MySQL
MySQL Documentation
The MySQL Documentation page contains guides, release notes, reference manuals, and many other documents pertaining to MySQL 8.4 and other programs such as Heatwave, MySQL Enterprise, and X DevAPI. Reference manuals, guides, and archives can also be found at Oracle's MySQL Documentation page.
MySQL vs. Other Database Systems
MySQL is a relational database, which allows data to be organized into spreadsheet-like tables of rows and columns with a strict schema (the logical and visual configuration of the database). Relational databases represent the relations between sets of data, while non-relational (NoSQL) databases use data models such as document-oriented, key-value, graph, or wide-column data models, storing unstructured data without a strict schema. Relational databases have better vertical scalability (giving more power to a single server), while non-relational databases scale well horizontally (adding more servers). Relational databases also perform better with intensive read and write operations on small or medium data sets, while non-relational databases provide access to much larger number of users and can store unlimited data sets in various formats. NoSQL databases are also less strict with the type of data they can store, allow for greater scalability and performance, but have weaker security measures than non-relational databases.Other relational databases include MariaDB Oracle, and MSSQL, while non-relational databases include MongoDB, Redis, and Firebase.
MySQL Worldwide Usage
MySQL is the second most used database system across the web as of September 2024. Of the top 10 databases, 7 are relational databases (Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Snowflake, IBM Db2, and SQLite), while the other 3 are NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Redis, and Elasticsearch).
Summary
MySQL is a very popular and useful relational database program for small to medium data sets, allowing users to store data in rows representing records and columns representing attributes. A database like MySQL allows a user to store multiple records and define relationships between them. MySQL is also integrable with programs like PHP, allowing users to access database information and link it with files on their server.