RethinkDB is an open source, distributed, and document-oriented database built to store JSON documents and is used to scale multiple machines with very little effort. It's easy to set up and use, and it has a powerful query language that supports advanced queries such as table joins, aggregations, and MapReduce.
This chapter covers major design decisions that have made RethinkDB what it is now including the unique features it offers for real-time application development. We're going to start by looking at the basics of RethinkDB, why it is different, and why the new approach has everybody excited about using it to build the next generation web apps.
In this chapter, you will also learn the following:
Installing the database on Linux and OS X
Configuring it
Running a query using the web interface
The RethinkDB development team provides prepackaged binaries for some platforms, whereas the source code is available on GitHub. You will learn to install the database using both methods. The choice of which type of package to use depends on which one is more appropriate for your system; Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, and OS X users may prefer using the provided binaries, whereas users using different platforms can install RethinkDB by downloading and compiling the source code.