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  1. Stackups
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  4. Databases
  5. PostGIS vs SQLite

PostGIS vs SQLite

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

SQLite
SQLite
Stacks19.9K
Followers15.2K
Votes535
PostGIS
PostGIS
Stacks381
Followers377
Votes30
GitHub Stars2.0K
Forks407

PostGIS vs SQLite: What are the differences?

Key Differences Between PostGIS and SQLite

PostGIS and SQLite are both widely used database systems, but there are several key differences between the two.

  1. Spatial Capabilities: PostGIS is specifically designed to handle spatial data and provides extensive support for spatial data types, functions, and queries. It allows for the storage, indexing, and querying of geometric and geographic data, making it a popular choice for spatial analysis and mapping applications. On the other hand, SQLite does not have built-in support for spatial data and lacks advanced spatial functionality.

  2. Scalability and Performance: PostGIS is known for its scalability and performance when handling large datasets and complex spatial operations. It can handle millions of records and offers optimized spatial indexing, which improves the speed of spatial queries. SQLite, on the other hand, is more suitable for small to medium-sized datasets and simpler operations due to its lightweight design.

  3. Multiuser and Concurrent Access: PostGIS allows for concurrent access by multiple users and supports robust transaction management for data integrity. It supports client-server architecture, which enables multiple clients to access and modify the database simultaneously. SQLite, on the other hand, is primarily designed for single-user access and lacks support for concurrent access or robust transaction management.

  4. Data Storage and File Format: PostGIS stores data in a relational database management system (RDBMS) using the PostgreSQL server. It uses a traditional table structure with rows and columns, offering advanced data organization and indexing capabilities. SQLite, on the other hand, stores data in a single self-contained file, making it easy to deploy and use as a standalone database.

  5. Supported Operating Systems: PostGIS can be used on a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. It integrates seamlessly with PostgreSQL and inherits its cross-platform compatibility. SQLite, on the other hand, has even broader support and can run on virtually any operating system, including mobile platforms such as Android and iOS.

  6. Community and Ecosystem: PostGIS has a large and active open-source community, offering extensive documentation, tutorials, and support forums. It is widely adopted and used in various industries, providing a robust ecosystem of tools and libraries for spatial data analysis. SQLite also has a significant community and is widely used, especially in embedded systems and mobile applications.

In summary, PostGIS is a powerful and feature-rich database system specifically designed for spatial data, with advanced spatial capabilities, scalability, and multiuser support. SQLite, on the other hand, is a lightweight, self-contained database system that is easy to deploy and suitable for small to medium-sized datasets and simpler operations.

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Advice on SQLite, PostGIS

Dimelo
Dimelo

Nov 5, 2020

Needs adviceonSQLiteSQLiteMySQLMySQLPostgreSQLPostgreSQL

I need to add a DBMS to my stack, but I don't know which. I'm tempted to learn SQLite since it would be useful to me with its focus on local access without concurrency. However, doing so feels like I would be defeating the purpose of trying to expand my skill set since it seems like most enterprise applications have the opposite requirements.

To be able to apply what I learn to more projects, what should I try to learn? MySQL? PostgreSQL? Something else? Is there a comfortable middle ground between high applicability and ease of use?

670k views670k
Comments
Stephen
Stephen

Senior DevOps Engineer at Vital Beats

Nov 9, 2020

Review

A question you might want to think about is "What kind of experience do I want to gain, by using a DBMS?". If your aim is to have experience with SQL and any related libraries and frameworks for your language of choice (python, I think?), then it kind of doesn't matter too much which you pick so much. As others have said, SQLite would offer you the ability to very easily get started, and would give you a reasonably standard (if a little basic) SQL dialect to work with.

If your aim is actually to have a bit of "operational" experience, in terms of things like what command line tools might be available as standard for the DBMS, understanding how the DBMS handles multiple databases, when to use multiple schemas vs multiple databases, some basic privilege management etc. Then I would recommend PostgreSQL. SQLite's simplicity actually avoids most of these experiences, which is not helpful to you if that is what you hope to learn. MySQL has a few "quirks" to how it manages things like multiple databases, which may lead you to making less good decisions if you tried to take your experience over to different DBMS, especially in bigger enterprise roles. PostgreSQL is kind of a happy middle ground here, with the ability to start PostgreSQL servers via docker or docker-compose making the actual day-to-day management pretty easy, while still giving you experience of the kinds of considerations I have listed above.

