Rock-Solid Relational Storage for High=traffic Apps and APIs
What do you like best about the product?
I like MySQL for its performance, mature ecosystem, and rock-solid reliability. The InnoDB transactions provide us safe transactions and data consistency, and strong indexing improves read performance. Replication enhances availability and the broad tooling support makes it easy to build, scale, and maintain production databases without unnecessary complexity. The huge ecosystem of tools makes monitoring, backups, and migrations straightforward in real-world production setups. Additionally, the initial setup was fast and easy with clear documentation and a huge community of users.
What do you dislike about the product?
Schema changes and large migrations can be painful at scale, horizontal scaling needs more planning than some NoSQL systems, and advanced analytics or complex reporting often require extra tooling or moving data to a separate warehouse.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
MySQL reliably stores and queries structured data at scale, providing fast reads, strong indexing, data integrity, and performance for our applications. InnoDB transactions ensure data consistency, and its broad tool support simplifies monitoring, backups, and migrations.
Robust relational data foundation has supported rapid growth and improved user data management
What is our primary use case?
I have used MySQL for the past two products that I have been a part of. MySQL serves as our database layer where we store all our data across whatever platform we have. It functions as the main component that stores our data.
Our product is quite large, so we have multiple databases, with MySQL being one of them where we store user data. Our product is a hiring-based platform, so we store user data, enterprise data, and the jobs that users assign, among multiple other things.
I haven't used a different solution previously, but we are currently using MySQL as well as MongoDB for our database needs.
What is most valuable?
MySQL is an RDBMS database, and I have also used MongoDB. MySQL has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. With MySQL, we can easily store data. The latency for accessing data is lower than MongoDB because MongoDB stores in BSON format, whereas MySQL stores in table format. This makes it suitable, and I believe for the type of product we have, this is the right database choice.
MySQL has low latency and is very easy for our use case. We are using Sequelize with it, so implementation is straightforward and putting data into MySQL is simple. As an RDBMS database, the relational management is excellent. There is less redundancy, and the table structures are well-defined beforehand. Before putting data in, we must create the table and set everything up properly. Error handling is also very good.
Performance-wise, MySQL is very fast and reliable. We have deployed it on AWS servers, and it is quite reliable. From an integration capability standpoint, integrating it with any platform or application is fast and easy to use. We simply need the database details and to create the tables we want, and we can start using it without hesitation.
As an RDBMS, MySQL provides us great capability. For a product growing to large scale like ours, where we currently have around 10 lakh users but will grow to 20, 30, 40 million or more, having a strong database foundation is essential. MySQL provides that. Creating a database with good structure is crucial, and foreign key and primary key relationships should be well-defined beforehand. MySQL ensures that you create tables in a manner that makes it easy for end users and simple to grow that particular database in the future.
MySQL is very reliable because it has ACID properties, including atomicity and consistency. Replication is easy, and we are replicating it with one of our search services used for fast searching. Scalability is very easy, and security features are very good for enterprise editions, providing transparent data encryption, authorization, authentication, and firewalls.
What needs improvement?
MySQL can be improved in several ways. It has connectivity errors and administration troubles that sometimes occur, though not consistently. MySQL has slow queries; sometimes when I run a query, it scans the whole table, and if the data is very large, it takes too much time to retrieve the data. There can be resource bottlenecks with RAM and CPU usage being a little lower than ideal. Monitoring system metrics is crucial because we need to identify and address these types of issues. Schema designing is another area for improvement, as a poorly designed schema can lead to data redundancy in the future. If I haven't initially planned for a 20 lakh user database and am only working with a 1,000 user case, it will be very problematic because in the future, it will affect the whole table structure, and we will need to change everything. Thorough thinking is necessary before even creating the table.
MySQL documentation could be better. Sometimes when I need to find something related to MySQL, the documentation is not very comprehensive. If I have a problem with it, I have to go to Stack Overflow or something similar to get the full detail. Additionally, sometimes when we are connecting to local MySQL, it says we cannot connect to SQL, and I don't know the reason. The error messages are not very helpful, so we have to investigate those cases manually. There are multiple instances of this occurring.
Documentation can be better overall. The integration capabilities could be improved slightly. Whatever I have used is working fine for me currently, but it could be a little better. The UI of MySQL Workbench, which I use, is not appealing to me, so it could be improved. MySQL overall is very good, and the foundation is very strong. We can develop features around it and different types of things inside it, which will make it better in the future.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Regarding stability, MySQL is quite stable for us. The product that I am working on is quite stable because we have been using it for three years, and it hasn't given us any problems. The newer LTS versions are the safest for us, especially when we are releasing to production, so they are our go-to choice, and they are stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If the database foundation is very good with well-thought-out table structure and everything, then scalability is easy. However, if you are not thinking about the next few years and the client's user database size increases or the use case demands more, you have to consider it beforehand. If that is properly considered, then MySQL is the best option because you can easily grow from 1,000 people to 10 lakh people.
How are customer service and support?
I think customer support is very good. I haven't interacted with it personally, but it appears to be good. From Oracle, they are providing customer support, and we can submit service requests that they solve on a 24/7 basis, providing solutions within a few hours.
How would you rate customer service and support?
What was our ROI?
Regarding money saved, we have a 10 lakh user case with user data. I believe in that case, we have saved quite a bit because we set up the foundation very well, and the setup was very good thanks to my seniors. Currently, we are building on top of it, and because the foundation was very good, we are able to scale it further. If we want to scale to 30 or 40 lakh people, then it is still possible, covering three to four million users. So that is good for us right now.
