What exactly is NoSQL? Where is it used actually?

Some of the common types of NoSQL databases are as follows:

• Graph databases: They utilize edges, properties and nodes to connect data rather than foreign keys and tables. Neo4j is a popular example.
• Column-oriented databases: Unlike relational databases which utilize rows to arrange data, they use columns
• Document databases: These databases can be used for various projects and are versatile. MongoDB and CouchDB are the popular examples.
• Multi-model databases: These databases are used for complex projects with multiple data views. Some popular examples are OrientDB and ArangoDB.

NoSQL databases offer several advantages over SQL, some of which are as follows:

• Flexibility: NoSQL databases can access and store various data structures within a database, which also includes unstructured data. This makes it easy to alter data fields. NoSQL also allows you to add attributes and fields.
• Scalability: By adding servers, NoSQL databases can scale horizontally making them suitable for large quantities of data and applications with a lot of traffic. On the other hand, SQL databases scale usually on a singular server vertically and hence can only increase storage with the help of more physical hardware.
• Performance: NoSQL databases can write or read data faster compared to SQL because they store data together. They can alter the database structure and upgrade without downtime.

Some of the best NoSQL databases are as follows:

• MongoDB
• Cassandra
• Redis
• Neo4j
• Amazon DynamoDB
• HBase
• Elasticsearch

NoSQL databases are good for small projects if you need flexibility, scalability, or have unstructured data. But if your needs are simple, like working with organized data, SQL databases might be cheaper and simpler to use.

Some of the advantages of NoSQL databases in software development are as follows:

• Scalability: By adding nodes to a cluster, NoSQL databases can scale horizontally making them suitable for large volumes of data and applications with a lot of traffic
• Flexibility: NoSQL databases do not need a set schema, which makes them adaptable to changing data needs. Businesses do not need to restructure the database schema to alter or add data fields.
• Security: Attacking NoSQL databases is harder as they use encryption to shield data and are dispersed among various servers. Using the replication functionality, reliability of data can be ensured, and it can be accessed during downtimes as the data is stored across multiple servers
• Performance: NoSQL databases provide consistent performance by handling large quantities of data at high speeds.