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title: "Discussion on \"System Design : SQL vs NoSQL databases\" | Hashnode"
description: "Discussion on \"System Design : SQL vs NoSQL databases\". SQL v/s NoSQL Databases, What sets them apart. System Design series by Nandan Kumar"
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# [System Design : SQL vs NoSQL databases](https://blog.nandan.dev/system-design-sql-vs-nosql-databases?utm_source=hashnode&utm_medium=feed)

SQL v/s NoSQL Databases, What sets them apart. System Design series by Nandan Kumar

Aug 13, 2024 · 3 min read · blog.nandan.dev  
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-   [#system-design](https://hashnode.com/tag/system-design)
-   [#databases](https://hashnode.com/tag/databases)
-   [#sql](https://hashnode.com/tag/sql)
-   [#nosql](https://hashnode.com/tag/nosql)

## Written by

[Nandan Kumar](https://hashnode.com/@sirius93)

@sirius93 · Bangalore, India

  
[View profile](https://hashnode.com/@sirius93)

Software Engineer • Mentor • Tech Speaker

I am Nandan, And you probably know me as a "Software Engineer who "hacked" an Airline to retrieve his luggage". I am a full-time Software Engineer, Tech Speaker, and mentor. I enjoy talking about Web Development, Machine Learning, Natural language Processing, Machine learning Accelerated Mobile Pages, Progressive Web Apps, Cybersecurity, Chatbots, etc. My claim to fame was when I posted a series of tweets on Twitter about data privacy issues on an airline’s website and the tweet got viral for all the good reasons. The story was covered by all major media portals all around the world including BBC, Saudi Gazette, Times of India, Boing Boing, Lallantop etc. and I have been interviewed by some major radio channels and podcasts. In my free time, I like to indulge myself in activities like Photography, Gardening, Snooker, or Boxing. I am a proud owner of many plants, I sometimes talk to them (mostly pep talks).

## Responses 1

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[Vinod Sharma](https://hashnode.com/@vinodsharma)

[Oct 20, 2024](https://hashnode.com/posts/system-design-sql-vs-nosql-databases/66bb9153deef71ff683a6d3d/comment/6714f285f2c8c8c962f6326e)

Excellent article! I have solid experience in SQL but much less information with NoSQL, and this post was incredibly helpful.

Could you explain what you mean by SQL databases being able to scale vertically while NoSQL databases can scale horizontally?

[Nandan Kumar](https://hashnode.com/@sirius93)

[Oct 22, 2024](https://hashnode.com/posts/system-design-sql-vs-nosql-databases/66bb9153deef71ff683a6d3d/comment/6714f285f2c8c8c962f6326e#reply-67176fb1e7b9f32e853b9b06)

Thanks, Vinod Sir for your kind comment.

To answer your question:

SQL databases typically scale vertically, which means that to handle an increased load, you add more resources (like CPU, RAM, or storage) to a single server. This approach is often referred to as "scaling up." While it can improve performance, it has its limits and can become costly as you need more powerful hardware.

On the other hand, NoSQL databases are designed to scale horizontally. This means that instead of adding more resources to a single server, you add more servers to handle the increased load. This approach is known as "scaling out." It allows for better distribution of data and can handle larger amounts of traffic by spreading the load across multiple servers.

In summary, vertical scaling (SQL) involves enhancing the capacity of a single machine, while horizontal scaling (NoSQL) involves adding more machines to distribute the load.

I hope this clarifies the difference! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.