PostgreSQL Vs MySQL Review their 12 key differences

May 18, 2022
An illustration of two computer screens facing each other, the left showing PostgreSQL's logo and the right showing MySQL's logo.

Data is the gathering of various information and data. As time passed, the creators realized that managing data is more than an optional tracking system and it was vital as the world got more connected via the internet.

Nowadays, companies use information to analyze potential customers' needs to understand their needs, minimize risks, etc.

As information consumption throughout the world, and the ever-growing demand for flexible and reliable databases for managing data more efficiently. This article explores two of the most popular open source databases for WordPress and the differences between them: PostgreSQL vs MySQL.

What, first of all, are WordPress databases?

Let's see what we can find out!

What are WordPress Databases?

What exactly is PostgreSQL?

The PostgreSQL logo, showing the text below a stylized blue elephant head outlined in black and white.
Logo of PostgreSQL (Image Source: Uberconf)

PostgreSQL is an open source object-relational management database system. It's fully SQL-compatible and is designed to be feature-rich. It is also extensible, making it helpful to anyone who needs enterprise-level tools. It was created specifically to ensure efficiency and is connected to almost any software.

PostgreSQL is an object-oriented databasethat allows you to expand the data types in order to create custom kinds, and can be used with almost any database. This article will provide a detailed explanation of the characteristics, features and cases.

History

In the year 1940, a young pioneer, Michael Stonebraker, the leader of the Ingres team that was working on the project, left Berkley to create a custom Ingres version. Ingres. Then he returned to Berkley and started an after-Ingres project that addressed different issues other databases were facing at the time.

That project, which is currently referred to as PostgreSQL is equipped with a variety of features required to work with multiple "object-relational" kinds of data. It also supports rules that ensure a constant connection between the tables, as well as the capability to transfer data across servers. The first release of PostgreSQL was released as version 6.0 on January 29, 1997. Since then, the developers or support organizations, as well as even volunteers have managed PostgreSQL's database software with the unrestricted and no-cost license.

The Key Features

PostgreSQL provides a wide range to offer in terms of an administration system for databases. It has earned its reputation for its feature-robustness and high quality of performance, its versatility as well as its ease of replication.

Let's look at what makes PostgreSQL an indispensable instrument for business.

Highly Reliable

PostgreSQL has foreign keys as well as stored procedures, joins and views available in various languages. It includes various data types and allows the storage of huge objects such as pictures, sounds, and videos. As it's an open-source program that means it's supported by programmers that provide unbeatable maintenance program by constantly looking for issues and enhance the program.

It is also extremely reliable thanks to the write-ahead-logging feature, which lets you support online backup and point-in-time recovery. The WAL database can be reset at any point in time that is covered by the WAL database when installing the Physical backup database.

Additionally, it is vital to keep in mind it is important to note that"physical backups" are not required "physical backup" isn't required to be a backup of the database's current status . If it was created earlier, re-reading the WAL record at the time and date will resolve any internal contradictions.

Flexible

PostgreSQL is an open-source database. It means that it is open to be modified cross-platformIt is able to work on any operating system, which includes Windows, Solaris, OS X as well as Linux. In addition to that it supports simultaneous usage of several users simultaneously and only allows updates which are scheduled concurrently on the identical row.

Extensibility

Extensibility is a software engineering principle which talks about the possibility of expansion. PostgreSQL provides high extensibility because it works on a catalog basis, i.e. information is stored in databases, columns or tables. Data is saved in columns, tables or databases, and many more. (JIT) compilation of expressions allows you to write your code using different programming languages, and without having to rebuild your database or specifying the types of data you want to store. This capability to change the operation at will makes it uniquely suited to implement new storage structure and programs quickly.

Replication

PostgreSQL comes with synchronous replication, which guarantees that the original node waits for each write until the second node is able to write the data in the transaction log. The endurance of the transaction can be determined by each database, session, and user regardless of the its synchronicity. This may speed up the process since there is no need to confirm whether the transaction is reaching an the synchronous standby level, especially for flows that don't have similar guarantees.

Use Cases

PostgreSQL can be found almost everywhere , it's among the top five most popular databases of the moment, just behind MySQL. Large companies such as Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, and Nokia utilize PostgreSQL serving to serve as their primary back end.

PostgreSQL is utilized in many sectors and it isn't restricted to one particular field. Here are a couple of examples of how PostgreSQL is used in the present.

