Which operations are faster: simple data retrieval using SELECT or joining tables via JOIN?

In general, simple data retrieval using SELECT is faster than joining tables with JOIN. This is because JOIN requires additional work to match rows from different tables based on join conditions, which increases the load on the database.

However, performance depends on many factors:

• The presence and correctness of indexes on columns involved in the JOIN.
• The volume of data in the tables.
• The type of JOIN (INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, etc.).
• Query optimization and the DBMS.

If the tables are small or indexes are well configured, the difference may be insignificant. But overall, a simple SELECT without JOIN is a lighter operation for the DBMS.