MySQL DatabaseThe world's most popular open source RDBMS
MySQL powers some of the largest applications on the web — WordPress, Shopify, Airbnb. We deploy and optimise MySQL for projects that need a proven relational database, especially in Laravel and PHP stacks.
MySQL is the world's most popular open-source relational database, powering applications from WordPress to Shopify. With InnoDB's ACID transactions, mature replication, and broad ORM support, MySQL is a reliable choice for web applications, e-commerce, and content platforms. PlanetScale brings MySQL into the modern era with serverless scaling, non-blocking schema changes via Vitess, and Git-like branching for databases. Whether you're running a Laravel app or a TypeScript backend with Prisma, MySQL delivers proven reliability at any scale.
Quick start
# Install MySQL locally
brew install mysql
brew services start mysql
# Create a database
mysql -u root -e "CREATE DATABASE myapp;"
# Or use PlanetScale
pscale database create myapp --region us-eastRead the full documentation at dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/
InnoDB transactions
Full ACID transactions with row-level locking and foreign key constraints via InnoDB.
Query optimisation
EXPLAIN ANALYZE, index hints, and covering indexes — we tune slow queries to run in milliseconds.
Replication & HA
Primary-replica replication, Group Replication, and InnoDB Cluster for high availability.
JSON column support
Native JSON column type with indexable generated columns — semi-structured data alongside relational.
User & privilege system
Fine-grained GRANT system with role-based permissions — least-privilege access by default.
Compatible ORMs
Prisma, Drizzle, TypeORM, Sequelize, and Eloquent all support MySQL with full feature parity.
Why it's hard
Schema migrations on large tables
ALTER TABLE on tables with millions of rows can lock the table for extended periods. PlanetScale's non-blocking DDL or pt-online-schema-change are essential for zero-downtime migrations.
Character encoding and collation
MySQL's default collation (utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci in 8.0) handles most use cases, but emoji, case sensitivity, and locale-specific sorting require deliberate collation choices.
Query optimizer limitations
MySQL's query optimizer can struggle with complex subqueries and derived tables compared to PostgreSQL. Rewriting as JOINs or using generated columns often resolves performance issues.
Best practices
Use InnoDB for all tables
InnoDB provides transactions, row-level locking, and foreign keys. There's rarely a reason to use MyISAM in modern MySQL.
Use PlanetScale for serverless workloads
PlanetScale handles connection pooling, branching, and non-blocking DDL — solving MySQL's biggest operational pain points.
Index strategy: covering indexes
Design indexes that include all columns needed by your query (covering indexes) to avoid table lookups entirely.
Enable slow query log
Set long_query_time to 1s and analyze slow queries with EXPLAIN — the fastest path to performance improvements.
Frequently asked questions
Related technologies
Related services
Looking for end-to-end delivery? These services complement MySQL projects.
Web App Development
Full-stack web applications built for real users and real scale
Enterprise Software Development
Internal tools, dashboards, and integrations built for real business complexity
SaaS Development
Subscription software built to scale from day one
Technical Consultancy
Not sure what you need? We'll help you figure it out before you spend a dollar
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