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I have been reading and learning a lot about sqlite & core data for the past few days, and I just can't grasp which method is better for my app? I would prefer to use Core Data because I worked through the Stanford courses on it, and feel like I understand that better. But it also seems like it's not possible to do what I want to do with my app by just using Core Data.

Basically, I'm attempting to mock the system that Twitter uses. What I mean is that users sign up, create a profile, and when they post things, their friends see it in a feed.

Is it possible to create a system like this among a large user base by simply using Core Data? Or do I need to use both Core Data & SQLite?

Thanks!

jakenberg
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To create a shared system like that, you will need a service in the cloud that the devices connect to.

The devices would have to pull data from the cloud service with local storage - especially if you want the data to be visible or usable while they are disconnected. Local storage can also provide better performance.

Concerning CoreData vs SqlLite - CoreData is for iOS only but it gets you going faster and keeps you productive with a nice designer and a nice set of APIs. SqlLite is much lower level giving you direct sql control over your storage and queries. It's certainly possible to write local storage for something like your describing in sqlite or core data.

The other consideration is whether you want to share that storage code (schema/queries/etc...) across other platforms eventually like Windows Phone, Android, etc... Sqllite is cross platform and works great on devices and desktops. In some scenarios, the store it self (the data file) could be portable across devices platforms.

Depending on the complexity of your storage and whether you want to share some of that across devices or just code separately is a consideration. There is no one right answer here.

bryanmac
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  • I had a feeling that I needed to watch the iCloud lessons at Stanford to complement the Core Data lesson. Thank you so much! – jakenberg Dec 15 '12 at 00:14
  • For the cloud, keep in mind that iCloud is more about an individual saving there documents between devices etc... Instead, look into things like node.js, azure, amazon, Heroku, ruby on rails, asp.net mvc etc... – bryanmac Dec 15 '12 at 00:16
  • twitter uses ruby on rails but Java for search: http://engineering.twitter.com/2011/04/twitter-search-is-now-3x-faster_1656.html – bryanmac Dec 15 '12 at 00:19
  • Also, for quick cloud storage, check out parse.com – bryanmac Dec 15 '12 at 00:20
  • Well, I really don't want to learn a whole new language just so I can use a database. I'm supposed to launch an app that I'm building by the end of next week. – jakenberg Dec 15 '12 at 06:36
  • parse.com might be your fastest cloud storage option. They have an iOS simple API where you can simply save objects to the cloud (that other devices can then pull down). hope that helps – bryanmac Dec 15 '12 at 14:41