In-Memory Database
An in-memory database (IMDB) is a database management system that primarily relies on main memory for data storage, rather than disk storage. It stores data in RAM, enabling extremely fast data access and processing speeds, often used for real-time applications and high-performance computing. This contrasts with traditional disk-based databases, which persist data to slower storage media.
Developers should use in-memory databases when building applications requiring low-latency data access, such as real-time analytics, caching layers, gaming leaderboards, or financial trading systems. They are ideal for scenarios where speed is critical and data can be recreated or is transient, though some IMDBs also offer persistence options for durability.