What other advice do I have?
If I give MySQL a rating, as I have said, I have worked with both RDBMS and non-RDBMS databases. In both cases, I would give it a solid nine. It is actually used by multiple companies, and it is actually very good. It is a foundation, and if it is implemented perfectly, then it will be very good in the future.
If your product has a clear table structure and you already know what data you will have and how to manage it, what the table structure will be, what the rows and columns will look like, and if you know how it will grow eventually in the future and understand the end-to-end process, then MySQL is the best option to choose. If you have doubts about some tables, then you can use another type of non-RDBMS databases. If you have clarity about some things and not clarity about others, then you can use a combination of both as well. It depends upon the enterprise use case.
If you have clarity about how you are going to scale and how you are reducing redundancy among the data, then MySQL is the best option. I would recommend going for it. I give MySQL an overall rating of nine.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
High Performance and Excellent Documentation for Developers
What do you like best about the product?
it has high performance and there is a lot of documentation available for inexperienced developers.
What do you dislike about the product?
there is no support for complex data types and other advanced sql capabilities. Might not be suitable for heavy analytical usage.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Its an open source tool with abundance of documentation and developers community so it helps early sql developers be comfortable with SQL language.
Reliable and Scalable, Yet Requires Expertise for Advanced Needs
What do you like best about the product?
I really like MySQL for its reliability, speed, and ease of use. It integrates smoothly with many tools, making it versatile for a range of projects. MySQL also scales well from small projects to larger production systems, which is invaluable as projects grow. Its reliability ensures data consistency, and its speed allows for fast queries. Overall, its ease of use, strong integrations, and scalability are significant benefits, making it a strong choice for both learning and real-world applications. The initial setup was fairly easy and well-documented, which added to the positive experience.
What do you dislike about the product?
MySQL can struggle with very large-scale analytics and complex joins compared to some modern databases. Advanced features and tuning also require deeper expertise, which can increase setup and maintenance effort. For very large datasets, MySQL can face performance issues with complex joins and heavy analytical queries, often requiring careful indexing and query optimization.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
MySQL helps manage large, structured data with reliable storage and fast querying. It solves data inconsistency and manual data handling issues, and its reliability, speed, ease of use, and scalability make it valuable for both small and large projects.
Config Managment and Insightful Query Analysis
What do you like best about the product?
- MVCC (Multi-Version Concurrency Control) for high-concurrency OLTP workloads
- EXPLAIN ANALYZE (8.0+) for actual runtime metrics, not just estimates
- B+-tree indexes for most access patterns
What do you dislike about the product?
- Cardinality estimation can still be poor for complex predicates, even with histograms
- Limited ability to reason about correlated subqueries
- Next-key locking can cause unexpected contention and deadlocks
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
- We can have schema based data in MySQL
- Dependent data stored in multiple dbs or tables can help in giving accurate data
The Industry Standard for Simple Databases
What do you like best about the product?
It is the industry standard for simple databases
What do you dislike about the product?
Scalability and advanced features are better found in other products
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Hosting simple/small databases for applications
Don't overthink it: the answer is probably MySQL
What do you like best about the product?
You can't talk about RDBMS without mentioning MySQL, there are alternatives you could choose to cater to your more specific needs, but for general-purpose managing of relational data, there's a reason MySQL has been the king for over 20 years. It's easy to set up and easy to use.
What do you dislike about the product?
Alternative technologies like Postgres have begun supporting new needs, like sophisticated JSON data support and querying, and more powerful SQL syntax.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
MySQL solves the obvious problem of storing relational data, but does it with speed, operational simplicity, predictability, and affordability, on a tried-and-true, mature platform. Sure there are other DB techs suitable for very specific needs, but for 95% of projects MySQL is all you need.
Reliable, Fast, and Beginner-Friendly Database Solution
What do you like best about the product?
MySQL is reliable and very fast; this ensures DB management is not a challenge. MySQL supports complex queries. Moreover, it is easy to use even for beginners. Its integration with various coding languages and tools is very easy. It is open-source. All in all, it is reliable regardless of whether it is used for small or large applications.
What do you dislike about the product?
Certain complex features require additional setup or software. Handling large databases to scale can be a bit intricate. Backup and recovery operations might require strategic planning. The default storage engines may not always be optimal. Nevertheless, it functions quite well, although sometimes these small issues crop up.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
MySQL addresses the challenge of how to store and retrieve structured data by offering an uncomplicated but reliable relational database system. It enables effective querying, reporting, and integration with applications, including stringent data consistency and security features to protect key information. On the whole, it saves time, improves data management, and supports scalable application development.
Effortless Data Storage and Querying
What do you like best about the product?
Easy to query and good to store the data
What do you dislike about the product?
Creating the object and then using it should be more optimization
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Able to store the data properly and there are multiple ways in which I can retrieve it
Freedom from Microsoft, MySQL Makes Development a Breeze
What do you like best about the product?
MySQL is awesome! The best thing about it is not being tied to Microsoft. I can just build my app and not have to worry about setting up Microsoft stuff to work on a database.
What do you dislike about the product?
There is really not much that I don't like about MySQL.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
MySQL allows us to create and navigate databases for web app. This revolutionary because setting up Microsoft systems sometimes feels like working with Legacy tools no matter what.
