How does traditional relational database differ from NoSQL non-relational database?

A traditional relational database (RDBMS) stores data in tables with a fixed schema, where data is linked through keys (e.g., primary and foreign keys). It uses SQL for queries and provides transactional support, data integrity, and complex relationships.

A NoSQL non-relational database does not require a fixed schema and can store data in various formats: documents (JSON), key-value, graphs, column stores. NoSQL is more flexible for scaling and working with large volumes of unstructured data but may not support complex transactions and relationships as well as RDBMS.

Examples:

• RDBMS: SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL
• NoSQL: MongoDB (documents), Redis (key-value), Cassandra (column)

The choice depends on data structure requirements, scalability, and application type.