What does sharding refer to in database management?

Sharding in database management specifically refers to the practice of splitting a database into smaller, more manageable pieces, often called shards. This technique helps improve performance and scalability by distributing data across multiple servers or instances. Each shard is a smaller subset of the data, which can be accessed independently and leads to reduced load times since queries can be directed to the relevant shard instead of a single, larger database.

This approach is particularly beneficial for applications that handle large amounts of data or require high levels of availability, as it allows for load balancing and the ability to scale out horizontally by adding more shards as needed. This way, sharding enhances efficiency and ensures that no single database instance becomes a bottleneck, thereby improving the overall performance of the database system.