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What is the difference between INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN in SQL?
A common SQL interview question for analysts, backend developers, and freshers.
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KASA answer
INNER JOIN returns rows where the join condition matches in both tables. If a row from either table does not match, it is not included. LEFT JOIN returns every row from the left table and adds matching data from the right table. If there is no right-side match, the right-side columns become NULL.
For example, if you want only users who placed orders, use INNER JOIN between users and orders. If you want all users and their orders if available, use LEFT JOIN.
Cover these points
- INNER JOIN returns matching rows only.
- LEFT JOIN keeps all left table rows.
- Missing right-side rows become NULL in LEFT JOIN.
- Use examples such as users and orders.
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