What is MySQL?

Posted on: 01 May, 2009

MySQL is a relational database system. It can be used to store and retrieve information from an application that is hosted on the web. Although there are other relational databases available MySQL is probably the most popular on the web with around eleven million installations.

Using a database technology such as MySQL can be very useful for projects on the web because it enables the designers to make the site “dynamic” instead of “static”. What techie types mean when they say “dynamic” in this context is that the site is built in a way that makes adding new content to the site easy, with no special skills necessary.

Using IanWebDesigns as an example it it easy to see the benefits of developing websites in this way. Instead of having to create a new web page every time I want to write an article, I log in to the website using an authentication system that connects me to the MySQL database. I then write the article in an interface much like a word processor, when I am finished I click publish. The article is stored in the database and displayed on the website for everyone to see. The web page and links to it are created for me automatically.

For more detailed information check this page on Wikipedia.