1. What is NoSQL?

Answer: NoSQL (Not Only SQL) is a category of databases that provide a

mechanism for storing and retrieving data in ways other than relational
databases. It is used for large-scale data storage, high availability, and low-
latency access.
2. What are the types of NoSQL databases?
Answer: The four main types of NoSQL databases are:
 Document-Oriented: MongoDB, CouchDB
 Key-Value Stores: Redis, DynamoDB
 Column-Family Stores: Cassandra, HBase
 Graph Databases: Neo4j, Amazon Neptune
3. What are the advantages of NoSQL over relational databases?
Answer:
 Scalability (horizontal scaling)
 Flexibility with schema design
 High availability and fault tolerance
 Efficient for large volumes of data and complex queries
 Suited for unstructured data
4. What is the CAP Theorem?
Answer: The CAP Theorem states that a distributed database system can only
guarantee two out of the following three properties:
 Consistency (every read gets the most recent write)
 Availability (the system is always available for read/write operations)
 Partition Tolerance (the system continues to function even if a network
partition occurs)
5. What is the difference between NoSQL and SQL?
Answer:
  SQL databases use structured data models with predefined schemas,
while NoSQL databases are more flexible and can handle semi-
structured or unstructured data.
 SQL databases use relational models, while NoSQL databases include
key-value, document, column-family, and graph models.
 SQL is ACID-compliant, while NoSQL can be BASE-compliant (Basically
Available, Soft state, Eventually consistent).
6. What are some examples of NoSQL databases?
Answer: MongoDB, Cassandra, CouchDB, Redis, Neo4j, HBase, Amazon
DynamoDB.
7. What is a document-oriented database?
Answer: A document-oriented database stores, retrieves, and manages
documents (often in JSON, BSON, or XML format). It allows data to be
represented in a more flexible, hierarchical manner. Example: MongoDB.
8. What is a key-value store?
Answer: A key-value store is a NoSQL database where each data element is
stored as a key and its corresponding value. It’s typically used for caching and
session management. Example: Redis.
9. What is a column-family store?
Answer: Column-family stores store data in columns rather than rows. Data is
grouped into families of columns, making them efficient for reading large
datasets. Example: Cassandra, HBase.
10. What is a graph database?
Answer: A graph database is designed for handling highly connected data. It
uses graph structures with nodes, edges, and properties to store and query
relationships between data. Example: Neo4j.
11. What is MongoDB?
Answer: MongoDB is a popular document-oriented NoSQL database that stores
data in BSON (Binary JSON) format. It is known for its flexibility, scalability, and
ease of use.
12. What is Couchbase?
Answer: Couchbase is a distributed NoSQL database that combines the
capabilities of document-oriented and key-value databases. It provides high
performance, scalability, and flexibility.
13. What is Cassandra?
Answer: Cassandra is a distributed, highly scalable, and fault-tolerant column-
family NoSQL database designed for handling large amounts of data across
many commodity servers.
14. What is HBase?
Answer: HBase is an open-source, distributed column-family store built on top
of Hadoop. It is designed for large-scale data storage and real-time read/write
access to large datasets.
15. What is Redis?
Answer: Redis is an in-memory key-value store that is often used as a cache or
a message broker. It supports various data types such as strings, hashes, lists,
sets, and more.
16. What is BASE in NoSQL?
Answer: BASE is an acronym for:
 Basically Available (the system guarantees availability of the data)
 Soft state (the state of the system might change over time, even without
input)
 Eventually consistent (the system guarantees eventual consistency over
immediate consistency)
17. What is Sharding in NoSQL databases?
Answer: Sharding is the process of distributing data across multiple machines
or nodes. This horizontal partitioning ensures that databases can scale
efficiently by adding more nodes as data grows.
18. What is the difference between consistency and availability in NoSQL?
Answer:
 Consistency ensures that all nodes return the same data.
  Availability ensures that the database remains operational and
responsive even if some parts are unavailable.
19. What is partition tolerance?
Answer: Partition tolerance is the ability of a distributed system to continue
functioning despite network partitions or communication breakdowns between
nodes.
20. What is the difference between NoSQL and NewSQL?
Answer: NoSQL databases are designed for scalability and flexibility in handling
unstructured data, while NewSQL databases combine the scalability of NoSQL
systems with the consistency and ACID properties of SQL systems.
21. What is eventual consistency in NoSQL?
Answer: Eventual consistency means that after a period of time, all nodes in a
distributed system will eventually have the same data, even if they may be
inconsistent temporarily.
22. What is a schema-less database?
Answer: A schema-less database means the database does not require a fixed
schema before storing data. Data can be added without predefined structure,
which is common in NoSQL databases like MongoDB.
23. How is indexing done in NoSQL databases?
Answer: NoSQL databases use different indexing techniques. In document
stores like MongoDB, indexes can be created on fields within documents. In
key-value stores, indexes can be created based on the key.
24. What is an ACID property?
Answer: ACID is a set of properties that ensure that database transactions are
processed reliably:
 Atomicity: All operations in a transaction are completed successfully.
 Consistency: The database must be in a consistent state before and after
a transaction.
 Isolation: Transactions do not affect each other.
 Durability: The results of a transaction are permanent.
