Programming Fundamentals
How does parallel sorting work?
Parallel sorting is a powerful technique used in modern databases and large-scale systems to efficiently sort massive datasets using multiple CPU cores or machines. This blog explains how parallel sorting works internally, from data partitioning and local sorting to merging sorted results. It covers real-world database and distributed system use cases, performance benefits, and common challenges. You’ll also learn why parallel sorting is critical for ORDER BY operations on large tables. Ideal for developers, data engineers, and interview preparation, this guide connects theory with practical system design.
10 min read