If you are producing a web application which requires persistent data, then you're obviously looking for some type of relational database solution. One such possibility is MySQL, which is relational database management system that numerous websites have chosen as their solution.
Although there is no guarantee that MySQL is the right RDMS for everybody, it does have some inherent benefits. Here are a few of them.
- It's free. You can't beat the price. It's released under GPL, so if you are running a small business that doesn't have a lot of cash on hand, then the fact that MySQL is free might be a strong selling point.
- It plays nicely with PHP. There is no shortage of websites, books, blog posts, etc. that discuss integrating PHP with MySQL. This is especially important because there is also no shortage of websites that are actually run with PHP. This includes the ever-popular WordPress websites.
- It uses standard SQL syntax. People who are already familiar with SQL won't need to learn much of anything new to use MySQL. As the name implies, it's SQL-compliant. Standard CRUD activities can be performed with syntax very familiar to experienced relational database administrators and users.
- It's often provided for free by hosting services. If you're going to be producing a website, then you're most likely going to need a hosting service. What you'll find is that MySQL is provided, usually gratis, with your web hosting solution. This means that you already have MySQL as a de facto database solution. So why not use it?
If you'd like to learn more about the advantages of using MySQL, feel free to contact us. We'll be happy to provide you with further insight.
