Partitioning, throughput, and consistency

Now we have learned something about Azure Cosmos DB – how it works and its most common features – we can focus a little bit on three important topics in this service, namely partitioning, throughput, and consistency. These factors are crucial when selecting a database engine to power your application. They directly tell you how it will be performing, how many requests it will be able to handle, and what guarantees apply when it comes to your data integrity.

Partitions in Azure Cosmos DB

Partitioning is directly connected with scaling in Azure Cosmos DB, as it allows for load-balancing incoming requests. In fact, there are two different types of partition in this service:

• Physical: These are a combination of fixed storage and variable amounts of computing resources. This type of partition is fully managed by Cosmos DB – you cannot directly affect how your data is physically partitioned and how a service handles...