  • Government GIS information: PostgreSQL contains a powerful extension known as "PostGIS." This extension is equipped with many functions that aid in the processing of geometric forms such as points, lines and lines. It's been optimized to minimize footprints on disks and memory footprints. This improves the performance of queries. Electricity, emergency services, and even water infrastructure services are mostly dependent on GIS to locate crew members and guide them to precise places, frequently in challenging conditions , and that's why it comes in handy to the federal government.
  • Manufacturing Many industries in manufacturing require large amounts of storage facilities with very high efficiency. PostgreSQL is an ideal choice for improving the performance of storage and supply chain. It is the preferred alternative due to the fact that it's ACID compliant and is able to be configured to enable auto failover, total redundancy, along with upgrades which require almost no downtime. New Oracle licensing policies make it harder for smaller companies to pay the cost that come with Oracle, PostgreSQL is preferred.
  • Technology for Web PostgreSQL isn't solely a database for relational use; it can also be used as a NoSQL-style data store. It's possible to integrate boththe relational as well as the document-oriented realm -- within one product. It works with a variety of current frameworks, such as Django (Python), Hibernate (Java), Ruby on Rails, PHP, etc. Due to its replication ability, websites can easily be extended to incorporate the number of database servers that are required.
  • Data from scientific scientific research projects and research could generate enormous volumes of data, and should be efficiently handled. PostgreSQL offers excellent analytical capabilities and a powerful SQL engine. Thus, the processing of large quantities of data will not cause problems. PostgreSQL is also extensible without difficulty. It can be integrated with Matlab and R for completing a variety of mathematical and aggregation-related tasks.

What exactly is MySQL?

The MySQL logo, showing the text below a tilted, stylized blue dolphin body.
MySQL logo (Image Source: Mecdata)

MySQL is a simple data storage system that is a relational. It's extremely efficient and easy to use, which makes it one of the most recognizable technology. By using SQL you'll be able to rapidly master a range different Structured Query Language concepts (SQL) concepts to build solid data storage systems. The software is free to download and is open source, however it's also available under a variety of licensed proprietary agreements.

In this part, we will go over the history of this product, its major functions, and its use cases. Let's dig in!

History

MySQL was developed by a Swedish firm, MySQLAB, in 1995 by Michael "Monty" Widenius, Swedes David Axmark, and Allan Larsson. Sun Microsystems then acquired MySQLAB.

The primary goal behind MySQL was to give an effective and reliable management of databases tools to companies and home users as well. Beta and Alpha versions of the platform were released out in 2000 . The majority of them worked with popular platforms.

It was also the time when it became open-source. This allowed third-party developers to make significant changes in the MySQL system. The open-source model, however, led to a decline in revenues, but that was eventually recuperated as MySQL started gaining popularity.

Two million installations had been installed by the end of 2001. To give a sense of contrast, that's about as many individuals as Slovenia! Since the beginning of 2002 The business has expanded and set up its first corporate headquarters located in the US. At the time, the platform was already home to 3 million users which brought in $6.5 million. It's increasing in popularity since then.

Principal Highlights

MySQL server can handle multithreaded multitasking it is designed to work on production platforms. It is a transactional as well as non-transactional system and is considered to be one the easiest database systems to set up. MySQL is well-liked by its customers due to the fact that it is simple to use, reliable, and fast.

After having a clear understanding of the process by which MySQL was developed, we'll take a look into some of the functions that MySQL is well-known for.

User-Friendliness

MySQL rose to popularity because it is easy to usage. MySQL offers many options, like triggers, stored procedure and others similar functions. It also includes various utilities such as a backup program in an event of a system crash, mysqladmin as an administrative client, and an GUI (MySQL Workbench) to help manage. If you are a novice you can use it to get a vast variety of options and a extensive GUI which makes it among the most popular databases that are used currently.

High Flexibility

MySQL is trustworthy and secure transaction system that is ideal for huge-scale projects. MySQL is flexible enough to work in an ever-changing and dynamic environment. Since it's an open source software, the code is freely accessible to be modified to suit the preferences of your users.

Safety and reliability

Like PostgreSQL, MySQL also adheres to the ACID model. So, there's no need to fret about transactions. MySQL provides the security of your data by utilizing point-in-time recovery and auto-commit capabilities.

In the event that the system is not functioning properly and cannot recover to the previous checkpoint which means that the data is not deleted. Additionally, because of it being an open source project, it has many developers that ensure that the system functions properly and offer assistance on forums to help fix the issues.

