Is Airtable A No-SQL Database?

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 Is Airtable A No-SQL Database?

Short answer:

·         From a user point of view, yes — Airtable behaves like a NoSQL system.

·         From a technical point of view, no — it’s not a pure NoSQL database.

User / practical perspective

·         You don’t write SQL (Do the SQL Course)

  • You don’t design schemas like in SQL databases
  • You work with flexible records, links, and fields
  • You query data via a REST API, not SQL

Because of this, people often treat Airtable like a NoSQL database.

Technical / internal perspective

  • Airtable supports:
    • Tables
    • Relations (linked records)

o    Structured fields Do the SQL Course

  • This strongly suggests a relational (SQL-like) model under the hood, even though Airtable doesn’t expose SQL to users.

So internally, it’s relational, not NoSQL. Do the SQL Course

Best way to classify Airtable

Airtable is a cloud-based relational database with a NoSQL-style interface.

Comparison table

Feature

Airtable

SQL DB (Postgres)

NoSQL DB (MongoDB)

SQL queries

❌ No

✅ Yes

❌ No

Fixed schema

⚠️ Flexible

✅ Yes

⚠️ Flexible

Relationships

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

⚠️ Limited

API access

✅ REST

⚠️ Optional

✅ REST

Spreadsheet-like UI

✅ Yes

❌ No

❌ No

 

Final takeaway:

Neither a true NoSQL nor a traditional SQL database, rather a low-code relational DB with NoSQL-style usage

Do the SQL Course

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