Aliases, in the context of SQL, are temporary names given to tables or columns. They are used to shorten or clarify the names used in queries. This is particularly helpful when dealing with multiple tables in a query, or when column names are long and complex. Using aliases makes your SQL code more readable and easier to understand. Instead of writing the full table or column name repeatedly, you can use a shorter, more descriptive alias. This improves the overall maintainability and readability of your SQL code. For example, if you have a large table named 'Customers' with many columns, you can use the alias 'c' for the table and 'cust_id' for the 'customer_id' column in your query. This makes the query much easier to follow and understand. Aliases are also useful when joining multiple tables. You can use different aliases for each table to avoid ambiguity and make the query more organized. This is especially important when the tables have columns with the same name.