At Vital Beats we make use of PostgreSQL, largely because it offers us a happy balance between good management and backup of data, and good standard command line tools, which is essential for us where we are deploying our solutions within Kubernetes / docker, and so more graphical tools are not always appropriate for us. PostgreSQL is also pretty universally supported in terms of language libraries and frameworks, without having to make compromises on how we want to store and layout our data.

316k views316k
Comments
Anonymous
Anonymous

Oct 29, 2019

Needs advice

Hi everyone! I am a high school student, starting a massive project. I'm building a system for a boarding school to be better connected to their students and be more efficient with information. In the meantime, I am developing a website and an android app. What's the best datastore I can use? I need to be able to access student data on the app from the main database and send push notifications. Also feed updates. What's the best approach? What's the best tool I can use to deploy the website and the database? One for testing and prototyping, and an official one... Thanks in advance!!!!

366k views366k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

SQLite
SQLite
PostGIS
PostGIS

SQLite is an embedded SQL database engine. Unlike most other SQL databases, SQLite does not have a separate server process. SQLite reads and writes directly to ordinary disk files. A complete SQL database with multiple tables, indices, triggers, and views, is contained in a single disk file.

PostGIS is a spatial database extender for PostgreSQL object-relational database. It adds support for geographic objects allowing location queries to be run in SQL.

-
Processing and analytic functions for both vector and raster data for splicing, dicing, morphing, reclassifying, and collecting/unioning with the power of SQL;raster map algebra for fine-grained raster processing;Spatial reprojection SQL callable functions for both vector and raster data;Support for importing / exporting ESRI shapefile vector data via both commandline and GUI packaged tools and support for more formats via other 3rd-party Open Source tools
Statistics
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
2.0K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
407
Stacks
19.9K
Stacks
381
Followers
15.2K
Followers
377
Votes
535
Votes
30
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 163
    Lightweight
  • 135
    Portable
  • 122
    Simple
  • 81
    Sql
  • 29
    Preinstalled on iOS and Android
Cons
  • 2
    Not for multi-process of multithreaded apps
  • 1
    Needs different binaries for each platform
Pros
  • 25
    De facto GIS in SQL
  • 5
    Good Documentation
Integrations
No integrations available
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL

What are some alternatives to SQLite, PostGIS?

MongoDB

MongoDB

MongoDB stores data in JSON-like documents that can vary in structure, offering a dynamic, flexible schema. MongoDB was also designed for high availability and scalability, with built-in replication and auto-sharding.

MySQL

MySQL

The MySQL software delivers a very fast, multi-threaded, multi-user, and robust SQL (Structured Query Language) database server. MySQL Server is intended for mission-critical, heavy-load production systems as well as for embedding into mass-deployed software.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an advanced object-relational database management system that supports an extended subset of the SQL standard, including transactions, foreign keys, subqueries, triggers, user-defined types and functions.

dbForge Studio for MySQL

dbForge Studio for MySQL

It is the universal MySQL and MariaDB client for database management, administration and development. With the help of this intelligent MySQL client the work with data and code has become easier and more convenient. This tool provides utilities to compare, synchronize, and backup MySQL databases with scheduling, and gives possibility to analyze and report MySQL tables data.

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft® SQL Server is a database management and analysis system for e-commerce, line-of-business, and data warehousing solutions.

Cassandra

Cassandra

Partitioning means that Cassandra can distribute your data across multiple machines in an application-transparent matter. Cassandra will automatically repartition as machines are added and removed from the cluster. Row store means that like relational databases, Cassandra organizes data by rows and columns. The Cassandra Query Language (CQL) is a close relative of SQL.

Memcached

Memcached

Memcached is an in-memory key-value store for small chunks of arbitrary data (strings, objects) from results of database calls, API calls, or page rendering.

MariaDB

MariaDB

Started by core members of the original MySQL team, MariaDB actively works with outside developers to deliver the most featureful, stable, and sanely licensed open SQL server in the industry. MariaDB is designed as a drop-in replacement of MySQL(R) with more features, new storage engines, fewer bugs, and better performance.

dbForge Studio for Oracle

dbForge Studio for Oracle

It is a powerful integrated development environment (IDE) which helps Oracle SQL developers to increase PL/SQL coding speed, provides versatile data editing tools for managing in-database and external data.

dbForge Studio for PostgreSQL

dbForge Studio for PostgreSQL

It is a GUI tool for database development and management. The IDE for PostgreSQL allows users to create, develop, and execute queries, edit and adjust the code to their requirements in a convenient and user-friendly interface.

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