Skip to content
FLAVIO COPES
flaviocopes.com
2026

Learn databases

A free learning path through 57database tutorials on this site.

Almost every application needs to store data somewhere, and that somewhere is usually a database. Knowing how databases work, and how to talk to them with SQL, is one of the most useful skills you can learn as a developer.

This page organizes my database tutorials into a learning path. Start with the fundamentals to understand the relational model, then learn SQL, and finally pick a database like PostgreSQL or SQLite and go hands-on.

~~~

Free resources

~~~

Start here: database fundamentals

What a database is, when you need one, and the theory behind relational databases.

  1. What is a Database? And a DBMS?
  2. Do you always need a database for your app?
  3. Data models
  4. Introduction to the ER Data Model
  5. The Relational Model
  6. Relational Databases
~~~

Learn SQL

The language of relational databases: creating tables, inserting and querying data, joins, and views.

  1. Introduction to SQL
  2. SQL, creating a table
  3. SQL, adding data to a table
  4. SQL, how to use SELECT
  5. SQL, how to update data
  6. SQL, how to update a table structure
  7. SQL, how to delete data and tables
  8. SQL, handling empty cells
  9. SQL, Unique and Primary keys
  10. SQL Joins
  11. SQL Views
~~~

PostgreSQL

My go-to relational database: installing it, managing users and databases, and where to host it.

  1. Introduction to PostgreSQL
  2. How to install PostgreSQL on macOS
  3. How to create a PostgreSQL database
  4. PostgreSQL User Permissions
  5. PostgreSQL vs MySQL, a comparison
  6. Where to host a PostgreSQL database
~~~

SQLite and MySQL

SQLite is the simplest database you can use, and MySQL is one of the most popular. The basics of both.

  1. How to install SQLite on macOS
  2. How to create an empty SQLite database
  3. How to install MySQL on macOS
  4. Creating a user on MySQL
  5. MySQL User Permissions
~~~

NoSQL and databases in practice

Beyond relational: MongoDB, ORMs like Prisma, and practical topics like storing passwords safely.

  1. The MongoDB basics tutorial
  2. How MongoDB is different from a SQL database
  3. How to use Prisma
  4. Prisma relations
  5. How to store passwords in the database
  6. Astro SSR with D1 and Drizzle ORM
~~~

database tools

Free browser-only tools to practice and get things done faster.

~~~

More database tutorials

This learning path is a curated selection. Browse all 57 database tutorials on this site.