MySQL or PostgreSQL ?

[Claude Moore]

I know, this question is really a FAQ in the web, and I've already read a lot of point of view, some supporting MySql, and other endorsing Postgresql.
I've tried both of them, but just scratching the surface, and at a first glance they're comparable in easiness of use and configuration. But I'd love to hear your experiences, if possibile, 'cause I don't think that a simply try may enlight strength and weakness of each product.
My main concern about PostgreSQL is that you can't have official support but from the community, while MySql is somehow under Oracle's umbrella, so, when needed, you may pay for support and get it. Moreover, MySql has a quite good C++ interface and API, which resembles Java JDBC API.
On the other hand, PostgreSQL is free even for commercial use, and there's only one version with all features available - you don't have to distinguish between community edition, standard edition, enterprise edition and so on.
What are your thoughts about ?

[Tapas Chand]

In our organization we have used Oracle, PostgreSql and MySql in production for different projects.
While Oracle is the best among all (IMO), it has a huge cost attached to it.
Between PostgreSql and MySql I did not really notice a significance difference.
Both have similar performance (at least in our environment) and both are easy to use with their database tools.

[chris webster]

You can get professional support for PostgreSQL from EnterpriseDB who are major supporters of the open-source PostgreSQL database, as well as offering an enhanced version of PostgreSQL with some extra features that are not available in the open-source version.

As an ex-Oracle developer, I prefer PostgreSQL as it has always seemed more mature and scalable to me, but I haven't used MySQL much in recent years.

There is a non-Oracle fork of the MySQL project called MariaDB.

[Tim Holloway]

I run BOTH MySQL and PostgreSQL in production as well as IBM's DB2. And in a past incarnation did heavy work in Oracle.

Frankly, the commercial products re often lacking in basics. Ever tried to dump a DB2 database to SQL and load it onto another DB2 database where one's an iSeries machine and the othe runs Linux? Or even when they're both running Windows? Both MySQL and PostgreSQL have this sort of stuff built-in.

Presumably the Oracle and DB2 database systems can handle certain types of industrial loads well enough to compensate for their ease-of-use shortcomings, but I may be just be giving credit where it's no longer due. After all, some of the biggest NoSQL databases in the world have MySQL underpinnings. In any event, the big shops have always had plenty of apps that didn't need that much power, so paying premium prices for everything would appear questionable.

MySQL is probably the most popular DBMS for open-source products. I tend to prefer PostgreSQL when designing apps myself, as it's quite similar to Oracle and some features that PostgreSQL has had for a long time (such as transactions) weren't available until comparatively recently.

Of course, in Java, if you code using an ORM system such as Hibernate, you can virtually eliminate your dependency on a single DBMS brand.

As far as support goes, yes Oracle owns MySQL, but the MariaDB spinoff is also available with commercial support. From MySQL's original owners, if I'm not mistaken.

There actually are other PostgreSQL options. Most notably the PostGIS option.

[chris webster]

Just to clarify Tim's last remark, Postgis is an excellent open source extension to the core PostgreSQL database that allows you do geo-spatial processing in the database. It's widely used and very powerful. There are other specialised extensions for PostgreSQL, but I've only really used PostgGIS myself.

In case it's relevant for your project, PostgreSQL also supports stored procedures in a variant of Oracle's PL/SQL language, and in Java or other languages.

I have to say I prefer developing on Oracle but if you're looking at open source options then PostgreSQL is my preference.

[Claude Moore]

Thanks a lot, all of you, for your kind advices. So, I think I will go for Postgresql. What you suggested matches, more or less, infoes I found on the web...but opinions from this great community have a greater value for me.
Thanks again, guys!!