While PostgreSQL and MySQL are both handy, practical, and popular, it’s imperative to choose the database more tailored to your needs.
In this post, we’ll be diving deep into the various distinctions between the two options.
Syntax
When it comes to syntax, both PostgreSQL and MySQL are similar. Here’s what a select query would look like for both:
SELECT * FROM STUDENTS;
However, MySQL doesn’t support several subqueries, like “LIMIT” or “ALL.” It also doesn’t support standard SQL clauses like “OUTER JOIN.”
MySQL isn’t as fully SQL-compliant as PostgreSQL, which does support all of the sub-queries mentioned above. If you need to use these subqueries frequently for your business, then PostgreSQL would be a more apt choice.
Languages Supported
PostgreSQL and MySQL support many of the same languages with a few differences.
PostgreSQL, on the other hand, offers support for a wider range of programming languages:
- C/ C++
- Delphi
- Erlang
- Go
- Java
- Lisp
- .NET
- Python
- R
- Tcl
- Other programming languages
Here’s a list of languages that MySQL supports:
- C/C++
- Delphi
- Erlang
- Go
- Java
- Lisp
- Node.js
- Perl
- PHP
- R
Speed
Both PostgreSQL and MySQL are famous for being some of the fastest DBMS solutions floating in the market. However, there’s no clear winner in this category. You can quite easily find benchmarks that recommend one database based on the configuration, the test, and the hardware.
Ultimately, it comes down to how you use them. MySQL is generally known to be faster with read-only commands at the cost of concurrency, while PostgreSQL works better with read-write operations, massive datasets, and complicated queries.
Architecture
MySQL is a purely relational database, whereas PostgreSQL is an object-relational database. PostgreSQL offers more sophisticated data types, and lets objects inherit properties.
On the flip side, it also makes it more complex to work with PostgreSQL. PostgreSQL houses a single, ACID-compliant storage engine. MySQL offers support for 15 different storage engines apart from its default storage engine, InnoDB. The vast array of storage engines allows you to quickly leverage them for other use cases.
PostgreSQL generates a new system process via memory allocation for every client connection established. This requires a lot of memory on systems with many client connections. On the other hand, MySQL utilizes a single process and maintains a single thread for every connection.
This makes MySQL the more suitable choice for applications of less-than-enterprise scope.
Performance
PostgreSQL was built to be standards-compliant, feature-rich, and extendable. Meanwhile, MySQL is still pretty fast at reading data if you’re using the old MyISAM engine. It has also been optimized to catch up to PostgreSQL regarding heavy data writes.
When selecting a suitable tool for your purposes, performance shouldn’t be a binding factor for most garden-variety applications. Both PostgreSQL and MySQL are — mostly — equally performant.
Support & Community
Both PostgreSQL and MySQL have helpful communities to provide support to users.
PostgreSQL boasts a large community of volunteers who offer free advice to users through mailing lists and IRC. On top of this, you can even purchase paid support through third-party providers.
MySQL too has a large volunteer community that devotes its time to help you out with free recommendations and support. You can avail this kind of support on the Percona and MySQL websites. On top of the free community support, Oracle also offers 24/7 paid support with the commercial versions of all its products.
To sum it up, support for PostgreSQL might be a little challenging because it requires more technical expertise to set up and use. Also, the number of PostgreSQL experts is lower than the number of MySQL experts at your disposal today. So, in terms of user support and ease of management, MySQL is slightly better.
Summary
It’s a close fight between the two, with both PostgreSQL and MySQL having distinct advantages and drawbacks. The “right” choice will ultimately come down to you and how you plan to run your business.
Check out this blog for a more in-depth comparison between PostgreSQL and MySQL: https://kinsta.com/blog/postgresql-vs-mysql/#postgresql-vs-mysql-headtohead-comparison
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