Additionally, it provides security for data by allowing foreign key constraints, averting the chance of inconsistent data across tables. Because it uses an encryption method for passwords that is secure and safe, it offers a secure connection. It also makes sure that the password is verified by comparing the host and ensuring it's valid prior to being entered into the database. The password is encrypted while connecting to the server for database.

High Performance

MySQL is extremely efficient inexpensive, reliable, and reliable due to its exceptional storage engine architecture. It offers high performance without sacrificing the core functions of the application. It is capable of loading fast because of its cache memory.

In the time, MySQL has improved in its performance through the inclusion of functions like B-tree disk tables which include index compression and improved the use of threads to allocate memory. The locking of rows and constant reads from the storage engine provide additional performance benefits for multi-user concurrency.

Scalable

Furthermore, since they're open and free to use, MySQL programs can be designed in various languages. The MySQL connector/NET makes it possible developers to connect their data to databases. Connector/J offers MySQL support for Java client programs that make use of JDBC association. The client library written in C is able to be utilized by programs that are written using C as well as C++ or any programming language that has C bindings.

APIs available for C, C++, Eiffel, Java, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Tcl are readily available. This is one of the top databases, which is able to be used on Linux, Windows, Solarix as well as other platforms. It is evident that it is applicable in almost every operating system which makes it extremely flexible.

Open Source License

MySQL is available to all users who have an open-source licence. This permits users to use and alter the code source to enable MySQL to function with various domains.

Being an open-source software, it offers a significant amount of support from developers who ensure that any security or bugs can be addressed swiftly. MySQL offers users groups, forums, as and support to offer a built-in network to resolve issues as quickly as they can and offer education about the database.

Use Cases

Here are a few examples of MySQL which prove that it can be a reliable and efficient database system.

  • Transactions with OLTP are essential when transactions require speed and accuracy. MYSQL can be scaled up to 1000s of requests every second by utilizing efficiency and speed. The transaction needs to ensure Atomicity uniformity, Isolation and durability (ACID). MySQL is also adhering to ACID guidelines, which makes it suitable for important transactions. In the event that a system malfunctions during the execution of a transaction it is able to roll-over to the checkpoint.
  • LAMP open-source stack: MySQL is essential for a variety of applications which run on the LAMP open-source software stack (LAMP is a blend comprising Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Python/Perl). LAMP is a standard solution for web-based services and is generally thought of as the preferred medium of choice for dynamic websites and advanced web-based applications.
  • eCommerce software: MySQL is one of the best machines used for eCommerce transactions. It's helpful in managing customer data as well as transactions and catalogs. When it comes to online shopping, MySQL is often used in conjunction with non-relational databases such as key-value and document stores for synchronizing order information as well as for storage of details that aren't tied to products.

PostgreSQL vs MySQL: Head-to-Head Comparison

If you're not sure which one is best that's right for your organization This section can help you choose the right path. In the end, PostgreSQL as well as MySQL can be both useful, useful, and popular but you need to select the one which is customized to your specific needs.

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This article will take a deep dive into the various distinctions between these two databases.

Syntax

When it comes to syntax In terms of syntax, both Postgresql as well as MySQL both use the exact syntax. This is what a select query will look like in both:

SEEK * FROM STUDENTS;

However, MySQL isn't able to support subqueries such as "LIMIT" and "ALL." It also does not allow the common SQL clauses such as "INTERSECT" as well as "OUTER Join."

MySQL isn't fully SQL-compliant in the same way as PostgreSQL it does include all of these sub-queries. If you're hoping to make use of the subqueries often for your business, then PostgreSQL is a superior choice.

Languages Supported

PostgreSQL and MySQL offer support for a variety of the same languages , with small distinctions.

PostgreSQL is, by itself can accommodate a wide range of programming languages

  • C/ C++
  • Delphi
  • Erlang
  • Go
  • Java
  • Javascript
  • Lisp
  • .NET
  • Python
  • R
  • Tcl
  • Other programming languages

Here's a list of languages that MySQL will support:

  • C/C++
  • Delphi
  • Erlang
  • Go
  • Java
  • Lisp
  • Node.js
  • Perl
  • PHP
  • R

Speed

Both PostgreSQL and MySQL are regarded as among the most fast DBMS options available on the marketplace. There isn't a clear winner in this particular category. It is easy to find studies that show one or the other is the best one based on configuration, tests and the hardware. Some databases might have the advantage hand on concurrency, and some may be more efficient when used on a single-core computer with only a small amount of memory.

