What is the purpose of limit and offset in SQL?

In SQL, LIMIT and OFFSET are used to control the number of results returned and the starting position of a query.

1. LIMIT is used to restrict the number of rows returned in a query, specifying how many records to return. For example, LIMIT 10 would return the first 10 records in the query results.
2. OFFSET is used to specify the starting position of the query results, indicating which record to begin returning from. For example, LIMIT 10 OFFSET 20 means returning records 21 to 30 of the query results.

These two keywords are typically used together for pagination query, allowing control over the number of records returned each time and the starting position, enabling pagination of data.