4. PouchDB  

One of the best React Native databases, PouchDB is an open-source JavaScript database. This database works efficiently for both online as well as offline apps. For offline apps, it allows the apps to store data locally and then sync it with CouchDB. It then serves it when the app mode is changed to online, always syncing the user data.   

This database stores data in JSON format and helps developers to take complete advantage of RN by building, reading, updating, querying, and eliminating queries using a single JavaScript API.   

Server-side databases like MySQL, CouchDB, PostgreSQL, and MongoDB, are all supported.   

Brands like Newt, SOLID Engineer, and Cloudwall use this database.   

Features:   

• Offers good concurrency with several executions occurring at the same time.  
• Easy to understand and learn for developers with prior programming language knowledge  

• Also works as an in-browser database API scripted in JavaScript  

Advantages:  

• Data can be synced with any supported server  
• Faster query execution, as it runs within a browser  

• It is made with CouchDB protocols and thus, supports both offline and online capacities.  
• Data can be encrypted easily with AES256, through SSL support  
• Replication of data is done efficiently  

Disadvantages:   

• No disadvantage has been found yet  

5. Watermelon DB  

One of the most popular React Native local databases, Watermelon DB is similar to SQLite. It can maintain its speed while scaling multiple records, within a minute. Its ability to handle data persistence on slower devices using lazy strategies makes it one of the best local databases for React Native app development.   

It is open-source and resolves query right away since it functions only on request.  

This database is used by various StackShare developers.  

Features:   

• Apps are loaded quickly regardless of the data size  
• Highly extremely scalable and can accommodate big amounts of data records.  

• Since it’s lazy, it loads data persistently only on requested.  
• Comes with a reactive and asynchronous database framework  
• Supports multiple platforms like Android, web, and iOS systems  

Advantages:  

• Static typing with flow  
• Offline-first system by synchronizing your engine  
• Simple data plugging into components  
• When changes are created in the database, UI will be rendered again automatically  

Disadvantages:  

• Creation of own backend is a must to sync data  

6. Vasern 

It is a database that is fast, and open source and allows developers to set up database apps in no time through C++ library.   

The lightweight nature of Vasern makes it a smooth ride. Additionally, the APIs are used to create local data as well as cloud storage and client syncing.   

Famous brands like Facebook, Airbnb, and Discord use this database.   

Features:   

• The data engine is developed natively to achieve native performance  
•  Comes with a non-SPDX license  

Advantages:   

• Fast operations  
• Features developer-friendly end-to-end database synchronization  
• An open-source database  

• Prioritizes app performance and consistency  

Disadvantages:   

• Releases are unavailable. For installation, one must create it from the source code  
• Issues cannot be fixed on the server 

Conclusion  

While there is a plethora of options for React Native local databases in the marketplace, the right one should be chosen as per the business requirements. The nature of the project and the compatibility of the team with a particular database, are some of the factors to be kept in mind.   

If it’s something that feels like an uphill task, then we at BigOhTech, are happy to help.   

We are a leading tech company that offers IT consultation and React Native app development services. We help businesses make the best tech decisions to take their operations forward and expand their possibilities.   

Our IT experts and highly skilled and dedicated development team of React Native developers offer the best recommendations for teaching stack and RN tools and technologies. We build multi-platform React Native apps for Android and iOS that are user-centric and engaging. These apps increase your ROI by 5X.   

With 3+ years of experience in React Native app development, we have helped businesses reach a wider audience cost-effectively.   

So, don’t overthink, just reach out to us and have high functioning React Native apps today!  

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