Hadoop vs. Traditional Databases: Which One is Right for Your Business?

Hadoop vs. Traditional Databases: Which One is Right for Your Business?
March 20 2025

Our ultra-connected world today generates huge amounts of data at an increasing rate. This is why big data analytics has emerged as a highly effective tool for businesses that want to harness massive amounts of data to gain profit and competitive advantages. Within the large data explosion, Hadoop, as a cloud-based on-premise or cloud-based system, is widely marketed as the perfect solution to big data business issues. Although analyzing large data using Hadoop development services has been able to live up to many of the claims, there are some situations in which running the applications using a traditional database might be the best option.

For businesses conducting a big data platform comparison to determine which features are best suited to their big data usage requirements, here are a few important points to address when deciding between Hadoop data management​, including Hadoop development services, and a traditional database.

What is Hadoop?

As the world gets more heavily reliant on data warehouses than before, a significant challenge is being solved to deal with the explosion of data warehouses. Traditional frameworks for managing data warehouses currently serve to handle the huge amount of data we have today. Fortunately, a rapidly changing technology landscape is altering the meaning of. But, we typically deal with data on a massive scale. The Hadoop Database isn’t a sort of data but a software system that can enable massively parallel computation. It’s an enabler for bound types of NoSQL distributed databases (such as HBase), which could let data spread over several servers with minimal performance loss.

Benefits of Hadoop Development Services

Apache Hadoop uses parallel processing methods to spread the processing among multiple servers to ensure speed. It also processes data that is stored locally instead of having to move it over a network. In addition to the well-known benefits, Hadoop development services have numerous other advantages that aren’t so evident. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Scalable

A rise in data generation and gathering is often viewed as a bottleneck for Big Data analysis. Many businesses face the problem of keeping data in a single platform that gives them one consistent view. Hadoop clusters are an efficient and scalable storage platform. They can store and distribute files across hundreds of low-cost servers. They also offer the possibility of sizing to the size of the network by adding more nodes. This lets companies run their applications on thousands of nodes and process thousands of terabytes.

Cost Effective

Hadoop clusters have proved to be an extremely efficient way to expand the number of datasets. They’re designed to expand infrastructure that allows for the storage of the entire business’s data and its utilization later. This helps save expenses and enhances storage capacity tremendously.

Resilient and Highly Available

Hadoop is a robust and fault-tolerant platform. HDFS makes three copies of the complete file across three computers to ensure that if a computer goes offline, it will have two copies. This HDFS (high availability) configuration helps protect the cluster from planned and unexpected downtime. It also protects against single-point failure of the master node (the NameNode, JobTracker, and ResourceManager).

Flexible

Hadoop’s built-in protection against failures, combined with the use of commonplace hardware, makes it attractive. It lets enterprises save and record different types of data, such as documents, videos, images, and other types of data. These data are also available for analysis and processing. This flexibility lets businesses increase and modify their data analysis processes.

Enhances Speed

Hadoop is built upon HDFS and MapReduce. HDFS is a data storage system, and MapReduce processes the data simultaneously. The storage technique is built on a distributed file system that transforms data stored within the network. MapReduce is typically stored on the same servers, enhancing the data processing speed. If your business has to deal with huge amounts of unstructured data, Hadoop can handle hundreds of terabytes in just a few minutes.

Disadvantages of Hadoop

As the foundation of many applications, Hadoop is almost synonymous with large data. Here are some disadvantages of Hadoop development services:​

Security Concerns

Management of complex applications like Hadoop isn’t easy. An example is the Hadoop security model, which is not enabled by default due to its complexity. If the person who manages the platform doesn’t know how to turn it on, your data could be in danger. Hadoop can also not use encryption at both the storage and network levels, which is a significant attraction for government agencies and other organizations who want to shield their information under the radar.

Vulnerable By Nature

The nature of Hadoop makes it very risky regarding security. It is built entirely in Java, which is among the most used but controversial programming languages. Java is frequently targeted by cybercriminals and has been implicated in numerous security breaches.

