I started to learn code some years ago. First I learned html and css which most don't really consider as coding. I then started to experiment with php, javascript, python,.... I managed to create some websites and even some applications but I'm not a programmer and what I do is amateurish at most.
My experiences with databases
I used to be quite good with Microsoft access. I learned the program with a book, out of necessity. I was the director of a language school and we had no software to manage our business. So I created the software myself with access. I left the company about 11 years ago and they still use the software I created. It wasn't perfect but it really helped to simplify and automatise a lot of administrative tasks.
Coding and databases – my security nightmare
You could think that knowing how to code and how to deal with databases, it would have been a child play for me to combine the two. Well that's where you are wrong, at least in my case. I never managed to link the two together. Mainly because I realised how easy you can omit things, make errors and make your database accessible to people who shouldn't. So I never took the step and that's probably why I kind of stopped coding altogether. I didn't trust my capacities enough to build something safe. Whenever I needed to create a database of a kind, I stored the data in a file in text format. This is very far from efficient but I felt comfortable like that.
Databases are tricky
The other day I talked to a guy who was dealing with databases and he confirmed my fears. Not only are there security issues. There are maintenance issues as well. Simply the ever changing php and MySQL versions can make a well working database broken from one day to the next. Probably it's not different for other programming languages either. Then you need to manage the access rights. Who can watch what. Who can modify which tables... This makes the handling of databases not only time intensive but also cost intensive. Also there is the human risk factor with people who use too easy passwords, don't pay attention on which link they click...
Well I'm by far no specialist when it comes to that and there are probably many who know the situation better. But a couple of days ago, I had a lightbulb going on when reading a post by . He was actually using hive as a database to store business data from monitoring the temperature in server rooms. He simply stored the data in the form of JSON on Hive!
Hive is a cheap database that can be used by everybody
When looking at this example, I believe that Hive could be considered as a database for any kind of business. There are plenty of advantages:
- You don't need to host or pay for server space. You only need the necessary RC on your account for writing the data.
- The reading, writing rules are easy to set up. Simply define whether posting key or active key is necessary to add to the database. Use encryption if the content is not for everybody's eyes.
- Thanks to Hive keys, very secure login to the database.
- No need for special software to write to the database. Almost any programming language can produce and read json format.
- Every internet capable computer can access the database.
- If one server collapses there are many other servers (witness nodes) that still carry the data. It is therefore always accessible.
Using hive as a database could represent some speed issues because of the block time. Where most databases read and write in miliseconds, Hive needs longer.
Again, I'm only a hobby programmer and some stuff above is probably not 100% accurate. In my opinion however, Hive could play an amazing role as a decentralised database for any type of business. I believe we have by far not realized all the potential that resides in Hive....
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