In the end, it boils to your choice of how to use the tools. MySQL is regarded as the fastest with read-only commands with the disadvantage of the amount of concurrency. PostgreSQL works better with large datasets, read-write operations and more complex queries.

Architecture

MySQL is a relational database. PostgreSQL is an object-relational databank. PostgreSQL has more advanced data types , and lets objects inherit traits. However, this also means it's more complex to work with PostgreSQL. PostgreSQL comes with a single ACID compatible storage system. MySQL supports 15 different storage engines, in addition to the default one, InnoDB. The wide range of choices for storage engines allows users to easily leverage their capabilities for different scenarios of use.

PostgreSQL produces a brand new system procedure through memory allocation to each connection made by a client. It requires lots of memory for the systems hosting multiple connections to clients. In contrast, MySQL utilizes a single process , with just one thread per connection. This means that MySQL the more suitable option for smaller-than-enterprise scope.

Performance

PostgreSQL was built to meet the requirements of standards and features, as well as being extensible and feature-rich. It was in the past that PostgreSQL performance was at the same scale as MySQL reading was typically slower than MySQL However, it was able to write massive amounts of data with greater efficiency. In addition, PostgreSQL handled concurrency better than MySQL.

The gap between their capabilities has significantly decreased over the past few years. MySQL is still pretty fast in reading data even if you're using an older MyISAM engine. The engine has been further optimized to catch up to PostgreSQL in regards to heavy write-ups of data.

If you're trying to choose the right application for your particular demands, speed doesn't become a determining factor in the vast majority of software that is garden-variety. Both PostgreSQL as well as MySQL typically have the same performance.

Replication & Clustering

Replication is a process which allows developers to replicate the data in a database into its databases in duplicate. This ensures that every user is provided with the same amount of information. This process can also provide advantages such as the ability to scale fault tolerance, automatic backups, as well as the ability to perform lengthy query without disrupting the primary cluster.

Both MySQL as well as PostgreSQL have replication. PostgreSQL offers synchronous replication, which means that it has two databases simultaneously and the primary database is linked to the second database. The possibility exists to do the cascading and synchronous replication by using PostgreSQL. In MySQL this way, replication occurs in a single direction. This means that one database server functions as the main one, while the other servers are replicas.

Both MySQL and PostgreSQL both offer clustering support, as well. Clustering leverages the shared storage to create an identical amount of data to each of the nodes within an environmental. This allows databases to stand up to failures because of the redundant effect of duplicating the same data across multiple nodes in an environment.

Structure of Tables and Data

JSON support remains one of the most popular NoSQL capabilities incorporated by MySQL. But, PostgreSQL can support user-defined types including arrays, hstore as well as XML. The main benefit of having the ability to work with a range of types of data is greater flexibility. For instance, by accepting arrays as a type of data, PostgreSQL can also provide host functions that work with these types of arrays.

However, despite the advantages that alternative formats offer for the storage of data, it is more difficult to implement these data formats, given that they are not built on an established benchmark. So, any components utilized together with databases could not all adhere to PostgreSQL formats.

MySQL is only partly SQL-compliant when it comes to SQL conformance because it does not include all features, like the no-check constraint. However, MySQL has a number of extensions available.

However, PostgreSQL is more SQL-compliant when compared to MySQL it has all of the main SQL capabilities , such as the 160 features of 179 which are required, to be precise.

Extensibility

PostgreSQL is considered extremely flexible software since it has the ability to manage complex data types that you cannot discover within MySQL. It can handle network address types as well as native UUID Geometric/GIS JSON that is indexable, and timezone-aware stamps. If none of this is enough to make PostgreSQL the winner of this particular round it is possible to add operators, data types and index types.

So, if your application is dealing with non-structured data or other distinct data types that are available, PostgreSQL might be the better suitor. If you only deal with simple characters or numbers, both databases are able to work.

Indexes

In order to improve the performance of databases, you can use indexes by speeding up SQL queries and dealing with a enormous tables of information. If you do not have indexes, your queries will take longer to complete and cause a significant demand on your DBMS.

