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First Normal Form - 1NF

The first normal form (1NF) is a rule in relational database design that ensures a table inside a database has a specific structure. This rule helps to avoid redundancy and maintain data integrity. The requirements of the first normal form are as follows:

  1. Atomic Values: Each attribute (column) in a table must contain atomic (indivisible) values. This means each value in a column must be a single value, not a list or set of values.
  2. Unique Column Names: Each column in a table must have a unique name to avoid confusion.
  3. Unique Row Identifiability: Each row in the table must be uniquely identifiable. This is usually achieved through a primary key, ensuring that no two rows have identical values in all columns.
  4. Consistent Column Order: The order of columns should be fixed and unambiguous.

Here is an example of a table that is not in the first normal form:

CustomerID Name PhoneNumbers
1 Alice 12345, 67890
2 Bob 54321
3 Carol 98765, 43210, 13579

In this table, the "PhoneNumbers" column contains multiple values per row, which violates the first normal form.

To bring this table into the first normal form, you would restructure it so that each phone number has its own row:

CustomerID Name PhoneNumber
1 Alice 12345
1 Alice 67890
2 Bob 54321
3 Carol 98765
3 Carol 43210
3 Carol 13579

By restructuring the table this way, it now meets the conditions of the first normal form, as each cell contains atomic values.

 


CockroachDB

CockroachDB is a distributed relational database system designed for high availability, scalability, and consistency. It is named after the resilient cockroach because it is engineered to be extremely resilient to failures. CockroachDB is based on the ideas presented in the Google Spanner paper and employs a distributed, scalable architecture model that replicates data across multiple nodes and data centers.

Written in Go, this database provides a SQL interface, making it accessible to many developers who are already familiar with SQL. CockroachDB aims to combine the scalability and fault tolerance of NoSQL databases with the relational integrity and query capability of SQL databases. It is a popular choice for applications requiring a highly available database with horizontal scalability, such as web applications, e-commerce platforms, and IoT solutions.

 


ActiveX Data Objects - ADO

ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) are a collection of COM-based objects developed by Microsoft to facilitate access to databases across various programming languages and platforms. ADO provides a unified interface for working with databases, allowing developers to execute SQL statements, read and write data, and manage transactions.

The main components of ADO include:

  1. Connection: Establishes a connection to the data source and manages connection properties.
  2. Command: Allows the execution of SQL statements or stored procedures on the data source.
  3. Recordset: Contains a result set from a query or stored procedure and enables traversing and editing of records.
  4. Record: Represents a single record in a recordset.
  5. Field: Represents a single field in a record and allows access to its value.

ADO has often been used in the development of Windows applications, especially in conjunction with the Visual Basic programming language. It provides an efficient way to access and manage databases without developers having to worry about the specific details of database connection.


Active Server Pages - ASP

ASP stands for "Active Server Pages" and is a technology developed by Microsoft for creating dynamic web pages and web applications. It allows developers to create web pages that are dynamically generated on the server side by using scripting languages such as VBScript or JScript.

With ASP, developers can embed server-side scripts directly into HTML documents, allowing them to easily incorporate dynamic content such as database queries, user interactions, and conditional statements. ASP pages typically have the file extension ".asp".

A key component of ASP is the use of ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), which enables developers to access databases to generate dynamic content. This facilitates the development of interactive web applications with database support.

While ASP is still used by some companies, it has largely been superseded by ASP.NET, a more modern and powerful technology for web development from Microsoft. ASP.NET offers improved performance, security, and functionality compared to classic ASP.

 


SQL-Injection - SQLI

SQL injection (SQLI) is a type of attack where an attacker injects malicious SQL code into input fields or parameters of a web page, which is then executed by the underlying database. This attack method exploits vulnerabilities in input validation to gain unauthorized access to or manipulate the database.

An example of SQL injection would be if an attacker enters an SQL command like "OR 1=1" into the username field of a login form. If the web application is not adequately protected against SQL injection, the attacker could successfully log in because the injected SQL command causes the query to always evaluate to true.

