1,2) As so many have pointed out already, this type of data is what relational databases excel at manipulating. Unless you already have a MySQL server running,

1,2) As so many have pointed out already, this type of data is what relational databases excel at manipulating. Unless you already have a MySQL server running, I'd recommend you try PostgreSQL. It offers great performance and scalability. 3) Redis is a great tool in its own right but it's more of a key-value data store than a full fledged database. It's fantastic for caching, tasks queuing or cross application communication.