Beginning CouchDB

The new world of cloud computing needs data storage. CouchDB is the scalable, portable, simple database engine that is helping open source cloud architects put their data stores onto a firm foundation. Beginning CouchDB provides the tools to begin using this very powerful database engine without having to pay license fees for the software, or worry about administrator’s certifications or vast hardware requirements. This book teaches the fundamentals of one of the most powerful database engines ever created for the price of a good lunch. After reading this book and working through the examples, you’ll be able to write your own applications for CouchDB quickly and easily.

• In-depth, non-intimidating guide to CouchDB and how it differs from similar offerings such as SimpleDB and BigTable, and also how it differs from traditional relational and object-oriented databases such as Oracle, SQL Server, and MySQL.
• Detailed explanation of how CouchDB works, its suitability for use in distributed environments, the role of Erlang, and other technical topics in a manner that does not obfuscate methods or results. JavaScript is extremely popular as a development language for CouchDB. No Erlang is required, but a little bit can’t hurt either.
• A tutorial-oriented approach to teaching readers how to use CouchDB, featuring many code examples and listings, as well as screenshots where relevant.

What you’ll learn

• How to install CouchDB on Linux, Unix, Mac OS X, or Windows and enjoy its portability
• How to use the CouchDB database and document-oriented databases, and the differences between document-oriented and traditional database management systems
• How to use Futon, the administration interface for CouchDB
• How to create and manage a basic CouchDB database
• Intermediate CouchDB concepts, including views, the REST API, JSON, map/reduce, load balancing, replication, and scalability
• How to develop full CouchDB applications to get the reader up and running with CouchDB development as quickly as possible

About the Author

Joe Lennon is a software developer from Cork, Ireland. Joe works for Core International, the largest provider of HR and Payroll software in Ireland. He is an experienced PL/SQL and Oracle systems developer, who specializes in the development of Web applications. He is skilled in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, particularly in JavaScript frameworks such as Prototype, jQuery, YUI and ExtJS. In 2008 he was hired to develop Learn French by Podcast, a highly popular and profitable language-learning website. To date, Joe has written numerous articles for IBM's developerWorks, and regularly writes technical articles and tutorials on his personal blog at joelennon.ie