PostgreSQL vs MySQL: A Comparison

Developers know it – a database is a crucial part of any application, no matter how large or small. Databases, though, are not a very easy beast to tame – all of them work based on internal functionality specific to themselves, and choosing what database management system to employ for your use case may not be an easy task. Today, we’re comparing two of the most widely used database management systems – PostgreSQL vs MySQL.

What is PostgreSQL and MySQL?

MySQL is a widely known relational database management system. PostgreSQL, on the other hand, is an object-relational database management system. MySQL is known for its robust ACID compliance capabilities, while PostgreSQL is known for its extensive support for data types, while also providing ACID compliance capabilities.

MySQL supports multiple storage engines with the primary storage engine being InnoDB while PostgreSQL supports only one, but regardless, both database management systems provide its users with a wide array of possibilities ranging from multiple types of indexes and partitioning capabilities, but in regards to PostgreSQL vs MySQL, PostgreSQL does stand out with it’s adherence to the mandatory features of the SQL standard. MySQL, on the other hand, is only partially SQL standard-conformant.

When it comes to replication, PostgreSQL supports asynchronous, synchronous, and cascade replication, while for MySQL, things are a little different in that the database management system provides support for synchronous, asynchronous, and semi-synchronous database replication.

According to a ranking by DB-Engines, MySQL is the second most widely used database on the market, while PostgreSQL takes the fourth place. PostgreSQL is the preferred option for many database administrators working on larger data sets and complex queries while being an incredibly feature-rich choice while MySQL powers many applications that manage user credentials, payments, and other information (think content management systems like MyBB, phpBB, and the like.) PostgreSQL is also highly extensible, but vanilla PostgreSQL is not an enterprise-ready DBMS.

Reasons to Use PostgreSQL

In regards to PostgreSQL vs MySQL, PostgreSQL is a very frequent choice for both developers and DBAs – with its extensive support for data types, it’s sure to offer an enhanced blend of functionality. Its data types include data types allowing you to store Universally Unique Identifiers (UUID values) that can be used to uniquely identify hardware, monetary data types, binary data types, a bunch of enumerated data types, the boolean data type, network-based data types as well as a bunch of data types fit for geometric data.

PostgreSQL is a frequent choice for those running enterprise-level operations with a strong focus on write or read-write operations. Its support for SQL standards combined with the aforementioned features unique to itself make it a reliable and safe companion for many modern-day applications. In a postgresql vs mysql comparison view, PostgreSQL does offer more features to choose from, but at the same time, MySQL is said to be more lightweight than its counterpart.

Reasons to Use MySQL

MySQL, on the other hand, is said to offer fewer features than its counterpart, but at the same time, this fact allows MySQL to conduct operations more quickly. MySQL has more than one storage engine to choose from (storage engines of interest for MySQL engineers include InnoDB, MyISAM, MEMORY, CSV, ARCHIVE, BLACKHOLE, FEDERATED, and EXAMPLE) and MySQL comes with two different “flavors” or editions: MariaDB Server developed by MariaDB and Percona Server developed by Percona – in comparison with PostgreSQL vs MySQL, the same cannot be said about PostgreSQL.

MySQL’s InnoDB is widely regarded as one of the only storage engines supporting ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability) capabilities meaning that when data is inserted into the database management system, it’s guaranteed to remain durable despite power failures or similar issues. The same can be said about PostgreSQL – however, what MySQL lacks and PostgreSQL provides is the extensive support for data types. Don’t get us wrong – MySQL does offer more than one data type you can choose from – but its choices are far from being on the same level as PostgreSQL. A comparison table between postgresql vs mysql can be seen below:

Feature or Use Case	Supported in PostgreSQL?	Supported in MySQL?
Full ACID compliance	Yes	Yes
Data Types	Yes, extensive support	Yes, basic support
Extensibility	Yes, famous for its extensibility features (e.g. PostGIS, etc.)	Yes, basic extensibility features
Stored Procedures	Yes, extensive support for stored procedures including ones made with the PG/pgSQL language	Yes, basic support
Spatial Use Cases	Yes, extensive support with extensions like PostGIS, data types, and other things	Yes, basic support
Data Warehousing Use Cases	Yes, strong support with advanced data types and extensions	Yes, basic support
Storage Engines	Yes, one storage engine	Yes, multiple storage engines to choose from
SQL Standards	Yes, largely conformant to SQL standards	Yes, partial support
Community Support	Yes, wide community with free resources	Yes, free resources, access to blogs, and optional paid support

PostgreSQL vs MySQL: Which DBMS to Choose?

Now that you’re well-versed in both MySQL and PostgreSQL, what should you choose? The answer is simple – it depends.

The database management system you should use will heavily depend on your use case: if your use case necessitates the usage of exotic data types, use PostgreSQL. If you want to have multiple storage engines to choose from, use MySQL. If you’re after complicated queries, use PostgreSQL. If you want more compliance with the ANSI/ISO SQL standards, use PostgreSQL. If you want to build ACID-based search engines, consider using both of them and weigh your choice against use cases.

Data Breaches Affecting Databases

No matter what database management system you elect to use, keep in mind that data breaches lurk around every corner; Postgresql vs MySQL is a difficult choice to make as it is and with the MySQL architecture looking like this:

It should be clear that there are a lot of things you need to protect! The file system, the data existing in any storage engine you elect to use (InnoDB is not the only option, and as it stores an internal row count inside of itself, some people may still elect to use MyISAM for faster COUNT(*) query performance), and that‘s only the beginning.

Data breach search engines are here to help – with their powerful data breach search engine API capabilities, they can make data breaches a thing of the past: as if they‘ve never existed in the first place. Provide a username, email address, or IP address (or a list of them if you so desire), and their data breach API will run your data through a list of known data breaches and return a response if accounts are found to be at risk of identity theft. Give them a try today – you won‘t be disappointed.

If you think that the BreachDirectory API isn‘t necessary at this point, make sure to use the data breach search engine instead to protect yourself and those close to you: protect yourself and your digital assets no matter what kind of database management system you use, and until next time.