Track: Data Storage Rethinking: Document Oriented Distributed Databases

Abstract: This presentation takes a look at CouchDB from 10,000 ft. We try not to lose you in technical details and paint the big picture that you need to understand CouchDB's strengths and weaknesses. CouchDB is a document oriented database. It does not adhere to the relational principles of traditional databases. You will learn what that means for your application design. It comes with highly acclaimed REST API that makes integration into existing infrastructure a snap. CouchDB's replication support solves the problems of high-traffic web sites, distributed peer-to-peer, and offline applications all at the same time. We show you what kind of applications you are able to build with that. However, CouchDB is no Silver Bullet and there are plenty of cases where it is a poor fit. You will learn to decide when it is a good fit for your project and when you are better off with a traditional database.