What is Mysql?
MySQL is the world's most popular DBMS - it is used by 39% of developers in 2019. MySQL is a fast, reliable and versatile relational database management system. Although it lacks the richness of PostgreSQL, it works well with a wide range of applications, especially web applications.
In fact, MySQL is the best choice for scalable web applications. One of the reasons for this is that it is included as standard in the LAMP stack (a group of open source web applications consisting of Linux, Apache HTTP Server, MySQL, and PHP). Additionally, popular content management systems such as Drupal, Joomla, and WordPress rely on MySQL, which is why MySQL is everywhere on the web.
MySQL Features
- Open Source: MySQL is a free and open source relational database management system (RDBMS).
- Long history: MySQL has been around since 1995.
- Maintained by Oracle: Oracle owns and maintains MySQL and offers a premium version (for a fee) with additional services, proprietary plugins, extensions, and user support.
- Supportive community: A dedicated community of volunteers to help troubleshoot as needed.
- Stable and Reliable: MySQL is widely accepted by users to be a very stable RDBMS as long as you keep your database "tidy" and maintain it regularly.
- MVCC functionality: MySQL now offers multi-version concurrency control (MVCC) functionality. This feature is more widely known in PostgreSQL (more on that later).
- Frequent Updates: MySQL benefits from frequent updates with new features and security improvements.
Notable users of MySQL are:
- Flickr
- GitHub
- NASA
- Netflix
- Spotify
- Tesla
- Uber
- US Navy
- Wikipedia
- YouTube
- Zendesk
What is PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL is recognized as the best solution for complex, high-volume data manipulation. This is because PostgreSQL excels at handling special database challenges.
PostgreSQL "has more features" than other database management systems. PostgreSQL is also extensible "because its operations are catalog driven". In other words, you can define data types, index types, and functions as well as simply store table and column information.
Other things that make PostgreSQL stand out are that it's object-relational, ACID compliant, highly concurrency, and supports NoSQL.
Features of PostgreSQL
- Open Source: PostgreSQL is a free and open source Object-Relational Database Management System (ORDBMS). Being an ORDBMS rather than an RDBMS, PostgreSQL allows for both object-oriented and relational database functionality.
- Customizable: PostgreSQL can be customized to adapt the DBMS to your requirements by developing plugins. PostgreSQL also allows you to embed custom functions written in other programming languages such as C/C++ and Java.
- Long history: PostgreSQL has been around since 1988.
- Frequent updates
- Liberal Open Source License: PostgreSQL features a liberal open source license, allowing you to use, modify and distribute the DBMS however you like.
- MVCC Features: PostgreSQL was the first DBMS to implement multi-version concurrency control (MVCC) functionality.
- Supportive Community: A dedicated community of developers and volunteers available for support when needed. Private third-party support services are also available. The same community supports PostgreSQL and updates the platform through the PostgreSQL Global Development Group.
Notable uses of PostgreSQL:
- Apple
- BioPharm
- Cisco
- Debian
- Fujitsu
- IMDB
- Macworld
- Red Hat
- Skype
- Spotify
- Sun Microsystem
- Yahoo
Why would a developer choose one over the other?
Why would a developer choose MySQL?
Flexibility and scalability: MySQL allows you to choose from a wide range of storage engines. This allows you to flexibly integrate data from different table types. MySQL 8.0 supports the following storage engines:
- InnoDB
- MyISAM
- Memory
- CSV
- Archive
- Blackhole
- NDB/NDBCLUSTER
- Merge
- Federated
- Example
Focus on Speed and Reliability: By not including specific SQL features, MySQL prioritizes speed and reliability. MySQL's speed is especially noticeable when it comes to high concurrency read-only functions. This makes it an excellent choice for certain business intelligence purposes. But if you need to run many complex queries under heavy load, PostgreSQL may be a better choice.
Options for server optimization: MySQL provides many options for fine-tuning and optimizing the MySQL server by adjusting variables such as sort_buffer_size, read_buffer_size and max_allowed_packet.
Easy to use and popular: MySQL's popularity means that it's easy to find database administrators with experience with MySQL. Others report that it is easy to set up and does not require tweaking like other DBMS solutions. Additionally, many managing tools (MySQL Workbench, HeidiSQL, dbForge Studio, etc.) add graphical interfaces to MySQL to provide a more user-friendly experience.
Cloud-ready DBMS: MySQL is cloud-ready, and many cloud platforms offer a MySQL feature that lets you install and maintain a MySQL database for a fee.
Multi-version concurrency control (MVCC) and ACID compliance available with InnoDB engine: InnoDB is the default engine in the current version of MySQL.
Why would a developer choose PostgreSQL?
it is not just an RDBMS: PostgreSQL is an object-relational programming language (ORDBMS), so it bridges object-oriented programming with relational/procedural programming (like C++). This allows you to define inheritance for objects and tables, allowing you to transform them into more complex data structures. ORDBMS excels when dealing with data that doesn't lend itself to a strictly relational model.
Best for Complex Queries: PostgreSQL is an excellent choice when you need to perform complex read/write operations while working with data that requires validation. But ORDBMS can be slow when doing read-only operations (which is where MySQL excels).
Supports NoSQL and wide variety of data types: PostgreSQL is a popular choice for NoSQL functionality. It natively supports rich data types such as JSON, hstore, and XML. You can also define your own data types and set custom functions.
Designed for ultra-large database management: PostgreSQL does not limit database size. According to Adjust.com's database administrator, his company uses PostgreSQL to manage "approximately 4PB [petabytes] of data." This equates to 4,000 terabytes.
Multiversion Concurrency Control (MVCC): MVCC is one of the most important reasons enterprises choose PostgreSQL. MVCC allows different readers and writers to simultaneously interact with and manage a PostgreSQL database. This improves efficiency by not requiring a read-write lock every time someone needs to interact with the data. MVCC achieves this through "snapshot isolation". A snapshot represents the state of data at a moment.
ACID Compliant: PostgreSQL prevents data corruption and preserves data integrity at the transaction level.
What programming languages are supported?
What programming languages are supported by MySQL?
- C/C++
- Delphi
- Erlang
- Go
- Java
- Lisp
- Node.js
- Perl
- PHP
- R
- Ruby
What programming languages are supported by PostgreSQL?
- C/C++
- Delphi
- Erlang
- Go
- Java
- Lisp
- .Net
- Python
- R
- Tcl
- Ruby