NoSQL databases are designed to store and retrieve data that doesn’t fit neatly into the traditional relational database model. MongoDB is a type of NoSQL database, specifically a document-oriented database. The main types of NoSQL databases include:
- Document-oriented databases: Store data in flexible, semi-structured documents, typically in JSON or BSON format. Examples include MongoDB, CouchDB, and RavenDB.
- Key-value stores: Use a simple key-value pair for data storage, where each key is unique and maps to a specific value. Examples include Redis, DynamoDB, and Riak.
- Column-family stores: Organize data into columns rather than rows, which can be particularly useful for analyzing and retrieving specific columns of data. Examples include Apache Cassandra, HBase, and Amazon SimpleDB.
- Graph databases: Designed for data whose relationships are as important as the data itself, these databases use graph structures with nodes, edges, and properties. Examples include Neo4j, ArangoDB, and Amazon Neptune.
MongoDB falls under the document-oriented category, where data is stored in flexible JSON-like documents. It is important to note that these categories are not mutually exclusive, and some databases may exhibit characteristics of multiple types.