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Database Sharding Basics

Split data to scale

Database sharding distributes data by key across shards to scale throughput; it needs a good shard key, routing layer, handling of hot keys, rebalancing, and cross-shard query strategies.

Pick a Shard Key

Choose keys that balance load and avoid hotspots.

Route

Use routers or consistent hashing; handle rebalancing.

Query

Keep queries single-shard when possible; plan cross-shard ops carefully.

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