MySQL

MySQL is a widely used open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). It is used in managing data for web based applications and websites. You can create small user applications to a complete database application of an enterprise level.

Features

  • MySQL is a relational DBMS which follows all the Codd’s rules for RDBMS. Everything that you need to store in database will be in tables. Whether it is application data or metadata it will be stored in a table.
  • It is open-source and freely downloadable. Developers can use MySQL to modify its code to meet the needs of their RDBMS application.
  • It is a popular RDBMS developed by Oracle Corporation. it is hugely used by programmers and web developers to create small to big database applications
  • It is responds fast, requires least resources to install and execute.
  • It is scalable and easy to learn and use.
  • It can be used on any Operating System or Hardware. It is cross-platform

Popular Applications

It is also available as commercial tool for managing large applications. These following are a few organizations and applications developed using MySQL to store and manage the user and transaction data-

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flickr
  • Airbnb
  • Uber
  • MediaWiki
  • GitHub
  • YouTube
  • CMS platforms- WordPress, PhPBB, Drupal, Joomla etc. If you have used WordPress for creating your website then you will recall that WordPress installation requires defining your MySQL Database.

Command line

MySQL can be used through command line. After installation in your system you can start it by entering user name and password. When the correct credentials are given you get mysql> prompt where you can give SQL commands. Each SQL statement ends with semicolon. The shell looks like this.

MySQL shell

These commands will be sent to the MySQL server.  Server returns the output to the command line.  If an SQL statement is erroneous server displays the statement errors.

GUI interface

You can use its GUI for creating database, tables and other objects as well executing queries. If you have installed MySQL then it can be run by opening the workbench which looks like this.

MySQL Workbench