Couchbase offers multiple ways to access and manipulate data, including reading and writing data by object ID, reading data from views, using N1QL for querying, and full text search via Solr or Elastic. Accessing data via object ID is the fastest method, but requires more intelligence and advanced data modeling, while views provide easy queryability over larger amounts of data and can be programmed with JavaScript. N1QL offers flexibility in getting at data, scalability through independently managed services, and performance comparable to traditional querying methods. Full text search capabilities are provided via Solr or Elastic plugins, enabling applications to use each tool for what they're best at and get the best performance from each. The choice of access method depends on the application's functional and performance needs, with a mix-and-match approach often being the most effective solution.