Hussein Nasser: Primary Key vs Secondary Key - What you probably didn't know

Primary Key vs Secondary Key: TL;DR

In this quick lecture, Hussein Nasser breaks down how a primary key uniquely identifies each record (and automatically gets the most efficient index), while a secondary key lets you index on other columns for faster lookups—though it can introduce write-performance overhead. Understanding when and where to use each can seriously optimize your database’s speed and scalability.

Aside from the core topic, Hussein shares links to support his work (PayPal, YouTube Membership), plus his backend and database engineering courses, podcast, and even the gear he uses to create content. Stay awesome!

Watch on YouTube