PostgreSQL vs MySQL: What is Simple and Better?

Table of Contents

Introduction

Database management systems are essential to store, organise and retrieve data from the computer. There are several database management systems available, but PostgreSQL and MySQL are the most popular.

MySQL is a popular language, based on the Structured Query Language, to access and manage database records. It is an open-source, cross-platform relational database management system supported by Oracle. It was built by MYSQL AM Swedish company in 1995.

PostgreSQL is an open-source, cross-platform object-relational database management system built-in 1995 at the University of California.

History of MySQL

MySQL base code ‘Unireg’ was built in 1981, but MYSQL was founded in Sweden in 1995. Initially, it was developed for the personal usage of mSQL based on ISAM. Later in 2000, MySQL became open-source and named after the daughter’s name ‘My’ of the co-founder Monty Widenius.

History of PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL was derived from the POSTGRES package in 1995, written at the computer science department of the University of California. It was later named Postgres95, which was changed to PostgreSQL in 1996 by adding new features to SQL.

Why use MySQL?

It is an open-source, fast, and easy-to-use database management system.
It allows the implementation of database operations on matrices, tables, and indices.
It provides the referential integrity between columns and rows of tables.
It automatically updates the table indices.
It can handle a large set of functionality of powerful and expensive databases.
It is customisable and supports different operating systems with various languages such as C, C++, PHP, Java, etc.

Why use PostgreSQL?

It is an open-source, robust and powerful database management system.
It is effortless to learn and implement.
It efficiently integrates with other tools and manages data in a relational database.
It easily handles complex operations and data integrity.
It has sophisticated locking, subselects, transactions, user-defined types, and multiple version concurrency control.

Features of MySQL

Easy to use.
High data security.
Open-source database.
Scalable with large datasets.
It is one of the fastest database languages.
Highly flexible with several embedded applications.
Compatible with several operating systems.
It has very low memory leakage issues.
It allows crash recovery and rollback transactions.
High performance, productivity, and GUI support.
Independent platform to download, install and execute on available operating systems.
It provides dual password security.

Features of PostgreSQL

An open-source database management system
It supports complex queries, triggers, foreign keys, transactional integrity, views, and multi-version concurrency control.
It can be used, modified, and distributed freely for personal, private, commercial, or academic purposes.
It can be extended for different data types, operators, index methods, functions, aggregate functions, and procedural languages.
It supports several data types like primitive, structured, geometry, document, and customisations.
Data integrity includes primary keys, foreign keys, UNIQUE, NOT NULL, straight locks, advisory locks.
Concurrent and high performance
It is highly reliable, scalable, and extensible.
It provides robust security systems for accessibility and authenticity.

PostgreSQL vs MySQL: Key Differences Between the Two

Parameter	MySQL	PostgreSQL
Licensing	GNU (General Public License)	MIT-style
Implementation Programming Language	C/C++	C
Storage engine	Multi-layered set of storage engines	A single storage engine
Security	TLS support	SSL support
Table inheritance support	No	Yes
ACID Compliance support	Some version of ACID-compliant	Complete support

Disadvantages of using MySQL

It does not support SQL check constraints.
It is not efficient with a vast database.
It is vulnerable to data corruption.
The open-source MySQL is not good at developing and debugging compared to premium MySQL systems.
It can’t handle transactions efficiently.

Disadvantages of using PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is slower than other available tools.
It uses a lot of memory as it creates a separate service for each client.
It is not easy to install for beginners. The expandable documentation is available only in English.

PostgreSQL vs MySQL: What is Better?

MySQL is new, fast, highly secure, and has a dynamic ecosystem. It is improving continuously, but PostgreSQL is free to use without any licensing. Customisation is becoming essential in every solution in business.

PostgreSQL supports customisation in data types, functions, operations, and even functional languages. The table inheritance, database events, and rules systems are pluses for PostgreSQL and thus, it is better to choose PostgreSQL Vs MySQL.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main differences between PostgreSQL and MySQL?

1. Though both are open source and cross-platform, MySQL is a relational database management system, whereas PostgreSQL is an object-relational database management system.
2. MySQL supports only JSON, but PostgreSQL supports JSON, XML and other modern applications.
3. As compared to MySQL, PostgreSQL is slower and has limited high-end options in the ecosystem.

Should I learn PostgreSQL or MySQL?

It entirely depends on the requirements for the system. For web-based projects with simple queries, MySQL should be preferred. When it comes to complex questions, data analysis, or data storage, PostgreSQL works better and should be learnt. You can refer to any of the books from the list.

Which is faster, PostgreSQL or MySQL?

The speed of PostgreSQL and MySQL depends on applications such as MySQL is faster for read-only commands, and PostgreSQL is fast for read-write operations and complicated queries.

Why is PostgreSQL so popular?

Postgre supports different data types, functions and customisable depending on client requirements. It performs fast and efficiently with many datasets and complex queries that make it so popular.

Is PostgreSQL hard to learn?

For beginners, it may seem complicated and confusing to learn. But with detailed documentation guides learners at each step, and once cleared the first step, it is easy to continue.

Is PostgreSQL still used?

Yes, PostgreSQL is used by high-profile companies such as Microsoft, MasterCard, PayPal, LinkedIn, and so forth.

Key Takeaways

The article covers history, features, disadvantages, and comparison between PostgreSQL and MySQL. Though both are database systems, they have different features and disadvantages depending on their application. Though the choice depends on the usage, PostgreSQL is becoming more popular and acceptable due to its scalability, reliance, customisable open-source platform. Explore the Codestudio website for a better understanding of these new SQL database systems.