Introduction to MySql

This article introduces what is a database and what is MySQL。

MySQL is a database management system. If we want to understand what MySQL is, we first need to understand what a database is.

What is Database?

As the name suggests, a database is a warehouse for archiving certain data. But this warehouse is not a physical warehouse, nor does it store physical items, but stores data. For example:

  • When we shop in a large supermarket, the prices and discounts of the goods we buy are stored in a database.
  • The contact information on our mobile phone is a list, and the list is also stored in a database.
  • The inventory and price information of commodities in the e-commerce website are also stored in the database of the server.
  • The record information of the service customers of the car 4S shop will also be stored in a database.

It can be said that in the current information system, databases are everywhere.

A database is a collection of data stored in an organized way. After people have collected a large amount of data, they should be saved for further processing and extracting useful information. Now people save a large amount of data scientifically with the help of computer and database technology in order to make better use of the data.

What is MySQL?

MySQL is an open source small relational database management system, developed by the Swedish company MySQL AB. At present, MySQL is widely used in large, medium and small websites on the Internet. Due to its small size, high speed, and low cost, especially the feature of open source, many small and medium-sized websites choose MySQL in order to reduce the total cost of website.

It is not clear how the name MySQL came from. Some basic guidelines and a large number of libraries and tools use the my prefix for a long time, this may be a reason. The daughter of Monty Widenius, one of the founders of MySQL AB, is also called My. The reason why the name MySQL comes from is not known, including developers.

The name of the MySQL dolphin logo is “sakila”, which was selected by the founder of MySQL AB from a large list of names suggested by users in the “Dolphin Name” contest. The winning name was provided by Ambrose Twebaze, an open source software developer from Swaziland, Africa. According to Ambrose, Sakila comes from a Swazi dialect called SiSwati, which is also the name of a small town in Arusha, Tanzania, near Ambrose’s hometown of Uganda.

On January 16, 2008, MySQL AB was acquired by Sun. In 2009, SUN was acquired by Oracle. Just like a reincarnation, MySQL has become another database project of Oracle Corporation.

MySQL is a kind of database, which has the general features of a database. At the same time, compared with other types of databases, it also has its own distinctive features.

MySQL is a small open source relational database management system. Compared with other large-scale database management systems such as Oracle, DB2, SQL Server and so on, MySQL has a small scale and limited functions, but it is small in size, fast, and low in cost, and it is sufficient for most complex applications. These features make MySQL the most popular open source database in the world.

Since MySQL is open source, anyone can download it under the General Public License and modify it according to individual needs. MySQL has attracted much attention because of its speed, reliability, and adaptability. Most people think that MySQL is the best choice for managing content when transactional processing is not required.

MySQL editions

For different users, MySQL is divided into two different editions:

  • MySQL Community Edition: This version is completely free, but the official does not provide technical support. Users can download and use freely.

  • MySQL Enterprise Edition Server: Provides database applications for enterprises, supports ACID transaction processing, and provides complete commits, rollback, crash recovery. Need to pay to use, the official provides technical support.

For most applications, MySQL Community Edition can satisfy.

MySQL can run on UNIX, Linux, Windows and MacOS. And whether on a server or a desktop PC, MySQL is reliable and fast on all platforms.

If you develop websites or other web applications, MySQL is a good choice. MySQL is an important component of the LAMP stack. The LAMP website architecture is currently an internationally popular web framework, including Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP.