MySQL is the world’s most popular
open source database. According to DB-Engines, MySQL
ranks as the second-most-popular database, behind Oracle Database. MySQL powers many
of the most accessed applications, including Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Uber,
Airbnb, Shopify, and Booking.com.
Since MySQL is open source, it
includes numerous features developed in close cooperation with users over more
than 25 years. So it’s very likely that your favorite application or
programming language is supported by MySQL Database.
How do you pronounce “MySQL”?
“My ess-cue-el” is the “official”
way to pronounce “MySQL,” but pronouncing it “my sequel” is common too.
What is the name of the MySQL
dolphin?
The MySQL logo is a dolphin named
Sakila. The name was chosen from a large list suggested by users during the
“Name the Dolphin” contest. The winning name was submitted by Ambrose Twebaze,
an open source software developer from Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Africa.
MySQL is a relational database
management system
Databases are
the essential data repository for all software applications. For example,
whenever someone conducts a web search, logs in to an account, or completes a
transaction, a database system is storing the information so it can be accessed
in the future.
A relational
database stores data in separate tables rather than putting all the
data in one big storeroom. The database structure is organized into physical
files optimized for speed. The logical data model, with objects such as data
tables, views, rows, and columns, offers a flexible programming environment.
You set up rules governing the relationships between different data fields,
such as one to one, one to many, unique, required, or optional, and “pointers”
between different tables. The database enforces these rules so that with a
well-designed database your application never sees data that’s inconsistent,
duplicated, orphaned, out of date, or missing.
The “SQL” part of “MySQL” stands
for “Structured Query Language.” SQL is the most common standardized language
used to access databases. Depending on your programming environment, you might
enter SQL directly (for example, to generate reports), embed SQL statements
into code written in another language, or use a language-specific API that
hides the SQL syntax.
MySQL is open source
Open
source means it’s possible for anyone to use and modify the software.
Anybody can download MySQL software from the internet and use it without paying
for it. You can also change its source code to suit your needs. MySQL software
uses the GNU General Public License (GPL)
to define what you may and may not do with the software in different
situations.
If you feel uncomfortable with
the GNU GPL or need to embed MySQL code into a commercial application, you can
buy a commercially licensed version from Oracle. See the MySQL Licensing Information section for
more information.
MySQL: the #1 choice for
developers
MySQL consistently ranks as the
most popular database for developers, according to surveys from Stack Overflow and JetBrains.
Developers love its high performance, reliability, and ease of use.
MySQL has also become the
database of choice for many of the most successful open source applications,
including WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Magento. MySQL is the “M” in the
highly popular open source LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, Perl/Python/PHP) stack
to develop web applications.
MySQL works in client/server or
embedded systems
MySQL Database is a client/server
system that consists of a multithreaded SQL server that supports different back
ends, several different client programs and libraries, administrative tools,
and a wide range of application-programming interfaces (APIs). We also provide
MySQL as an embedded multithreaded library that you can link into your
application to get a smaller, faster, easier-to-manage standalone product.
MySQL benefits
MySQL is fast, reliable,
scalable, and easy to use. It was originally developed to handle large
databases quickly and has been used in highly demanding production environments
for many years.
Although MySQL is under constant
development, it offers a rich and useful set of functions. MySQL’s
connectivity, speed, and security make it highly suited for accessing databases
on the internet.
MySQL’s key benefits include
Ease of use: Developers can
install MySQL in minutes, and the database is easy to manage.
Reliability: MySQL is one of
the most mature and widely used databases. It has been tested in a wide variety
of scenarios for more than 25 years, including by many of the world’s largest
companies. Organizations depend on MySQL to run business-critical applications
because of its reliability.
Scalability: MySQL scales to
meet the demands of the most accessed applications. MySQL’s native replication
architecture enables organizations such as Facebook to scale applications to
support billions of users.
Performance: MySQL HeatWave
is faster and
less expensive than other database services, as demonstrated by
multiple standard industry benchmarks, including TPC-H, TPC-DS, and
CH-benCHmark.
High availability: MySQL
delivers a complete set of native, fully integrated replication technologies
for high availability and disaster recovery. For business-critical
applications, and to meet service-level agreement commitments, customers can
achieve
Recovery point objective = 0
(zero data loss)
Recovery time objective = seconds
(automatic failover)
Security: Data
security entails protection and compliance with industry and
government regulations, including the European Union General Data Protection
Regulation, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, the Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the Defense Information
Systems Agency’s Security Technical Implementation Guides. MySQL Enterprise
Edition provides advanced security features, including
authentication/authorization, transparent data encryption, auditing, data
masking, and a database firewall.
Flexibility: The MySQL
Document Store gives users maximum flexibility in developing traditional SQL
and NoSQL schema-free database applications. Developers can mix and match
relational data and JSON documents in the same database and application.
MySQL use cases
Cloud applications: MySQL is
very popular in the cloud. MySQL
HeatWave is a fully managed database service, powered by the
integrated HeatWave in-memory query accelerator. It’s the only cloud database
service that combines transactions, real-time analytics across data warehouses
and data lakes, and machine learning (ML) services into one MySQL
Database—without the complexity, latency, cost, and risk of ETL duplication.
MySQL HeatWave is 6.5X faster than Amazon Redshift at half the cost, 7X faster
than Snowflake at one-fifth the cost, and 1,400X faster than Amazon Aurora at
half the cost. With MySQL HeatWave AutoML, developers and data analysts can
build, train, deploy, and explain machine
learning models within MySQL HeatWave in a fully automated way—25X
faster than Amazon Redshift ML at 1% of the cost.
Ecommerce: Many of the
world’s largest ecommerce applications (for example, Shopify, Uber, and
Booking.com) run their transactional systems on MySQL. It’s a popular choice
for managing user profiles, credentials, user content, financial data including
payments, and fraud detection.
Social platforms: Facebook,
Twitter, and LinkedIn are among the world’s largest social networks that rely
on MySQL.
Content management: Unlike
single-purpose document databases, MySQL enables both SQL and NoSQL with a
single database. The MySQL Document Store enables CRUD operations and the power
of SQL to query data from JSON documents for reporting and analytics.
SaaS and ISVs: More than
2,000 ISVs, OEMs, and VARs, including Ericsson, F5, and IBM, rely on MySQL as
their embedded database to make their applications, hardware, and appliances
more competitive, bring them to market faster, and lower their cost of goods
sold. MySQL is also the database behind popular SaaS applications, including
Zendesk and HubSpot.
Other popular applications using
MySQL include ones for online gaming, digital marketing, retail point-of-sale
systems, and Internet of Things monitoring systems.
On-premises applications with
MySQL Enterprise Edition: MySQL Enterprise Edition includes the most
comprehensive set of advanced features, management tools, and technical support
to achieve the highest levels of MySQL scalability, security, reliability, and
uptime. It reduces the risk, cost, and complexity in developing, deploying, and
managing business-critical MySQL applications. It provides security features,
including MySQL Enterprise Backup, Monitor, Firewall, Audit, Transparent Data
Encryption, and Authentication, to help customers protect data and achieve
regulatory and industry compliance.