Couchbase is launching a version of its namesake NoSQL open source data store that can run on mobile devices, called Couchbase Lite. It is also releasing companion products, Couchbase Sync Gateway, which synchronizes data between a mobile device and a cloud service, and Couchbase Cloud, an online sandbox for developers to try Couchbase Lite.
Developers could use Couchbase Lite to store data for their mobile applications, and use Couchbase Sync Gateway to synchronize the data with back-end supporting services, the company suggests.
Couchbase is a key/value document store that sends and receives data through the JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), a protocol for exchanging information between two systems that is fairly easy for developers to understand and work with.
JSON is particularly useful for applications that periodically send and receive a lot of data, according to the company.
Companies such as McGraw-Hill, Orbitz, LinkedIn, and the Amadeus travel booking service all have used Couchbase.
Currently, there are about 2.3 million mobile application developers worldwide — about 12.6 percent of all developers–and by 2016, that number will double to almost 5 million mobile app developers, predicted analyst firm Vision Mobile.
Couchbase announced the new products at its annual user conference Friday in San Francisco. Couchbase Lite and Couchbase Sync Gateway are available to download, for both Android and Apple iOS devices in beta form. The company has not announced when these products will be commercially available. Couchbase Cloud is available for immediate use.
