What is the difference between sharding and replication in databases?

What is the difference between sharding and replication in databases?

Sharding is a method of distributing data across multiple servers to improve performance, while replication involves copying data to ensure availability and redundancy.

Can you explain how sharding improves performance?

Sharding improves performance by dividing the database into smaller, more manageable pieces, allowing for parallel processing and reducing the load on any single server.

What are the advantages of using replication?

Replication provides data redundancy, increases data availability, and can improve read performance by allowing multiple copies of data to be accessed simultaneously.

Are there any downsides to sharding?

Yes, sharding can introduce complexity in data management, require careful planning for data distribution, and may lead to challenges in querying across shards.

When should I choose replication over sharding?

Choose replication when you need high availability and redundancy, especially for read-heavy applications, while sharding is better for write-heavy workloads.