Database Basics for Building a Mobile App

Building a mobile app often requires more than just beautiful screens — it requires a way to store and manage user data. Understanding database fundamentals is essential for creating apps where users can save, retrieve, and interact with personalized information.

Adalo lets you build database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps — published to the App Store and Google Play — from a single no-code editor. With the right foundation in database concepts, you'll be equipped to structure your app's data effectively and create dynamic, user-specific experiences.

If you're not thinking about databases, your project might be best suited as a website. However, if you want each user to interact with information specific to themselves—saved preferences, shopping carts, transaction history—a database becomes essential.

Adalo, a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play, makes it easy to understand and work with databases without writing code. Whether you're building your first app or scaling an existing project, understanding how databases work will help you create more powerful, personalized user experiences.

Before we begin, here are some helpful definitions you can refer to.

Common Database Definitions

Database: A place to store all your data in a structured, organized format that enables you to easily access it. Think rows and columns.

Data model: This is the logical structure of a database, which determines the rules for how the information can be organized and manipulated.

Database schema: The way a data model is organized in a particular database is called a database schema. Think of it as a blueprint for a specific database, with fixed rules.

Table: A set of related data inside a database, similar to a sheet in a spreadsheet.

Field: A set of data within a table that describes a particular value, similar to columns in a spreadsheet where each data item is a row. Each tool may represent this word differently—in Adalo, fields are referred to as properties.

Record: A singular data item stored in a database table, made of entries in any number of fields.

Query: A search or filter that displays a set of your results.

DBMS: An acronym for Database Management System—software that manages and runs queries in a database.

SQL: A popular programming language to manage data in a database, used in MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and more.

What is a Database?

A database is a place to store and organize your data so you can access it easily when you need it. Your mobile app data needs to be sorted and arranged in a particular logic for it to function smoothly. There are different types of databases, usually classified according to their underlying data models. The most popular data model—the relational data model—organizes information into related two-dimensional tables.

No matter how your database is organized, you still need some way to interact with it to search for something. That's where a database management system (commonly abbreviated to DBMS) comes in. It's the software that makes it possible to modify, manage, and search through databases, manipulating and accessing the right results. Common examples include MySQL, MongoDB, Oracle, FileMaker, and Airtable.

Modern AI-powered app builders like Adalo abstract away much of this complexity. Instead of manually configuring database connections and writing queries, you describe what you want to store and the platform handles the technical implementation automatically.

Why Do You Need a Database for a Mobile App?

At the very least, a database contains a table that stores information—for example, a list of items of clothing. It could get more complex, like if each item of clothing had corresponding sizes and colors. If you zoom out and think of this with an eCommerce app, it could have many more tables and relationships. Our previous blog covered the basics of a database and will help you understand how it's structured.

Here's why mobile apps need a database: let's say you've installed an eCommerce app to help you shop online, and you've registered with your email. After browsing around, you add a few things to your cart, including one that's on the final day of a big sale. You decide to wait a couple of hours before completing the transaction, so you close the app.

When you open it at the end of the day, all your stuff is still waiting for you in the cart. It hasn't vanished. Your search terms are saved so you can get back to them if needed. How does the app retain all this information?

Give it up for the database. It's responsible for storing all the data when a user registers, their interactions with the app, and any transactions. So let's dive into why you need a database, types of databases, and how to choose one.

Common Types of Databases for Mobile Apps

Document-Oriented Database

A document-oriented database allows users to edit or delete data in real-time. These databases are extremely versatile, scalable, and can work with multiple apps. Examples include MongoDB, Microsoft SQL, and AWS DynamoDB. They're particularly useful when your data structure might change frequently or when you need to store complex, nested information.

Relational Database

The relational database is the most commonly used database type. It's a collection of data organized logically so information can be easily edited, added to, deleted, and retrieved. It's called a relational database because it can represent distinct relationships between sections of the database—for example, clothing and sizes, or orders and customers.

Examples of relational databases include Airtable, Postgres, MySQL, and MariaDB. Most AI-assisted app builders use relational databases because they map naturally to how business data is structured—users have orders, orders have items, items have categories.