Not Fit for Small Data

While big data isn’t only designed for large-scale companies, not all data platforms suit small-scale data needs. Tragically, Hadoop happens to be one of the few. Because of its capacity-intensive design, the Hadoop Distributed File System is unable to enable random file reading. Therefore, it’s not a good choice for companies with smaller amounts of data.

Potential Stability Issues

As with other open-source programs, Hadoop development services have had its fair share of stability issues. To avoid issues like these, businesses are strongly advised to ensure they’re running the most current stable version or running it with a third-party vendor capable of handling these issues.

General Limitations

The article presents solutions to Apache Flume, MillWheel, and Google’s Cloud Dataflow. All three platforms share the capacity to enhance the efficacy and accuracy of data collection, integration, and aggregation. The primary point that it emphasizes is that organizations might miss out on huge benefits from using Hadoop alone.

What is a Traditional Database?

The traditional database stores data in tables and includes several rows and columns. They are based on SQL or structured query language that allows access to and updates the information stored in the database. The primary distinction between the two choices is the software used for programming and the operation process. This will examine the main distinctions between the two options and which is the best for your business. It is crucial to determine which program will be the most effective to ensure your database for your firm is adequately maintained and you can earn profit continuously from your business.

Advantages of Traditional Database Management

Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) provide numerous benefits, making them popular across various industries and applications. Here are a few main advantages of traditional management of databases:

Data Structure

They arrange data into tables using columns and rows, providing an organized and consistent method of managing and storing information. This design facilitates access, retrieval, or manipulation of information.

Data Integrity

They guarantee data integrity with restrictions like the primary key, foreign keys, or unique restrictions. This ensures that data is accurate and consistent and prevents the emergence of invalid or duplicate information.

Data Relationships

They permit the creation of connections between tables with foreign and primary keys. This feature allows the data of different tables to become linked, which makes it easier to search for and analyze relevant information.

Querying and Reporting

They offer strong query language (e.g., SQL) that lets users quickly retrieve specific information from databases. This ease of use and flexibility simplify creating reports and gaining insight from the data.

Data Security

They provide robust security features to guard sensitive information. Access control options permit administrators to set users’ permissions and block access to data for anyone who is not authorized.

Scalability

They can handle huge amounts of data and scale up to handle the growing size of both the user and data demands. Many RDBMS platforms provide high-availability options and clustering, which ensures the system’s availability even in times of high demand.

ACID Transactions

They can support ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and the ability to last) transactions, which ensure that database operations are safe and that data is in a constant state, regardless of failure.

Disadvantages of Traditional Database Management

Although Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) have many benefits, they have drawbacks. Here are a few shortcomings of the traditional management of databases:

Scalability Limitations

Traditional database management can encounter problems when dealing with massive datasets and large volumes of transactions. As the volume of data grows, the processing capacity of an RDBMS will decrease, requiring attentive database design and optimization to maintain effectiveness.

Complex Design

Creating a relational database schema isn’t easy, particularly for complex and large-scale applications. Ensure that the database is properly normalized and has proper relationships between tables, which can take a long time and require considerable skills.

Fixed Schema

They are based on a fixed schema, which means the database schema is established prior to. Adding new columns or changing the schema usually requires modifications to the existing application, which could be time-consuming and cause delays when updating.

Performance Bottlenecks

Certain operations, including complicated joins, could cause performance bottlenecks in RDBMS, particularly with large data sets. A proper indexing strategy and query optimization are essential to avoid these problems.

High Overhead

They usually have more than other NoSQL databases. The requirement for normalizing data, transactions, and referential integrity enforcement could lead to increased storage needs and slow performance.

Cost

A few traditional and commercial database management solutions can be costly, particularly when it comes to maintenance, licensing, and hardware requirements. While open-source alternatives such as MySQL and PostgreSQL exist, implementing and managing traditional database management is still costly.

