What’s the Difference Between SQL and MySQL?

MySQL and SQL are similar only in name and in that they’re both used in relational database systems. A relational database stores information in rows and series of tables, which means you can query them efficiently. 

Both SQL and MySQL have been around for decades. In the 1970s, Edgar Frank Codd published a paper called “A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks.” From this paper, Raymond Boyce and Donald Chamberlin created SQL. In 1995, Monty Widenius co-created MySQL, naming it after his daughter My.

SQL and MySQL are still frequently used in data management and within relational database management systems today.

While both are database management tools, there are several differences between Microsoft SQL Server and MySQL.

Platform support

MySQL and SQL Server both support different platforms.

SQL Server supports many platforms, but not nearly the same quantity as MySQL. SQL Server primarily supports Windows, with cloud deployment options for Linux and macOS via Docker.

MySQL supports more platforms than SQL Server. You can install MySQL on most operating systems, including Linux, macOS, Windows, Oracle Solaris, OpenBSD, and HP-UX.

Programming language support

These are some programming languages that SQL Server supports: C++, Java, Python, PHP, Go, Ruby, and Delphi.

MySQL supports the languages that SQL Server does and more, including Perl, Haskel, and TCL. Part of the appeal of MySQL is that it supports so many programming languages. This makes it a flexible choice for developers to use.

Features

As they are both relational database management systems, MySQL and SQL Server offer many of the same features. They are both high-performing and can manage projects of varying sizes. Equally, they can host multiple databases on a single server and use indexes to sort data and optimize performance. However, there are some features that MySQL has that SQL Server does not, and the opposite is also true.

For example, you can use SQL Server to filter through multiple tables without performing individual searches. You can also stop a query without stopping the backup process.

With MySQL, you would have to run various statements, as you can only filter on an individual database level. With MySQL, you must also stop the entire process to cancel a query execution. 

Scalability

When you increase the number of rows in SQL Server, there isn’t much increase in response time. That is why most developers consider SQL Server a highly scalable technology.  In its paid version, SQL Server has a number of features that help it scale more effectively. These features include compression, advanced partitioning, and in-memory technology.

When the number of data rows increases in MySQL, you also experience an increase in the time it takes to do things.

Performance

MySQL and SQL Server are both high-performance relational database management systems. You should consider both databases as powerful, scalable, and reliable.

SQL Server offers query optimizer and columnstore indexes to optimize performance. As you increase database workloads, SQL Server typically performs slightly better than MySQL.

MySQL uses connection pooling and query caching to optimize performance.

Query language and syntax 

SQL Server and MySQL both use SQL to query the database. You can use SQL commands and SQL statements to interact with them. This is the standard language for managing relational databases. However, MySQL and SQL Server differ slightly in syntax, including for the create, read, update, and delete (CRUD) commands.

SQL Server uses INSERT to add new data to a table. To delete data, SQL Server uses SELECT FROM and DELETE FROM. SQL Server uses double quotes to enclose tables.

MySQL uses INSERT INTO to add new data to a table. To delete data, MySQL uses SELECT and DELETE. MySQL uses backticks to enclose tables.

Connectors and integration support

The connectors and integrations that SQL Server offers work better with other Microsoft products. For example, it offers Microsoft ADO.NET, ODBC Driver, and JDBC Driver. You can also connect to Azure Data Studio and other Microsoft-based products. 

MySQL starts with MySQL Workbench, which you can use to design and create databases. As an open-source tool, it also comes with several additional APIs and connectors that you can use.

Product support & documentation

Both SQL Server and MySQL are mature technologies. So, there’s a lot of documentation online that you can find and read.

SQL Server is Microsoft’s proprietary software, which means you have to pay to use it in most cases.

MySQL is open source and is under the General Public License, version 2. While you can pay for additional support, most MySQL versions are free.

Security Features

SQL Server and MySQL both have a range of security features that protect against data breaches, unauthorized access, and similar major security threats.

With SQL Server, you can’t access files during run time. Additionally, SQL Server has a range of other features that restrict unauthorized user access, like role-based access control. SQL Server also provides row-level security to protect sensitive data and dynamic data masking.

They are binary collections, but developers can use MySQL to manipulate databases while they’re running. Because of this, you can consider MySQL as less secure than SQL Server

	MySQL	SQL Server
What is it?	Open-source relational database management system by Oracle.	Proprietary relational database management system by Microsoft.
Platform support	MySQL supports more platforms than SQL Server.	Microsoft SQL Server supports fewer platforms than MySQL.
Programming language support	MySQL supports more programming languages than SQL Server, like Perl and Haskel.	SQL Server supports fewer programming languages than MySQL.
Features	MySQL has a wider range of third-party connectors and integrations.	SQL Server allows you to filter across multiple databases at once. You can also stop a query without ending an entire process.
Scalability	MySQL has features that make it scalable, but not to the same extent as SQL Server.	SQL Server uses compression, advanced partitioning, and in-memory technology to provide a highly scalable environment.
Performance	MySQL uses connection pooling and query caching to provide high performance.	SQL Server responds better than MySQL when performing in a scaled environment.
Query language and syntax	MySQL uses SQL as a query language and uses backticks in its syntax.	SQL Server uses SQL as a query language and uses double quotes in its syntax.
Connectors and integrations	MySQL has more integrations than SQL Server.	SQL Server has more Microsoft product integrations.
Product support and documentation	MySQL is open source.	SQL Server is proprietary software and has a cost.
Security features	With MySQL, you can edit databases at run time.	With SQL Server, you can’t edit or access files at run time.