Database requirements of social networking or blogging site

sory , but i have one doubt too . take my qestion also

do we need database for blogging.

@ Sarvesh:

Let me try to answer your query. The first thing is to decide the scope and scalability of the social networking site. For example, if you're making a social networking site for a college; you'll only cater to few thousand logins and only a few multiple simultaneous sessions. However, with a large social networking site, you'll need to span your database to multiple database servers.

Let's assume that you are trying to setup a multi-blog site or a social networking site which caters to few thousand users. A simple MySQL database would do your job. MySQL is free and highly scalable and with few tweaks, it can even be made to perform faster at higher efficiencies.

Typically, you'll need to consider following aspects before you make a selection for your database to a multi-blog site or a social network:

1. Typical number of users you'd expect [Open Site vs. closed/limited access site]
2. Technology expertise: Do you have necessarily skillset to setup MySQL database for larger websites.
3. Budget: Most important 😀

I hope this helps. I invite other CEans to contribute to this thread.

Best,

Thanks a lot Biggie

1. i want make a site open to all around the world to join that means the number of users can be very large( something like orkut/facebook/xanga)

2. I have learned MySQL though I am not expert in that
But then what do you mean by having the skillset to setup database for larger websites
i mean does it involves anything other configuration of settings or set of commands to be used for larger sites than it is in case of creating a new small database?

3 Yes you are right budget is the most important aspect after all
so can you brief me on the typical budget estimates for startup, then going forward with the increasing number of users(you can take an example for all the components required like domain, webspace , database cost, etc)

sarveshgupta

Thanks a lot Biggie

1. i want make a site open to all around the world to join that means the number of users can be very large( something like orkut/facebook/xanga)

The best way is to start with a typical mysql setup and go on adding more servers as required. This approach will save you lot of costs in the initial stages. Even facebook runs on mysql (which has been tweaked to no limits by their engineers). You can easily manage about 1500-2000 simultaneous users (logged in at same time) with one instance of MySQL and a powerful dedicated server.

sarveshgupta

2. I have learned MySQL though I am not expert in that
But then what do you mean by having the skillset to setup database for larger websites
i mean does it involves anything other configuration of settings or set of commands to be used for larger sites than it is in case of creating a new small database?

Yes, setting up a large database to handle 5-6k simultaneous logins is not an easy task for a newbie. It's true that you can do it easily with the help of a good web host, load balancer and 2-3 dedicater servers. Yes, it does involve tweaks & twists to setup a large database for optimum performance. I believe with MYSQL, it isn't a very complicated task as MYSQL has proven its capabilities in handling very large databases. However, the calling scripts [php, cgi, JS or whatever] will have to be optimized. Overall, running a huge website has its own engineering challenges which are difficult to guess at the start. The best way is to find out the solutions as and when the problem arises.

sarveshgupta

3 Yes you are right budget is the most important aspect after all
so can you brief me on the typical budget estimates for startup, then going forward with the increasing number of users(you can take an example for all the components required like domain, webspace , database cost, etc)

If you have read my articles on how to setup a website, you'd know that the expenses in purchasing a domain & web space are not huge. A domain costs about $10 or less per year and the web-space rent depends on its size and the web host. In my opinion, it'd be foolish to start directly with a dedicated server or even a VPS (Virtual Private Server).

I recommend a site should start with an awesome web-host in a shared environment. It's a HUGE cost saver. Then go on adding bandwidth and web-space as the website demands.

Database (if MYSQL) is free of cost. The biggest expenditure in setting up a website is the web-space. However, with good shared hosting account, the monthly expenses won't exceed (rather, should not exceed) $20.

I may not be able to give you an estimate of startup as it involves lot of other factors: Employee expenses, systems, networking, office space, furniture et al.

Thanks Biggie

What are the key components of the database that must be taken care of for such a site..

Is it good to make such a site in dotnet or should i prefer php/java

sarveshgupta

Thanks Biggie

What are the key components of the database that must be taken care of for such a site..

How many users are you planning to start with? If it's a fresh start with just one user, just install MYSQL and you are ready to go.

sarveshgupta

Is it good to make such a site in dotnet or should i prefer php/java

PHP is easy, powerful & used on large websites.