5 Advantages and Disadvantages of MySQL | Limitations & Benefits of MySQL

MySQL is an open source relational database management system that is used to manage information in tabular form. It is built through the Structured Query Language (SQL) that works by connecting databases to the application. 

Currently, MySQL is considered to be highly reliable solution with many modern features. Al though there are many reasons why MySQL is the first choice for developers in relational database system, it aren't flawless. Using MySQL as a database system involves benefits as well as drawbacks. In order to make MySQL fully effective, you need to take into consideration all the pros and cons of MySQL.

In this article, I will be examining about 5 Advantages and Disadvantages of MySQL | Limitations & Benefits of MySQL. From this post, you will know the pros and cons of using MySQL.

Let's get started,

Advantages of MySQL

1. Cost

Even though the parent company of MySQL is Oracle, still the software is open sourced. Since the source code is easily editable, it cost less to use the software. There is cost involved other than paying for this product. However, this cost is significantly less compared to other database options. That is the reason why many of the startup companies and developers prefer MySQL as their database system.

2. Security

Today major technologies like Facebook, Twitter, WordPress adopt MySQL as their database management system due to their strong security measures. Intruders and hackers cannot easily access critical data since the data is protected from a security layer. 

And the passwords used in MySQL are stored encrypted with complex algorithms. Such high protection is especially beneficial for ecommerce sites that deals with card and bank payments.

3. Connectivity

MySQL application uses several mechanisms for the connection to be made with the MySQL server. Some of them are, TCP/IP sockets, UNIX sockets and Pipes. All these mechanisms ensure seamless connectivity. Seamless connectivity is a must for web applications.

4. Availability

When using MySQL there is always an assurance of 24x7 uptime with the support of high availability solutions. Several solutions like master/slave replication configurations and specialized cluster servers are available to ensure 100% availability.

5. Platform Support

MySQL has the capability to support any platform because of the fact that it is present as a cross platform database server. Regardless of any operating system like Windows, Linux, MacOS, Linux Server or Windows Server, it can run on all of them. So this is an excellent choice if the application requires supporting multiple platforms.

 

Disadvantages of MySQL

1. Performance

Even though MySQL is designed to handle large number of data, still it is behind when it comes to performance. Especially, MySQL struggles when there is too many read/write operations. In such a case, you need to consider other alternatives like Oracle or SQL server.

2. Scalability

MySQL may work fine for startup projects. But the real problem arises when your application grows in size. Al this time, it is not possible to scale it up easily. Even so, it takes tremendous effort to make it happen.

3. Stability

Corruption of MySQL is common from problems like lack of stability. Most often, this problem is encountered when carrying out tasks which involves auditing or transactions. This makes MySQL less reliable than its competitors.

 

4. Standard Compliance

MySQL is not compatible with standards like SQL-92. Therefore, the standard features are omitted from MySQL. Even the extensions are different from standard SQL. This problem isn't much noticeable for web applications, but the problem occurs when you need to move from MySQL to other databases.

 

5. Code Reusability

Writing stored procedures is an important parameter for code reusability and encapsulation. MySQL offers very limited options when it comes to stored procedures. Meanwhile, relational databases systems like PostgreSQL provides variety of options.