MySQL
An open-source relational database server widely used in web applications and production systems
- Vendor
- Oracle
- Also known as
- my-sql
Available worldwide
What is MySQL?
MySQL is an open-source SQL database management system that serves as the foundation for many web-based applications and cloud services. Available in both a free community edition and a commercial enterprise edition with advanced features and professional support.
MySQL pricing
Plans, per-tier features and add-ons, dated and linked to live pricing. Pricing changes often; always verify at source before you rely on it.
Community edition free; Enterprise/Standard/Classic editions require contacting sales
MySQL Community Server
FreeFree open source database
MySQL Enterprise Edition
Contact salesAdvanced features, management tools, and technical support
MySQL Standard Edition
Contact salesMySQL Classic Edition
Contact salesWhat MySQL does
The capabilities that matter for relational databases, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- SQL model
- Full SQL
- ACID transactions
- Full
- Highest isolation level
- Serializable
- Consistency
- Strong
- Horizontal scale
- Natively distributed
- Replication
- Async
- Automatic failover / HA
- ✓
- Deployment
- Self-hosted
- Serverless / scale-to-zero
- ✓
- Wire compatibility
- MySQL protocol
- Extensions / plugins / UDFs
- ✓
- Licence class
- Copyleft
- JSON / document support
- ✓
- Geo / spatial
- -
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- Web
- Cloud / SaaS
- Self-hosted
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
MySQL FAQ
Common questions about MySQL, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is MySQL and what is it primarily used for?
MySQL is a relational database management system that organizes data into structured tables and is one of the most widely deployed databases globally. It powers web applications, content management systems, e-commerce platforms, and services built with development stacks like LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) or LEMP. The database is known for ease of use, reliability, and solid performance for read-heavy workloads.
Source: https://www.mysql.com
Is MySQL open-source and what are the licensing and cost options?
MySQL is open-source software distributed under the GNU General Public License, making it free to download, use, and modify. Oracle offers a commercial license for organizations with specific legal or support requirements, but the core database engine costs nothing. Managed hosting services and enterprise support may incur fees depending on the provider and service tier.
Source: https://www.mysql.com/about/
What programming languages and frameworks can connect to MySQL?
MySQL is language-agnostic and supports connections from all major programming languages including PHP, Python, Node.js, Java, C++, Ruby, Go, and .NET. Virtually every web framework has built-in or third-party database drivers that work with MySQL, making it compatible with diverse technology stacks.
What operating systems can run MySQL?
MySQL runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD, and other Unix-based systems, giving developers flexibility to work in their preferred environment. This cross-platform support makes MySQL deployable across different infrastructure and simplifies consistency between development and production environments.
Source: https://www.mysql.com/downloads/
How is MySQL typically deployed: self-hosted or managed service?
MySQL can be deployed either as a self-hosted database on your own servers or cloud infrastructure, or accessed as a fully managed database service through providers like Amazon RDS, Google Cloud SQL, and Azure Database for MySQL. Self-hosting offers maximum control and customization, while managed services handle routine maintenance, backups, patching, and scaling.
Source: https://www.mysql.com/
Does MySQL support transactions and ACID compliance?
MySQL's InnoDB storage engine (the default since version 5.5) provides full ACID compliance, supporting transactions that guarantee data consistency and durability across failures. Older storage engines like MyISAM lack transaction support, but InnoDB has become the standard for production applications requiring reliable data integrity.
Source: https://www.mysql.com/
What are the main open-source and commercial alternatives to MySQL?
PostgreSQL is a feature-rich open-source relational database; MariaDB is an open-source MySQL fork; SQLite is a lightweight embedded option; commercial databases include Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle Database. The choice depends on requirements for specific features, scalability needs, compliance mandates, and budget.
Source: https://www.mysql.com/
At what scale can MySQL operate and who uses it?
MySQL powers major platforms including Wikipedia, YouTube, and many large social networks, demonstrating its capability to handle massive workloads and billions of data operations. It is equally effective for startups and smaller applications, making it viable across organizations of all sizes from single-server deployments to global-scale distributed systems.
Source: https://www.mysql.com/
MySQL alternatives
Other relational databases we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- NeonServerless PostgreSQL database with automatic scaling and git-like branchingmedium · 71%
- SupabaseA database platform built on PostgreSQL that provides hosted cloud databases with auto-generated APIs and real-time capabilities for web, mobile, and AI applicamedium · 73%
- PlanetScaleA MySQL and PostgreSQL database platform optimized for speed and reliabilitymedium · 73%
- CockroachDBmedium · 66%
- PostgreSQLA free, open source relational database system with a long development historymedium · 60%
- SQLiteLightweight embedded SQL database for applicationsmedium · 55%
Compare MySQL
Side by side against other relational databases, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for MySQL, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer Q&A activity | 96 | 0.14 | 12.9 | ✓ |
| Development activity | 63 | 0.14 | 8.5 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 81 | 0.08 | 6.5 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 50 | 0.08 | 4.1 | ✓ |
| Stars | 77 | 0.05 | 3.6 | ✓ |
| Security score | 48 | 0.05 | 2.6 | ✓ |
| Dependent projects | 47 | 0.05 | 2.5 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 0 | 0.05 | 0.0 | - |
| Security posture | 0 | 0.12 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.04 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 100 | mediumsource · 2026-09-07 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 8 items | highsource · 2026-07-30 · 94% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Hosting: both · Isolation: serializable · Sql model: full_sql · Data model: relational · Deployment: self_hosted · Serverless: Yes | mediumsource · 2026-09-07 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | C++ | highsource · 2026-09-07 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | GPL-2.0 | highsource · 2026-07-30 · 90% |
Market
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | PrimaryMarkets: … · AvailabilityScope: global · AvailableCountries: … · NotAvailableCountries: … | highsource · 2026-08-14 · 75% |
Pricing
Release
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence days | 90 | mediumsource · 2026-07-30 · 65% |
Security
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