so for my current project I had decided to use an external database as it allows me to easily edit and retrieve data as well as migrate the data if necessary.
(I’m currently creating a Discord bot that stores the game activity, money, settings, etc. of all group members from a roblox game and you can interact with it using a Discord bot).
And the question has arisen for me which datastorage I should best use for the project. Normally I use mongodb for Discord bots, but there are also many alternatives (e.g. MySQL, firebase, etc.).
I would highly consider trying to make DataStores work first. You get unlimited data for free, which is by far the best offer you’ll ever get with data. Hosting your own DB can get expensive. If you need to view or edit data visually, consider using the DataStore Editor plugin (disclaimer: it’s my plugin; but very helpful for this sort of stuff).
If you must, then I would consider a few different things. Firstly, how is it hosted? Secondly, what type of data do you need to store? Thirdly, what is your budget? All of these questions might help inform you in terms of actual DB and host.
MongoDB is a good one and easy to use, but you don’t get the same connected structure that you might gain from something like MySQL/MariaDB. But a lot of times, this structure isn’t super necessary for user data in video games. I would stick to whichever is easiest/cheapest for you in most cases.
I would suggest using google sheets, since it already ahs a impressive module made by @.boatbomber you can also correct your data in real time using that!
Google Sheets is not really made to act as a database / data storage (same as trello). I think this could lead to unwanted problems. Especially when you consider that it should hold a minimum of 5,000 entries
I would like to use the Datastore from Roblox, but as far as I know there is no way for my Discord Bot to interact with the data.
Since I already have my own web server, MySQL database and VPS, I think MySQL would probably be the best, especially since I could then build a .php page that forwards data. However, I don’t have any experience with MySQL in relation to Roblox or Discord, so it’s difficult to judge whether it would be worth switching.