A nested-loop join considers pairs from its two inputs and keeps matching join keys. This is a physical mechanism for producing the same relational join result. Note: the kept rows appear in the render.
nested loop join
Join result
The recomputed join row count is 3 and arity is 3. Note: nonmatching rows do not appear in the result table.
rows=3,arity=3
cardinalities are exact counts on these tiny tables; choosing a plan by cost needs statistics and is deferred - no speed/perf claims; nested-loop vs hash is mechanism, not speed.
Summary
Nested-loop join is one mechanism for matching rows across inputs. Note: choosing by cost needs statistics and is deferred.