Both PostgreSQL and MySQL have distinct ways to index. Index types used by PostgreSQL include:

  • Indexes that are partially-indexed, which present information from a specific portion of the table
  • B-tree Indexes and Hash Indexes
  • Expression indexes create an index resulting from expression functions, not column values

MySQL, on the other hand, offers an index that includes the following options:

  • Indexes on R-trees are stored, for example, indexes stored in spatial data types
  • Indexes on B-trees including PRIMARYKEY, INDEX, FULLTEXT as well as the unique
  • Hash indexes and lists that are inverted used together with FULLTEXT indexes

Security

Both PostgreSQL and MySQL provide group and user management. They also provide SQL rights to different posts. MySQL comes with native window service PAM, MySQL and LDAP for user authentication also, while PostgreSQL has IP-based client authentication as well as filtering with Kerberos and PAM. Both databases have a good chance of being neck and neck in terms of security.

Community and Support

Both PostgreSQL as well as MySQL have communities which are friendly and help users.

PostgreSQL is home to a large network of volunteer users that provide support to users free of cost via mailing lists and IRC. In addition, you can even purchase premium support from Third-party providers. It is also possible to solve problems by reading all the useful PostgreSQL documents and tutorials that are that are available on the market.

MySQL is also home to huge and active communities of people who volunteer their time helping out with free recommendations as well as support. This kind of support through the Percona and MySQL websites. Alongside the free community-based helpline, Oracle also offers 24/7 paid support for the Commercial versions of its products. Like PostgreSQL It is possible to solve your problems through the many gratis and useful MySQL documentation, guides and guides.

PostgreSQL vs MySQL vs Alternatives

It's true that MySQL or PostgreSQL can't be the only two databases that you could utilize or the two only open-source databases. Don't get bogged down with PostgreSQL and MySQL. Let's talk about other options that can provide them with an possibility to compete!

1. MongoDB

The MongoDB logo, showing the text beside an upright, green leaf.
MongoDB logo (Image Source: Kubirds)

MongoDB is the basis of any business no matter if you're creating critical apps or expanding the scope of the customer experience. Below are some of the key characteristics of MongoDB which helped to create it into a viable alternatives for PostgreSQL as well as MySQL:

  • Sharding: MongoDB allows its users to expand their apps in a horizontal manner by sharding. It is which is a technique employed to distribute huge data sets among multiple collection. MongoDB users can use an Shard key (a primary key with one or more replicas) for establishing the distribution of data within the collection. It also allows you to break the data up into distinct segments across the Shards.
  • Ad-hoc query Ad-hoc queries can be used as stand-ins for commands, which provide different returns in the implementation of queries. MongoDB can also support regular expression (Regex) as well as range queries as well as field searches.

2. MariaDB

The MariaDB logo, showing the text below a stylized brown sea lion outlined in blue.
MariaDB logo (Image Source: Docker Hub)

A prestigious list of clients comprises Nasdaq, Deutsche Bank, DBS Bank, ServiceNow, Verizon, and Walgreens (among many other businesses), MariaDB is known for delivering unparalleled operational agility with no compromise on key enterprise features such as the complete SQL and ACID conformance.

Here are the top aspects of MariaDB that makes it an essential tool:

  • Virtual columns The capability to use virtual columns is one of MariaDB's most essential capabilities. MariaDB. Virtual columns are able for calculations to be executed on the level of the database. When multiple apps connects to one column, the users do not have to make calculations in every application separately. The database handles it on their behalf.
  • Views of databases Views are great tools to improve the performance of databases. MariaDB takes a different route in comparison to MySQL when involving virtual tables during the process of queries in a view.
  • Thread pooling thread pooling could help improve the efficiency of MariaDB when dealing with multiple connections to databases in your pipeline. Instead of creating a distinct thread for each it is possible to have the possibility of having a number of threads open.

PostgreSQL or MySQL What Should You Select?

To summarize the discussion to summarize, choosing between two databases is an arduous task. Because there's no right or incorrect answers the issue boils down to the contextual factors.

If you're in search of an advanced database which can easily handle various database types and complicated queries, while giving you the ability to make any software expandable to the enterprise level, you should consider PostgreSQL.

But, if you're a newbie looking for a system which is easier to set up and manage while still being efficient, quick and well comprehended, consider MySQL.

Summary

In this post, we've discussed the major difference in PostgreSQL and MySQL. They covered key factors such as speed and performance as well as syntax, flexibility, security, as in addition to the community's support, indexing, and even the structure to allow you to choose the software that best suits your particular business requirements.

We found that there is an ongoing battle between the two systems in that each PostgreSQL along with MySQL each with their own strengths and flaws. The "right" option will depend on your individual preferences and the way you intend for your business.

In between PostgreSQL in comparison to MySQL What will you choose in your next endeavor, and why? We'd like to hear about your suggestions! Comment in the comment area below.

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