Fun Fact: MySQL (MY-ES-KYOO-EL’ [maɪˌɛsˌkjuːˈɛl]) was developed by a Swedish company called MySQL AB in 1994.
Sun Microsystems then took full ownership of MySQL in 2008. Then Oracle obtained MySQL in 2010 and has owned it ever since.
For our purposes and it’s general definition, MySQL is a free and open-source database, and one of the most popular in the world.
Now, let’s take a closer look at each term:
Database
A database is a place in which data is stored and organized. The data is stored in the dataset and is organized as tables. These tables can relate to each other.
Open source
Open source means any one can install the software. If you can, you should learn and customize the source code to better accommodate your needs within the guidelines of the (GNU Public License). The commercially licensed version is available for more flexibility and advanced support.
So How Does MySQL Work?
One or more devices (clients) can connect to a server through a specific network.
After a request is made, the server will produce the desired output, as long as there is no break in communication between clients.
These are the main processes taking place in a MySQL environment:
- MySQL creates a database for storing and manipulating data, defining the relationship of each table.
- Clients can make requests by typing specific SQL statements on MySQL.
- The server application will respond with the requested information and it will appear on the clients’ side.
This tutorial will discuss a basic MySQL installation on a Linux virtual server, and some of the basic MySQL commands.
Full documentation can be found on the MySQL.com website here.