List of the Top 8 SQL Databases for Sails in 2025

MySQL is recognized as the leading open source database in the world. Its impressive history of reliability, performance, and ease of use has made it the go-to choice for many web applications, including major platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as the five most visited websites. Additionally, MySQL is a popular option for embedded database solutions, with many independent software vendors and original equipment manufacturers distributing it. The database's flexibility and powerful capabilities further enhance its popularity across diverse sectors, making it a critical tool for developers and businesses alike. Its continued evolution ensures that it remains relevant in an ever-changing technological landscape.

Microsoft SQL Server 2019 merges cutting-edge intelligence with robust security features, presenting a wealth of additional tools at no extra expense while maintaining exceptional performance and flexibility tailored for on-premises needs. Users can effortlessly migrate to the cloud, fully leveraging its operational efficiency and nimbleness without modifying their existing codebase. By harnessing Azure, organizations can speed up the generation of insights and engage in predictive analytics more effectively. The development process remains versatile, empowering users to select their preferred technologies, including those from the open-source community, all backed by Microsoft's continuous innovations. This platform facilitates straightforward data integration within applications and provides an extensive range of cognitive services designed to nurture human-like intelligence, accommodating any data volume. AI is fundamentally woven into the data platform, enabling faster insight extraction from data stored both on-premises and in the cloud. Combining proprietary enterprise data with global datasets allows organizations to cultivate a culture steeped in intelligence. Moreover, the adaptable data platform ensures a uniform user experience across diverse environments, significantly reducing the time required to launch new innovations; this flexibility enables developers to create and deploy applications in multiple settings, ultimately boosting overall operational productivity and effectiveness. As a result, businesses can respond swiftly to market changes and evolving customer demands.

Redis Labs serves as the official home of Redis, showcasing its leading product, Redis Enterprise, which is recognized as the most advanced version of Redis. Offering much more than mere caching capabilities, Redis Enterprise is accessible for free in the cloud, delivering NoSQL solutions and utilizing the fastest in-memory database available. The platform is designed for scalability and enterprise-level resilience, enabling massive scaling along with user-friendly administration and operational efficiency. Notably, Redis in the Cloud has gained popularity among DevOps professionals due to its capabilities. Developers benefit from advanced data structures and a broad range of modules, empowering them to foster innovation and achieve quicker time-to-market. Chief Information Officers appreciate the robust security and reliable expert support that Redis provides, ensuring an impressive uptime of 99.999%. For scenarios involving active-active configurations, geodistribution, and conflict resolution with read/write operations across multiple regions on the same dataset, relational databases are recommended. Furthermore, Redis Enterprise facilitates various flexible deployment options, making it adaptable to different environments. The ecosystem also includes Redis JSON, Redis Java, and Python Redis, along with best practices for Redis on Kubernetes and GUI management, solidifying its versatility in modern application development.

IBM Db2 represents a comprehensive array of data management solutions, with a strong emphasis on the Db2 relational database. These solutions incorporate AI-driven features aimed at facilitating the management of both structured and unstructured data within a variety of on-premises and multicloud environments. By making data more accessible, the Db2 suite enables companies to fully harness the benefits of AI technology. Most of the Db2 components are seamlessly integrated into the IBM Cloud Pak® for Data platform, offered either as supplementary features or as inherent data source services, which guarantees that nearly all data is available across hybrid or multicloud infrastructures to support AI-centric applications. Users can easily consolidate their transactional data repositories and quickly gain insights through intelligent, universal querying across multiple data sources. The multimodel capabilities contribute to cost reduction by eliminating the need for data replication and migration. Furthermore, Db2 provides remarkable flexibility, allowing for deployment across any cloud service provider, thus enhancing operational agility and responsiveness. This range of deployment options ensures that organizations can modify their data management approaches to align with their evolving requirements, ultimately fostering innovation and adaptability in their operations. This adaptability is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in today’s rapidly changing business landscape.