SQL injection can have various impacts, including:

  1. Disclosure of confidential information from the database.
  2. Manipulation of data in the database.
  3. Execution of malicious actions on the server if the database supports privileged functions.
  4. Destruction or corruption of data.

To protect against SQL injection attacks, web developers should employ secure programming practices, such as using parameterized queries or ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) frameworks to ensure all user inputs are handled securely. Additionally, it's important to conduct regular security audits and promptly install security patches.

 


Injection

Injection refers to a security vulnerability in an application software where an attacker injects malicious code into a request that is then processed by the application. This code is often in the form of SQL code, shell commands, or other scripts used to gain unauthorized access, manipulate data, or take control of the affected system.

The most common form of injection is SQL injection (SQLI), where attackers inject SQL commands into web forms, URL parameters, or other input fields processed by a web application. Successful SQL injection allows attackers to manipulate database queries and access confidential information.

Other types of injections include Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), where malicious JavaScript code is injected into web pages, and Command Injection, where attackers inject shell commands into an application that are then executed on the server. Injections pose a serious threat to the security of applications and require appropriate security measures such as input validation and the use of parameterized queries to prevent attacks.

 


Amazon Aurora

Amazon Aurora is a relational database management system (RDBMS) developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It's available with both MySQL and PostgreSQL database compatibility and combines the performance and availability of high-end databases with the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of open-source databases.

Aurora was designed to provide a powerful and scalable database solution operated in the cloud. It utilizes a distributed and replication-capable architecture to enable high availability, fault tolerance, and rapid data replication. Additionally, Aurora offers automatic scaling capabilities to adapt to changing application demands without compromising performance.

By combining performance, scalability, and reliability, Amazon Aurora has become a popular choice for businesses seeking to run sophisticated database applications in the cloud.

 


Amazon Relational Database Service - RDS

Amazon RDS stands for Amazon Relational Database Service. It's a managed service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows businesses to create and manage relational databases in the cloud without having to worry about the setup and maintenance of the underlying infrastructure.

RDS supports various types of relational database engines such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server, and Amazon Aurora, giving users the flexibility to choose the database engine that best suits their application.

With Amazon RDS, users can scale their database instances, schedule backups, monitor performance, apply automatic software patches, and more, without dealing with the underlying hardware or software. This makes operating databases in the cloud easier and more scalable for businesses of all sizes.

 


Elastic Compute Cloud - EC2

Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is a core service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that offers scalable computing capacity in the cloud. With EC2, users can create and configure virtual machines (instances) to run various applications, ranging from simple web servers to complex database clusters.

EC2 provides a wide range of instance types with varying CPU, memory, and networking capabilities to suit different workload requirements. These instances can be quickly launched, configured, and scaled, offering the flexibility to increase or decrease resources as needed.

Additionally, EC2 offers features such as security groups for network security, elastic IP addresses for static addressing, load balancers for traffic distribution, and Auto Scaling to automatically adjust the number of instances based on current demand. Overall, EC2 enables businesses to utilize computing resources on-demand in the cloud, facilitating cost optimization and scalability.

 


Asynchronous programming

Asynchronous programming refers to the design and implementation of programs that utilize asynchronous operations to execute tasks independently of one another. This involves starting operations without waiting for their completion, allowing the program to perform other tasks in the meantime.

This programming approach is particularly useful for operations that take time, such as reading data from a remote source, writing to a file, or fetching information from the internet. Instead of blocking the main flow of the program and waiting for the results of these tasks, asynchronous programs can carry out other activities while waiting for these time-consuming tasks to finish.

Asynchronous programming is often employed in situations where parallelism, responsiveness, and efficiency are crucial. Different programming languages and environments offer various techniques to implement asynchronous programming, such as callbacks, promises, Async/Await, or specific libraries and frameworks designed to facilitate and manage asynchronous operations.