Why NoSQL?

NoSQL (which is short for Not Only SQL) consists of technologies that provide storage and retrieval without the tightly constrained models of traditional SQL relational databases. The main motivations behind NoSQL are simplified designs, horizontal scaling, and finer control of the availability of data.

The idea of NoSQL is to break away from the traditional structure of relational databases and allow developers to implement models in ways that more closely fit the data flow needs of their system. NoSQL databases can be implemented in ways that traditional relational databases could never be structured.

There are several different NoSQL technologies, including HBase’s column structure, Redis’s key/value structure, and Virtuoso’s graph structure. However, this book looks at MongoDB and the document model because of the great flexibility and scalability in terms of implementing backend storage for web applications and services. Also, MongoDB is by far the most popular and well supported NoSQL database currently available.