NoSQL · WebGlossary.info · Uncover Your Unknowns in Web Development

A database that provides a mechanism for storage and retrieval of data that is modeled in means other than the tabular relations used in relational databases. Such databases have existed since the late 1960s, but the name “NoSQL” was only coined in the early 21st century. NoSQL databases are increasingly used in big data and real-time web applications. NoSQL systems are also sometimes called “Not only SQL” to emphasize that they may support SQL-like query languages, or sit alongside SQL databases in polyglot persistent architectures. Motivations for NoSQL include: simplicity of design, simpler “horizontal” scaling to clusters of machines, finer control over availability, and limiting the object-relational impedance mismatch. The data structures used by NoSQL databases (e.g., key–value, column, graph, or document) are different from those used by default in relational databases, making some operations faster in NoSQL. ← Wikipedia