SQL Compliance
Platform Support
Speed
Stability
Security

PostgreSQL vs MySQL

While getting its pronunciation right can be an issue for many, ‘PostgreSQL’ ease of deployment and free availability make it one of the most sought after databases. Pronounced as ‘Postgres-Q-L’, the database has a growing community and seems ready to take on the very best databases.

Its object oriented relational model makes it a step ahead of other open source platforms. Many refer to PostgreSQL as the open source version of Oracle, a comparison that definitely puts in perspective the range of features PostgreSQL database has.

But the million dollar question “Which open source database is better: MySQL or PostgreSQL?”

To answer this, let’s compare it on various factors.

SQL, being the most commonly used language for databases, is an important factor to consider while considering a database. While PostgreSQL supports most of the SQL features, it, however, doesn’t fare well at selecting data across databases. MySQL, on the other hand, does fine with SQL.

We all know Microsoft platforms are the most commonly used platforms. However, surprisingly, PostgreSQL doesn’t support Windows Me, NT, Ultrix and nextStep. MySQL, on the other hand, works fine with most platforms.

This is one area where MySQL is a lot ahead of PostgreSQL. Though, PostgreSQL does offer a few options for improving its speed by coding processes as stored procedures, MySQL runs fine right from the ground up to complex issues. Speed dips only when concurrent updates take place.

What use is a database when it cannot remain stable! PostgreSQL suffer from instability. Frequent disconnects, memory leaks or dumps are usual. Things look a little better with PostgreSQL 7.x series. On the other hand, MySQL offers better stability and an active community that offers tried and tested codes.

PostgreSQL doesn’t have the features where you can grant limited access to the user. MySQL does this fine by letting the administrator decide the amount of access a user needs to be given. This surely is a big plus for MySQL over PostgreSQL.

So if you are stuck at making a choice between PostgreSQL and MySQL, do keep in mind that MySQL is a proven and superbly supported database. It has a very active community that can make your task a lot easier. PostgreSQL, on the other hand, is catching up and is too heavy on features but not on performance.