Tech Trends & Industry

SQL Still Wins: Why I Reach for It Before NoSQL

January 26, 2025 1 min read By Amey Lokare

🎯 The Default

For most projects, I start with PostgreSQL. Here's why SQL still wins.

✅ Why SQL

1. ACID Guarantees

Transactions, consistency, and data integrity. SQL databases handle this well. NoSQL often doesn't.

2. Powerful Queries

JOINs, aggregations, window functions. SQL is expressive and powerful. NoSQL queries are often limited.

3. Mature Ecosystem

PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite—they're battle-tested. Tools, libraries, and knowledge are everywhere.

4. Schema Enforcement

Schemas prevent bad data. NoSQL's flexibility often becomes a liability.

⚠️ When NoSQL Makes Sense

NoSQL is good for:

  • Document storage (MongoDB)
  • Time-series data (InfluxDB)
  • Graph data (Neo4j)
  • High write throughput (Cassandra)

But for most apps, SQL is better.

💡 My Decision Process

  1. Start with PostgreSQL
  2. Use JSON columns if you need flexibility
  3. Consider NoSQL only if you have a specific need

💭 My Take

SQL databases are mature, powerful, and reliable. NoSQL has its place, but SQL should be your default.

Don't choose NoSQL because it's trendy. Choose it because you have a real need.

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