4 reasons Azure is a great DBaaS platform for PostgreSQL, MySQL and NoSQL

When you think of Microsoft and databases, chances are you think of SQL Server and possibly even Microsoft Access. But did you know that SQL Server now runs on Linux and did you also think of MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL and NoSQL? Possibly not, here is why you should!

First of all, if you are reading this you already know that PostgreSQL, MySQL and NoSQL are becoming de-facto standards in most enterprises.

What you might not know is that Azure is an open cloud and data platform that "empowers every person and every organization to achieve more" and that Microsoft today is one of the top open source contributors. Azure welcomes any data, structured or unstructured, and any database, SQL or NoSQL, as first class citizens on our open platform.

Microsoft Azure offers the most comprehensive choice of fully managed DBaaS, whether your preference is SQL, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL or a NoSQL database such as document (e.g. MongoDB), key value store, wide column (Cassandra), graph (Gremlin) etc., and offers enterprise scale, performance, availability, security and support guaranteed with Azure. I truly believe this is a main reason why Microsoft is a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for both Cloud databases and overall Operational Database Management Systems.

So what are the key benefits of running your open source databases on Azure?

Let me highlight a few.

1. Microsoft is 100% committed to the community. Unlike other vendors, we do not fork the open source community databases to turn them into proprietary products. The key benefit of this open community approach is that you will always be able to leverage on the latest community innovation and you will avoid any vendor lock-in. Speaking of community commitment and contribution, did you know that Microsoft is a leading contributor to PostgreSQL and the wider open source community as per the Open Source Contributor Index?
2. Microsoft offers flexible PaaS/DBaaS and hybrid deployment options, including Single Server (cost optimized), Flexible Server (performance optimized), Hyperscale/Citus (unique DBaaS offering to horizontally scale PostgreSQL) and hybrid deployment options with Azure Arc for PostgreSQL.
3. Microsoft offers industry leading scalability, high availability and security. Azure is a trusted cloud platform and offers deep deep integration with Azure Active Directory and Azure Defender. Microsoft Azure also offers industry-leading availability, SLAs, and horizontal scalability with Azure Database for PostgreSQL Hyperscale (Citus), and Azure Cosmos DB.
4. Microsoft offers deep integration with the wider Azure portfolio, in addition to the integration with Azure's unique security capabilities we also offer integration with the wider Azure portfolio of data services (e.g. Azure Data Studio, PowerBI, Databricks, Synapse Analytics etc.) and other cloud native services (e.g. Azure Kubernetes Service, Azure App Service and Azure Functions etc.). Remember, no database is an island and no matter your DB preference, there are very good reasons why you want to keep you app and data in the same cloud.

That's fantastic, but what database should I consider for what use case? That is almost a :religious" question, everyone has their favorite database, but below are some high level hints on what database you might consider for a few common scenarios.

1. For custom built enterprise applications and modernizing legacy DB2 and Oracle DBs - PostgreSQL has become a popular option among some of our largest customers, including telcos, banks, retailers, healthcare and governments. In short, any application you would have considered running on SQL or Oracle. Learn more about Azure's PostgreSQL DBaaS offering in this Azure Database for PostgreSQL Guide.
2. For websites, web applications, ecommerce apps, online transactions and gaming - MySQL continues to be the most popular database amongst web developers (as per the Stack Overflow Developer Survey) and is a core part of the LAMP stack used by key web and ecommerce platforms such as Drupal, WordPress, Magento and Shopify. Learn more about Azure's MySQL DBaaS offering in this Azure Database for MySQL Guide.
3. For truly cloud scale "real-time" applications that need to manage high volume, velocity and variety of data across the globe, with ultra-high throughput and speed, ultra-low latency and 99.999% availability (e.g. real-time applications across retail, manufacturing, utilities, FSI, healthcare) you would want to consider Azure Cosmos DB, our multi-model NoSQL platform. Whether you are building a new application or migrating existing Cassandra, MongoDB, Couchbase, HBase or Gremlin deployments. Here is more information on NoSQL use cases and Why Azure Cosmos DB.

