Glossary / Database

What is a database?

A database is an organised store of information that an app can save to, search and update, such as customers, bookings, orders or messages.

You can picture a database as a set of very strict spreadsheets. Each table holds one kind of thing, like bookings, with columns such as date, name and service, and every row is one record.

Unlike a spreadsheet, a database is built for many people using it at once, for finding things quickly among millions of rows, and for rules such as "every booking must belong to a customer".

Most business apps use a relational database, which stores data in linked tables and is queried with SQL. Postgres is the most widely used open-source one.

Every Mythex project can have its own Postgres database, which the agent sets up and fills with the tables your app needs.

Examples

  • A customers table and an orders table linked by customer
  • A bookings table with date, time, service and status

Questions

Can I use Google Sheets as a database?

For small, simple tools it can work. It struggles with many users at once, strict rules about the data, and keeping private rows private. A real database handles those properly.

Do I need to know SQL to use a database?

Not when an AI builder creates and queries it for you. Knowing what tables you need and what each one holds helps you describe your app clearly.

Related terms

  • Postgres
  • Backend
  • Row-level security
  • API

Read next

  • What is a database? (full guide)
  • How to add a database to your app
  • SQL vs NoSQL

All terms · Build an app free