MySQL is a Relational Database Management System or RDBMS which means that it stores and presents data in tabular form, organized in rows and columns.
MySQL is more secure as it consists of a solid data security layer to protect sensitive data from intruders and passwords in MySQL are encrypted.
MySQL is available for free to download and use from the official site of MySQL.
MySQL is compatible with most operating systems, including Windows, Linux, NetWare, Novell, Solaris, and other variations of UNIX.
MySQL provides the facility to run the clients and the server on the same computer or different computers, via the internet or local network.
MySQL has a unique storage engine architecture which makes it faster, cheaper, and more reliable.
MySQL gives developers higher productivity by using views, Triggers, and Stored procedures
MySQL is simple and easy to use. You can build and interact with MySQL with only a basic knowledge of MySQL and a few simple SQL statements.
MySQL has a client-server architecture. There can be any number of clients or application programs that communicate with the database server (MySQL) to query data, save changes, etc.
MySQL is scalable and capable of handling more than 50 million rows. This is enough to handle almost any amount of data. Although the default file size limit is 4GB it can be increased to 8TB.
MySQL allows transactions to be rolled back.
MySQL is very flexible as it supports a large number of embedded applications.
Disadvantages of MySQL:
MySQL is not very efficient in handling very large databases.
MySQL doesn’t have as good a developing and debugging tool as compared to paid databases.
MySQL versions less than 5.0 do not support COMMIT, stored procedure, and ROLE.
MySQL is prone to data corruption as it is inefficient in handling transactions.