Ok, I can think of quite a few use cases for my own organization now, but I have a lot of legacy databases already running so how do I get there, isn't the migration journey going to be complex and risky?

MySQL and PostgreSQL to DBaaS Migration Guidance

Here are some great Azure Database Migration Guides to get you going!

• Migrate MySQL and PostgreSQL to Azure DBaaS Webinar
• Migrate open-source databases to Azure Documentation
• MySQL on-premise/IaaS to Azure MySQL DBaaS Migration
• PostgreSQL on-premise/IaaS to Azure PostgreSQL DBaaS Migration

Oracle DB to PostgreSQL DBaaS Migration Guidance

• Oracle to Azure PostgreSQL DBaaS Migration
• Oracle to Azure PostgreSQL DBaaS Migration Webinar

Here is a more comprehensive article I have written on Migrating Oracle to Azure.

Considering migrating your MongoDB, Cassandra clusters or other NoSQL workloads to Azure DBaaS?

I have written this article on?Migrating Cassandra and MongoDB to Azure DBaaS. Here is a great recording on?MongoDB to Azure Cosmos DB?and a story on why Symantec migrated their Cassandra clusters to Azure.

Ok, so if Azure is such a great platform to run my open source databases and workloads, can you tell me about some of your customers already running OSS DBs on Azure?

Sure! Here are a few customer stories as inspiration.

Azure MySQL DBaaS customers

• HSBC's PayMe App runs on Azure Cosmos DB and MySQL | How we built it
• Geekwire serves 2 million readers globally with Azure Database for MySQL
• Migrating Minecraft Realms from AWS to Azure Database for MySQL
• Tenthline secures modern financial services with Azure Database for MySQL
• Gamepub gaming developer uses Azure MySQL DBaaS
• Linked Brain gaming developer relies on Azure MySQL Flexible Server
• KSL Media reaches 25,000 readers with Azure Database for MySQL
• University of South Africa Learning Management system on Azure MySQL
• Episerver boosts scalability with Azure Database for MySQL

Azure PostgreSQL DBaaS customers

• BNY Mellon uses Azure Database for PostgreSQL Hyperscale & Azure Kubernetes
• Scandinavian Airlines speeds app development and lowers costs with Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• Austrian Railway migrated from Oracle to Azure PostgreSQL
• Transport Authority monitors real-time traffic with PostgreSQL Hyperscale Citus
• Finxact banks on Azure Database for PostgreSQL for core financial services
• Ebiquity uses Azure PostgreSQL DBaaS
• UK Government leverages the built-in geospatial capabilities in Azure PostgreSQL
• eSports leader Cloud9 powers their gaming with Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• The Microsoft Windows Team relies on PostgreSQL Hyperscale/Citus to handle 6M queries a day across 2PB of data with millisecond query response time
• HarvestMark migrated from AWS Aurora to Azure PostgreSQL and Cosmos DB
• Migrating from AWS RedShift to Azure Database for PostgreSQL Hyperscale Citus

For Azure Cosmos DB customers I recommend you read my other article on Common use cases for NoSQL with Azure Cosmos DB. Here are just a few examples: ASOS, DHL, Walgreens, Albertsons, ABN Amro, Munich Re, HSBC, Siemens, Symantec, Mercedes-Benz, Zeiss, Exxon Mobil, Singapore Airlines, NSW Health etc.

If this article has caught your interest and you want to learn more, I would recommend checking out these on-demand webinars:

• Open Source and NoSQL DBaaS on Azure
• OSS and NoSQL DBaaS for Developers
• Oracle to Azure PostgreSQL DBaaS Migration Webinar
• Migrate MySQL/MariaDB and PostgreSQL to Azure DBaaS
• Azure Cosmos DB Webinars

We look forward to see you and your database, regardless of flavor, on Azure soon! :)

Thank you