Difference Between Hadoop Development Services and Traditional Relational Database

The distinction between the Hadoop development services and traditional relational databases lies in their data model, architecture, model, and intended usage scenarios:

Architecture

Traditional Relational Databases: These databases are usually built around a client-server structure, which stores data in tables with defined schemas. They are designed for processing transactions and structured data.

Hadoop Database (HDFS): Hadoop software is specifically designed to support large-scale processing and storage of huge amounts of data over hardware clusters that are common to all. It comprises HDFS for storage and frameworks such as MapReduce and Apache Spark for distributed processing.

Data Model

Traditional Relational Databases: Relational databases are based on an organized, schema-based data model, in which the data is organized in tables with columns and rows. They guarantee data integrity with restrictions like principal keys and foreign keys, as well as referential integrity.

Hadoop Database (HDFS): Hadoop does not impose an exact schema initially and can work with various kinds of data, such as semi-structured, structured, and unstructured data. It permits schema-on-read to be applied, meaning it can be used during data retrieval, not during data ingestion.

Use Cases

Traditional Relational Databases: The traditional relational database is suitable for applications that require ACID (Atomicity Consistency, Isolation Durability) conformance, such as transaction processing systems, financial applications, and applications that require intricate joins and queries.

Hadoop Database (HDFS): Hadoop is well-suited to analyzing and processing large amounts of data. This includes large-scale data analysis, data warehouse and log processing, and machine learning programs. It is a great choice for scenarios that require large data velocity, variety, and volume.

Scalability and Cost

Traditional Relational Databases: It can be scaled vertically when paired with higher-end hardware; however, it could be limited regarding scalability and cost-effectiveness in large datasets.

Hadoop Database (HDFS): Hadoop provides horizontal scaling by adding standard equipment to the cluster, which makes it affordable for storing and processing huge amounts of data. It can scale easily to keep up with the growing volume of data.

The best time to pick one over the other:

  • Choose a relational traditional database: To meet your requirements for ACID compliance, complicated transaction processing, strict data consistency, and structured data storage.
  • Select Hadoop development services: If you store, process, and analyze vast volumes of various data types, including semi-structured or unstructured data. It is suitable for large-scale data analytics, big data lakes, batch processes, and distributed computing applications where the ability to scale and adapt is crucial.

Conclusion

The above analysis suggests that Hadoop is a superior method for managing Big Data compared to traditional databases. The volume of data is increasing every day, so finding an efficient method for managing such a huge volume of data is overwhelming. Storage and analysis in Big Data are more convenient using the Hadoop development services over traditional databases.

The Hadoop framework software is open source and devoted to massively distributed, scalable, and high-performance computing on a large scale. This framework splits large amounts of data into smaller, parallelizable sets and manages the scheduling map for each component to an intermediate value. It is robust, reliable, and scalable, with thousands of nodes and petabytes of data currently being used in the production, development, and testing environments, as well as various implementation options. If you want to hire Hadoop developers​, you can always contact Fullestop for perfect development solutions!

FAQs

What types of relationships are available in databases?

A database may have many kinds of relationships, which can be described as follows:

  • One-to-one relationship
  • One-to-many relationships
  • Many-to-many relationships

What type of database is Hadoop?

Technically speaking, Hadoop is not a database like SQL or RDBMS. Instead, the Hadoop framework offers users the option to process data from many different databases. Hadoop is a software-based ecosystem that allows companies to manage enormous amounts of data in a short period of time.

What is the price of Hadoop?

Hadoop is an open-source program that can be downloaded. Users can use it at any time and anywhere and make modifications if necessary.

What is the significant difference between Hadoop and traditional databases?

It can manage both structured and unstructured data. It’s more flexible than the traditional RDBMS when it comes to storing, processing, and organizing data. In contrast to traditional platforms, Hadoop enables multiple analytical methods to analyze the same data simultaneously. It allows for scalability with great flexibility.