Hey, Threadiverse! I’m looking for informed opinions on database choices.

I can stand up an Internet-facing application and have it use either MySQL or PostgreSQL. Which is the better choice, and why do you think so?

Thanks!

  • lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    0·
    20 days ago

    Absolutely depends on what do you want it for and what resources can you apply on it (learning, set-up, etc).

    That said, MySQL is owned by Oracle. The more-or-less blessed alternative IIRC is MariaDB.

  • AllNewTypeFace@leminal.spaceEnglish
    0·
    19 days ago

    I have historically gone with PostgreSQL and had no complaints. The licensing issues concerning MySQL also give one pause (Oracle are greedy bastards who will use any excuse to extract money from captive customers, so depending on their properties is to be avoided). Having said that, these days, SQLite is probably sufficient for many workloads and has the advantage of not requiring a database server.

  • Dark Arc@social.packetloss.ggEnglish
    0·
    20 days ago

    PostgreSQL is just better. It’s supports transactions on DDL (things like altering table structure) and enforces unique constraints after transactions complete … so you can actually do a bunch of important stuff (like update your table structure or swap unique values between rows) safely.

  • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    19 days ago

    Postgres. It’s more strict by default, which leads to a lot fewer surprises.

    Here’s my rule of thumb:

    1. SQLite - if it’s enough
    2. Postgres
    3. MariaDB - if you don’t care about your data and just want the thing to work
    4. MySQL - if you sold your soul to Oracle, but still can’t afford their license fee
    5. Something else - you’re a hipster or have very unique requirements
  • femtech@midwest.socialEnglish
    0·
    20 days ago

    Postgres, the extensions and open source community have been very helpful.

    Postgis for images

    CloudNative-pg for running DB clusters in kuberneties.

  • barkingspiders@infosec.pubEnglish
    0·
    20 days ago

    Choosing is not so much about whether it’s internet facing or not. From the programmer’s perspective and an administrator’s perspective there are pros and cons to both. As someone looking to self-host, if you want to run a service that works with either, I would make the choice based on what seems the most supported, or which one you feel the most comfortable looking up and performing administrative tasks on. I tend to use postgresql more just because I have more experience with it and can recommend it if that’s what you need, but mysql can be just as good or better in many circumstances. Pick whichever one looks easier to you.

  • Jeena@piefed.jeena.netEnglish
    0·
    20 days ago

    PostgreSQL is the more feature rich, but if you don’t care about all those features like saving and searching in json structures, Geo data structures and a to of other stuff because you have a simple APO then MySQL is good enough, maybe even SQLite.

    • expr@programming.devEnglish
      0·
      19 days ago

      Its query planner is also much, much more powerful. Like it’s not even close.

      There’s hardly any good reason to use MySQL today. Postgres is easier and nicer to work with, with a strong community backing it.

      SQLite is completely different from both and has entirely different usecases.

    • DeadMartyr@lemmy.zipEnglish
      0·
      20 days ago

      I used MariaDB for school projects, what exactly is wrong with it? Asking because I’m just unaware

      • earmuff@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        0·
        20 days ago

        While there was a time, where those databases were considered “good”, they are only this famous because they have been free or open source for ages. Professors love open source stuff. This does not necessarily mean it is a good product in terms of database functionality. They have been stuck in the old age and simply get outperformed by almost anything. Professors also hate to change their slides and to learn something new. Because their priority is on functionality, not on real world use. And when you want to use a product in the real world, non-functional properties gain a lot of value. One of them is performance.

        If you want to have a fast, reliable, open source database, use ClickHouse.

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          0·
          19 days ago

          Generally speaking, if a professor recommends something, it probably sucks. Their information is incredibly outdated and is usually whatever they used in their own undergrad program.

          At school I learned:

          • Java
          • PHP
          • MySQL
          • C#
          • C++
          • Racket (Lisp)

          Each of those has a better alternative, with C# being the least bad. For example:

          • Java -> Kotlin
          • PHP -> Python
          • MySQL -> SQLite or Postgres
          • C# -> Python (desktop QT GUIs) or web stack (e.g. Tauri for desktop web stack)
          • C++ -> Rust (non-games) or a game engine
          • Lisp -> Haskell

          Formal education is for learning concepts, learn programming languages and tools on your own.

  • friend_of_satan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    20 days ago

    As somebody who just watched a team implement MySQL for an app that only supported Postgres, I’d go with Postgres.

    I never want to use MySQL again. Postgres or SQLite for relational databases.

    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      20 days ago

      Ha! My deepest experience with postgres was watching it fall over and wedge daily when run behind red hat’s satellite (the flailing lame foreman one, not spacewalk).

      Wow, was it ever a dog. Yeah, I get it: the company who shat Systemd on the planet can’t be asked to do much better, but still.

  • msage@programming.devEnglish
    0·
    20 days ago

    Postgres is far superior in every way.

    We used MySQL (and Percona XtraDB) servers at work, and it is so bad. So I made several presentations showing generic and specific reasons why Postgres is better. I had to cut a lot of content because MySQL is just that bad.

    Some things may not seem relevant now, but as you keep the DB around long enough, you will appreciate the whole package of Postgres.

    Things that will help a lot, but are extensions:

    • pg_partman - for automatic partition management
    • patroni - management of replicas, automatic failover - it does everything for you with simple commands

    There is a DB comparison matrix, but hasn’t been updated in over a year, which is a shame, but still gives you the idea of how different databases support SQL features: link.

    Spoiler: postgres has the most support, with a huge lead

    Edit: MySQL is dead last, btw

  • zoostation@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    20 days ago

    Postgres is a more robust and better designed and developed product, also it’s not owned by fucking Oracle.