SAP HANA is a cutting-edge in-memory database that efficiently manages both transactional and analytical workloads by utilizing a single data copy, regardless of its nature. It effectively eliminates the divide between transactional and analytical functions within businesses, allowing for quick decision-making whether used in a traditional data center or through cloud services. This advanced database management system grants users the ability to develop intelligent, real-time applications, which promotes fast decision-making from a consolidated data repository. By integrating sophisticated analytics, it bolsters the performance of modern transaction processing systems. Organizations can leverage cloud-native features such as enhanced scalability, speed, and performance to create comprehensive data solutions. With SAP HANA Cloud, businesses gain access to dependable and actionable insights from a unified platform while maintaining stringent security, privacy, and data anonymization that align with established enterprise standards. In the rapidly evolving market landscape, the intelligent enterprise increasingly depends on prompt insights generated from data, highlighting the necessity for real-time access to critical information. As organizations face rising expectations for immediate insights, adopting a powerful database solution like SAP HANA is essential for maintaining a competitive edge. The ability to make informed decisions based on real-time data is becoming a key differentiator in business success.

PostgreSQL is a robust and well-established open-source object-relational database system that has been under continuous development for over thirty years, earning a strong reputation for its dependability, rich features, and exceptional performance. The official documentation provides thorough resources for both installation and usage, making it an essential reference for newcomers and seasoned users alike. Moreover, the vibrant open-source community supports numerous forums and platforms where enthusiasts can deepen their understanding of PostgreSQL, explore its capabilities, and discover job openings in the field. Participating in this community can greatly enrich your knowledge while strengthening your ties to the PostgreSQL network. Recently, the PostgreSQL Global Development Group revealed updates for all currently supported versions, including 15.1, 14.6, 13.9, 12.13, 11.18, and 10.23, which fix 25 bugs reported in recent months. It is important to note that this update represents the final release for PostgreSQL 10, which will no longer receive any security patches or bug fixes moving forward. Therefore, if you are still using PostgreSQL 10 in a production environment, it is strongly advised to organize an upgrade to a newer version to maintain support and security. Transitioning to a more recent version will not only help safeguard your data but also enable you to benefit from the latest features and enhancements introduced in newer updates. Furthermore, keeping your database system up-to-date can significantly improve overall performance and provide better compatibility with modern applications.

Apache Derby is a project under the Apache DB umbrella that functions as an open-source relational database, crafted entirely in Java and made available under the Apache License, Version 2.0. Its core engine, which includes an integrated JDBC driver, is remarkably lightweight at around 3.5 megabytes, emphasizing efficiency and ease of use. Derby features an embedded JDBC driver, enabling seamless integration into any Java-based application. Beyond its embedded functionality, it also supports a client/server setup via the Derby Network Client JDBC driver and Derby Network Server, thereby offering diverse options for database management. This versatility and lightweight nature make Derby an attractive option for developers in search of a flexible database solution that can easily adapt to various project needs. Furthermore, its open-source nature allows for community contributions and enhancements, further solidifying its position in the database management landscape.

Oracle offers a range of database solutions designed to be both cost-effective and highly efficient, featuring prominent options such as a multi-model database management system, in-memory databases, NoSQL, and MySQL. The Oracle Autonomous Database enhances the user experience by enabling streamlined management of relational database systems, accessible both on-premises via Oracle Cloud@Customer and through Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, thereby reducing administrative burdens. By simplifying the complexities involved in operating and securing Oracle Database, the Autonomous Database provides users with outstanding performance, scalability, and reliability. For organizations focused on data residency and minimizing network latency, the option for on-premises deployment of Oracle Database is available. Moreover, clients using specific versions of Oracle databases retain complete control over their operational versions, as well as the timing of updates. This level of flexibility not only empowers businesses to customize their database environments but also ensures they can adapt to evolving requirements seamlessly. Ultimately, Oracle's diverse database offerings are tailored to meet the varied needs of clients across different sectors.