Exploring 8 Futuristic Databases to Watch in 2023

Relational database management systems have long been dominant, but 2023 has seen the rise of innovative databases that offer new approaches, such as PlanetScale, YugaByteDB, Dolt, CockroachDB, CloudFlare D1, Xata, Surreal DB, and FaunaDB. PlanetScale uses a branching workflow similar to Git, allowing for schema experimentation without impacting the production database, and integrates with tools like Prisma. YugaByteDB offers a cloud-native environment supporting both SQL and NoSQL APIs, enabling multi-cloud hosting and high availability. Dolt, akin to a Git repository, tracks data changes over time, facilitating collaborative editing. CockroachDB, known for its resilience, supports SQL and NoSQL APIs and multi-cloud deployment. CloudFlare D1, a serverless platform in alpha, stores data in a document-oriented model and allows for JavaScript-based stored procedures. Xata combines Postgres and Elastic search features, offering a spreadsheet-like interface with advanced querying capabilities. Surreal DB supports relational, document, and graph data models with its own query language, SurrealQL, and is noted for flexibility in data modeling. Lastly, FaunaDB, created by ex-Twitter engineers, is a versatile NoSQL database with features like native joins and GraphQL API support. While these databases present promising features, they also come with potential drawbacks such as learning curves and limited community support, making it essential to choose based on specific needs like pricing, ease of use, and desired functionality.