Difference between 4D and Alibaba Cloud ApsaraDB for PolarDB

1. 4th Dimension (4D) : The 4th Dimension is a relational database management system and IDE developed by Laurent Ribardière. 4D can run as a server so that multiple clients can manage a single database. 4D was created in 1984 and had a slightly delayed public release for Macintosh in 1987. It is an application development environment with an integrated database management system. 2. Alibaba Cloud ApsaraDB for PolarDB : The ApsaraDB for PolarDB is a cloud-native relational database compatible with MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle. ApsaraDB architecture supported 5000 physical machines in a single cluster. It is designed for business-critical database applications that require fast performance, high concurrency, and automatic scaling. 
Difference between 4D and Alibaba Cloud ApsaraDB for PolarDB :

S.NO.	4D	Alibaba Cloud ApsaraDB for PolarDB
1.	Developed By 4D, Inc in 1984.	Developed By Alibaba in August 2013.
2.	It is an application development environment with an integrated database management system.	It is a cloud-native relational database compatible with MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Oracle.
3.	Server operating systems for 4D are OS X and Windows.	In Alibaba Cloud ApsaraDB for PolarDB, Hosted server operating systems.
4.	It is not available as a cloud service.	It is available as a cloud service.
5.	It does not support In-memory capabilities	It supports In-memory capabilities.
6.	The programming language supported is PHP.	The programming languages supported are Java and Python.
7.	There is no Partitioning method.	There is only one partitioning method – Sharding.
8.	APIs and other access methods supported are ODBC, RESTful HTTP API and SOAP web-services	APIs and other access methods supported are JDBC and ODBC.
9.	It support only one replication methods – Master-master replication.	It also support replication methods.

	4D	ApsaraDB for PolarDB
Definition	A relational database management system developed by 4D, Inc.	A relational database management system developed by 4D, Inc.
Cloud Deployment	Can be deployed on-premises, in a private cloud, or a public cloud	Deployed on Alibaba Cloud public cloud infrastructure
Scalability	Scalable, but limited by the organization’s own infrastructure and resources	Highly scalable, with automatic scaling of compute and storage resources
Availability	Dependent on the organization’s own infrastructure and resources	Highly available, with built-in replication and failover mechanisms
Security	Security measures designed and implemented by the organization, with full control over data privacy and protection	Offers multiple security features, including data encryption, network isolation, and access control
Use Cases	Suitable for a wide range of use cases, including data warehousing, application development, and web development	Suitable for a wide range of use cases, including online transaction processing, data warehousing, and big data analytics
Pricing Model	Licensing fee based on the number of users and servers	Pay-per-use model, with flexible pricing options based on resource usage