A document database is a type of NoSQL (non-relational) database that stores data as documents, typically in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format, which is a lightweight and flexible data format. The data is stored in collections, which are similar to tables in a relational database. Each document within a collection can have its own unique structure, which allows for more flexibility and scalability compared to a traditional relational database.
Document databases are designed to handle large volumes of semi-structured or unstructured data, making them a popular choice for applications that involve complex data structures or require the ability to scale horizontally (adding more nodes to a cluster) to handle increasing amounts of data. They are also a good fit for applications that require frequent updates or need to handle large volumes of reads and writes.
One of the key benefits of document databases is their ability to handle complex and dynamic data structures, which can be challenging to model in a traditional relational database. Because each document can have a unique structure, it allows for greater flexibility and ease of development, as changes to the schema do not require alterations to the entire database. Additionally, document databases often have built-in features for handling data replication and distributed data processing, which can improve the performance and scalability of applications.
Popular document databases include MongoDB, Couchbase, and Amazon DocumentDB.