nosql
n.n. a type of database that does not use the traditional table-based system. It is often used for handling very large amounts of data or information that does not fit into a simple list.
n. a category of database management systems that provides a mechanism for storage and retrieval of data modelled in means other than the tabular relations used in relational databases. Often used for real-time web applications and big data processing.
The developer chose a NoSQL database to handle the unstructured social media data.
Because the application required high scalability and a flexible schema, the team migrated from a traditional SQL server to a NoSQL solution.
While relational databases excel at maintaining ACID compliance for complex transactions, NoSQL architectures are frequently preferred for distributed systems where horizontal scaling and high availability are the primary technical requirements.
An initialism for Not Only SQL, formed from the negative particle and the initialism for Structured Query Language. The term was popularised following a 2009 conference organised by Johan Oskarsson to discuss non-relational databases.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Often used as a modifier before another noun (e.g., 'NoSQL database', 'NoSQL technology').
Last updated July 22, 2026