What is a NoSQL document database?
A NoSQL document database is a NoSQL database (standing for “non-SQL” or “not only SQL” and pronounced “no sequel”) that can store, retrieve, and manipulate document-oriented (or also known as semi-structured) information. Document databases are more efficient, intuitive, and flexible at handling this semi-structured data than relational models because relational databases must convert documents into relational tables (rows and columns) to store and manage them. Modern NoSQL document databases are also designed to scale out in server clusters and cloud infrastructure.
Instead of storing data in fixed rows and columns, document databases use flexible data models like JSON or JSON-like data structures. The semi-structured nature of document data means that every document object in the database can have a unique structure. This means that users can add new objects without changing the entire database. In addition, users can customize documents to have the same or different structures.