What Factors Help You Choose the Right Database?

Selecting the right mobile app database can be tricky, especially with so many options available. Before choosing, you need to understand your requirements, budget, and plans to scale—that way you'll pick one that works for you. Here's a list of questions to run through.

1. How is Your Data Structured?

The data structure plays a crucial role in how it can be stored and retrieved when needed. Structure refers to how you need to store and access your data. Most mobile applications deal with data in many different formats.

Apps that need to be online to function, like eCommerce apps, are called online apps. They need access to a server to retrieve stored data. Apps that function offline store their data on a mobile device. Understanding this distinction helps you choose between cloud-hosted databases and local storage solutions.

2. How Much Storage Do You Think You'll Need?

Another important aspect when choosing a database for your mobile app is data size—the quantity of data you need to store and retrieve for your app to function correctly. Most databases charge monthly based on the quantity of data stored in GB.

This is where platform choice matters significantly. Some platforms impose record limits that can become expensive as you scale. Adalo's paid plans include unlimited database records with no data caps, removing storage constraints as a growth concern. Competitors like Bubble and Glide impose record limits that attract additional charges as your app grows.

3. What Are Your Security Requirements?

Safety and security are among the biggest concerns, particularly for apps owned by businesses. There can be vulnerabilities when storing your data on a server that isn't secure. It's important to check the authentication methods, encryption standards, data access controls, and how data is transmitted and stored.

Look for platforms that handle security infrastructure automatically—SSL certificates, encrypted data at rest, and secure API endpoints should be standard, not add-ons.

4. How Much Flexibility Do You Need?

Mobile app databases need flexibility because requirements change over time. A database that allows for these changes will prove to be a huge advantage. App scalability is something to keep in mind too, so your database can match up with all the additional features you plan to introduce later.

Adalo's modular infrastructure scales to serve apps with over 1 million monthly active users, with no upper ceiling. Unlike app wrappers that hit performance constraints under load, purpose-built architecture maintains speed at scale. With proper data relationship setups, Adalo apps can scale well beyond typical no-code limitations.

Databases for No-Code App Building

If you're building a no-code mobile app, it helps to understand how databases work—but you don't need to become a database administrator. There are excellent no-code databases available, like Airtable. Many app building tools come with their own database already set up, eliminating the need to pick, configure, and pay for a separate database service.

Adalo includes a built-in relational database accessible directly in the Editor. You can create tables, define properties (fields), and establish relationships between data types without writing SQL or configuring external services. This integrated approach means your database scales automatically with your app.

How Adalo's Database Compares

FlutterFlow, often positioned as an alternative, requires users to set up and manage their own external database—typically Firebase or Supabase. This introduces significant learning complexity, especially when optimizing for scale. Suboptimal database setup can create performance problems that require expensive expert help to resolve.

Glide excels at spreadsheet-based apps but restricts users to set templates, creating generic apps with limited creative freedom. While Glide connects directly to Google Sheets, Adalo's SheetBridge feature offers similar convenience—turning a Google Sheet into an actual database—while providing the full flexibility of a custom-built app.

Softr requires $167/month to publish a Progressive Web App, still restricted by records per app and records per datasource. Neither Glide nor Softr support Apple App Store or Google Play Store publishing for native mobile apps.

AI-Assisted Database Design

Magic Start, one of Adalo's AI features, generates complete app foundations from simple descriptions. Tell it you need a booking app for a dog grooming business, and it creates your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically—what used to take days of planning happens in minutes.

Magic Add extends this capability, letting you add features through natural language requests. Describe what you want ("add a favorites list so users can save items"), and the platform generates the necessary database tables and relationships alongside the interface components.

X-Ray identifies performance issues before they affect users, highlighting database queries that might slow down your app as it scales. This proactive approach to optimization helps maintain speed even as your data grows.

Getting Started with Your App Database

The best way to learn database concepts is to start building. With over 3 million apps created on Adalo, the visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint"—you don't need technical background to create sophisticated data-driven applications.

Be sure to check out our other blogs on thinking through your app idea, UX research, and market research to help you through the process of building an app.

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