Answer
Chunks are ranges of shard key values that move between shards to balance data. The balancer manages migrations.
Quick Answer
When data becomes unevenly distributed across shards, the balancer moves chunks between shards to rebalance. A chunk migration copies the chunk data from source to destination shard, then updates the config server routing table, then removes the data from the source. Migrations happen in the background but consume I/O and network bandwidth - can impact performance.
S
SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.
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Source: SugharaIQ