Introducing NoSQL Databases
Learn NoSQL database concepts, their comparisons to SQL databases, advantages and disadvantages, and use cases.
What are NoSQL databases?
NoSQL database is a type of database that stores and manages data differently from traditional relational (SQL) databases. The term NoSQL means “not only SQL” (a.k.a. non-SQL), showing that these databases offer other ways to work with data beyond just tables and rows.
Popular NoSQL databases include MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis, Amazon DynamoDB, Neo4j, Elasticsearch, and Firebase Realtime Database.
When should you use NoSQL databases?
NoSQL databases are ideal when:
Our data is dynamic or evolving, e.g., when we’re building applications like real-time analytics, content management, IoT, or social networks.
We need to store data that doesn’t have a clear structure, such as images, videos, audio files, emails, or social media posts.
Our application requires high
throughput This refers to the amount of data or tasks a system can handle in a given period of time. low latency It refers to the ability of a system to ensure fast response times for user interactions and data processing. We need to
scale horizontally This means adding more machines (servers) to handle increased data or traffic.
NoSQL databases are flexible. Based on the application's needs, they allow storing data in different formats like documents, key-value pairs, wide-columns, or graphs, without needing a fixed table structure. Known for their high performance, NoSQL databases are optimized for fast read and write operations, making them ideal for real-time applications. Additionally, these databases can scale easily without relying on a single, powerful server.
SQL vs. NoSQL: Key differences
Consider storing information about a person, such as their name and age. Let’s look at a visual example to understand the basic difference between SQL and NoSQL databases.