Introduction

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Cloud:

Couldn't I just access a database without Cloud?

Yes, you could, but Cloud makes it easy to access the information that you need, despite which database engine you may actually be using. Also, Cloud increases the security of your application by intelligently escaping your queries for you. Programming with Cloud helps to make your application more seamless.

Why do all of the drivers provide the same interface? Aren't all of the database engines different?

Having lots of different interfaces is useful, but it is also difficult to manage, both as a front-end and back-end programmer. Having a consistent interface for information allows for the database engine to be changed on-the-fly, without needing to reference external documentation. Most of the features in each of the database drivers pair up one-to-one with the other drivers, and we're constantly working to improve on that.

Driver XYZ doesn't expose feature ABC. How can I access it?

Unfortunately, Cloud doesn't allow you to access features of databases that aren't consistent across all platforms. Though it may be exposed in the future, it likely isn't available.

Why is using Cloud better than writing custom implementations?

There are multiple reasons. Cloud...

...takes advantage of multiple optimization techniques in each database engine to make your code run as quickly as possible. ...increases your application's security by ensuring that SQL injection is impossible and by providing built-in and external security functionality, such as encryption, internal class security, and SSL support. ...writes a lot of the tricky code for you. You don't need to know the specifics of a database engine to write code for Cloud; we pour over the documentation for each engine before it's implemented to ensure that our implementation is as sturdy as possible. ...warns you when your code is being inefficient or is causing problems. We're able to tell you when something isn't quite right.

Why aren't all of the Cloud drivers open source?

Some of the less popular drivers are sold by Serverboy Software as closed-source components. You will not find them on this project page. These drivers allow entities to connect to special purpose databases effectively and safely (just as with the open source drivers).