---
title: "Horizontal Scaling — Database Glossary | Xata"
description: "Increasing database capacity by adding more nodes. Methods include read replicas (for read scaling), sharding (for write scaling), and distributed Postg..."
source: "https://xata.io/glossary/horizontal-scaling"
---

# Horizontal Scaling

Cloud & Deployment

Increasing database capacity by adding more nodes. Methods include read replicas (for read scaling), sharding (for write scaling), and distributed PostgreSQL (for both). More operationally complex than vertical scaling but removes single-node limits.

Related terms

[Vertical Scaling](/glossary/vertical-scaling)[Read Replica](/glossary/read-replica)[Distributed PostgreSQL](/glossary/distributed-postgresql)

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