What is a DBMS?

A Database Management System (DBMS) is software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture, store, and retrieve data. It provides an interface between users/applications and the database, handling data storage, security, backup, and concurrency. Types: Relational DBMS (RDBMS) — MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server; NoSQL DBMS — MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis; NewSQL — CockroachDB, Google Spanner. Key functions: data definition (DDL), data manipulation (DML), transaction management, and access control.