SQL vs NoSQL at a high level
40 min · Intermediate
NoSQL is a family of databases that do not use the relational table model as their main structure; they store data as documents, key-value pairs, wide columns or graphs. Interviewers ask "SQL or NoSQL?" to see whether you can match a database to a problem, not whether one is better.
Topics in this lesson
- Relational vs document, key-value, column and graph stores
- Schema flexibility and vertical vs horizontal scaling
- The CAP theorem in simple terms
- When to pick each, with examples
- Interview questions with model answers
Interview questions this lesson answers
- What is NoSQL?
- What are the main differences between SQL and NoSQL databases?
- What are the types of NoSQL databases?
- What is a document database?
- What is a key-value store and when is it used?
- What is a wide-column store?
- What is a graph database?
- What is schema on write vs schema on read?
- Is schema flexibility always good?
- What is vertical scaling?
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