1. Document stores: These databases store data in documents, which are typically JSON, BSON, or XML. Examples include MongoDB and CouchDB.
2. Key-value stores: These databases store data as a collection of key-value pairs. Examples include Redis and DynamoDB.
3. Column-family stores: These databases store data in columns rather than rows. Examples include Apache Cassandra and HBase.
4. Graph databases: These databases store data in nodes and edges, making them ideal for representing complex relationships. Examples include Neo4j and Amazon Neptune.
- Flexibility: NoSQL databases can handle unstructured and semi-structured data, making them suitable for a wide range of applications.
- Scalability: NoSQL databases are designed to scale horizontally, allowing them to handle large volumes of data and high traffic loads.
- Performance: NoSQL databases can provide faster read and write operations, making them suitable for real-time applications.
- Lack of standardization: NoSQL databases do not follow a standardized query language, making it difficult to switch between different NoSQL databases.
- Limited transaction support: NoSQL databases typically do not support ACID transactions, which can be a limitation for applications that require strong consistency guarantees.
- Limited query capabilities: NoSQL databases often have limited query capabilities, making it difficult to perform complex queries and aggregations.
In summary, NoSQL databases are a versatile and scalable alternative to traditional relational databases, offering flexibility and performance for modern web applications and big data analytics. However, they also have some limitations that should be considered when choosing a database management system.