25. What is a map-reduce operation in NoSQL?
Answer: Map-reduce is a programming model for processing large datasets.
The Map function applies a transformation to data, and the Reduce function
aggregates the transformed data into a result.
26. What is replication in NoSQL?
Answer: Replication is the process of copying and maintaining database
objects, like data or tables, across multiple nodes to ensure high availability
and fault tolerance.
27. What are the different consistency models in NoSQL?
Answer:
 Strong Consistency: Data is always consistent, but it may reduce
availability.
 Eventual Consistency: Data may not be consistent immediately, but it
will be consistent over time.
 Causal Consistency: Operations that are causally related are seen by all
nodes in the same order.
28. What is a primary key in NoSQL databases?
Answer: A primary key in a NoSQL database is a unique identifier for a record
or document. It ensures that each item in the database can be accessed quickly
and uniquely.
29. How is data modeling different in NoSQL compared to SQL?
Answer: In SQL databases, data modeling is based on a relational schema with
tables and constraints. In NoSQL databases, data modeling is more flexible,
often using documents or key-value pairs that don't require a fixed schema.
30. What is data denormalization in NoSQL?
Answer: Data denormalization is the process of combining related data into a
single document or table, reducing the need for joins and making retrieval
faster in NoSQL systems.
31. What is a map-reduce query?
Answer: A map-reduce query involves applying a function to a dataset (map)
and then combining the results (reduce) to get a final answer. It's commonly
used for big data processing.
32. What is a NoSQL schema?
Answer: A NoSQL schema refers to the structure or organization of data in a
NoSQL database. Unlike SQL databases, NoSQL databases often have a flexible
or schema-less structure.
33. What is the difference between MongoDB and Cassandra?
Answer: MongoDB is a document-oriented database, whereas Cassandra is a
column-family store. MongoDB is suitable for handling documents with a
flexible schema, while Cassandra is designed for high write throughput and
horizontal scalability.
34. What is an aggregate in MongoDB?
Answer: An aggregate is a set of operations that processes data records and
returns computed results. The aggregation framework in MongoDB can
perform operations such as filtering, grouping, and sorting.
35. What is a NoSQL database used for?
Answer: NoSQL databases are used for large-scale data storage, handling
unstructured data, high availability, and low-latency queries. They are often
used in real-time applications, content management systems, and big data
processing.
36. What is a column family in Cassandra?
Answer: In Cassandra, a column family is a collection of rows, each of which
contains a set of columns. It's similar to a table in relational databases but
more flexible and optimized for horizontal scaling.
37. What is the role of a master node in Cassandra?
Answer: The master node in Cassandra coordinates the data replication and
partitioning tasks. It handles the read/write requests and ensures that data is
distributed across multiple nodes.
38. What are the most common data structures used in NoSQL?
Answer: The most common data structures in NoSQL databases are:
  Key-Value pairs
 Documents (JSON, BSON)
 Graphs (nodes, edges, relationships)
 Columns (column families)
39. What are secondary indexes in NoSQL?
Answer: Secondary indexes in NoSQL databases are used to create additional
indexing on fields or attributes other than the primary key. They allow efficient
querying on non-primary key attributes.
40. What is a write concern in MongoDB?
Answer: Write concern is a setting in MongoDB that determines the level of
acknowledgment requested from MongoDB for write operations. It can be set
to different levels like acknowledged, unacknowledged, or journaled.
41. How does MongoDB handle large datasets?
Answer: MongoDB handles large datasets using horizontal scaling (sharding),
replica sets for high availability, and data compression techniques to optimize
storage.
42. What is the purpose of a write-ahead log (WAL) in NoSQL databases?
Answer: A write-ahead log ensures that all changes to the database are logged
before being applied to the database, which helps in maintaining durability and
preventing data loss in case of crashes.
43. What is an eventual consistency model?
Answer: Eventual consistency means that after a period of time, all nodes in
the system will eventually reflect the same data, even if temporary
inconsistencies occur.
44. What is a NoSQL database used for in social media platforms?
Answer: NoSQL databases are used in social media platforms for storing user
data, posts, likes, comments, and relationships. They offer the scalability and
flexibility required to handle large amounts of unstructured and rapidly
changing data.
45. What is a hot backup in NoSQL?
Answer: A hot backup is a backup that can be performed while the NoSQL
database is still running, ensuring no downtime during the backup process.
46. What is the role of a leader node in Cassandra?
Answer: In Cassandra, a leader node is responsible for coordinating writes and
ensuring that data is correctly replicated to other nodes in the cluster.
47. What is a write-heavy workload in NoSQL?
Answer: A write-heavy workload is characterized by frequent writes to the
database, typically found in logging systems, real-time analytics, and social
media platforms.
48. What is data compression in NoSQL?
Answer: Data compression in NoSQL refers to the technique of reducing the
storage size of data by encoding it in a more efficient manner, which can
improve performance and reduce storage costs.
49. What is a horizontal scaling?
Answer: Horizontal scaling involves adding more servers or nodes to a system
to distribute the load and handle more traffic. It is commonly used in NoSQL
databases.
50. What is a distributed database?
Answer: A distributed database is a database that is distributed across multiple
machines or locations, allowing for better scalability, fault tolerance, and
performance. NoSQL databases are often designed to be distributed.