Advantages of MySQL

MySQL is a popular database with Web developers. Its speed and small size make it ideal for a Web site. Add to that the fact that it’s open source, which means free, and you have the foundation of its popularity. Here is a rundown of some of its advantages:

• It’s fast. The main goal of the folks who developed MySQL was speed. Thus, the software was designed from the beginning with speed in mind.
  
• It’s inexpensive. MySQL is free under the open source GPL license, and the fee for a commercial license is reasonable.
  
• It’s easy to use. You can build and interact with a MySQL database by using a few simple statements in the SQL language, which is the standard language for communicating with RDBMSs. Check out Chapter 4 for the lowdown on the SQL language.
• It can run on many operating systems. MySQL runs on many operating systems — Windows, Linux, Mac OS, most varieties of Unix (including Solaris and AIX), FreeBSD, OS/2, Irix, and others.
• Technical support is widely available. A large base of users provides free support through mailing lists. The MySQL developers also participate in the e-mail lists. You can also purchase technical support from MySQL AB for a small fee.
• It’s secure. MySQL’s flexible system of authorization allows some or all database privileges (such as the privilege to create a database or delete data) to specific users or groups of users. Passwords are encrypted.
  
• It supports large databases. MySQL handles databases up to 50 million rows or more. The default file size limit for a table is 4GB, but you can increase this (if your operating system can handle it) to a theoretical limit of 8 million terabytes (TB).
• It’s customizable. The open source GPL license allows programmers to modify the MySQL software to fit their own specific environments.