PostgreSQL vs MySQL: Top 9 Differences

PostgreSQL and MySQL are well-known relational database systems (RDBMS), and both are open-source RDBMS. This article offers a complete comparison to help developers, DBAs, and businesses choose the right tool for their needs.

Introduction to PostgreSQL vs MySQL

PostgreSQL and MySQL are robust database management systems in countless web, enterprise, and cloud-based applications. While both support SQL standards, they differ in features, performance, extensibility, and use cases.

PostgreSQL is known for its advanced features and compliance. It follows full ACID properties, supports JSONB, and custom data types.

MySQL is valued for its speed, ease of use, and broad adoption in LAMP stacks.

🕰️ A Glimpse into History: PostgreSQL vs MySQL

PostgreSQL was developed at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1986 & its initial name was POSTGRES. In 1996, they renamed it as PostgreSQL. It was designed as an object-relational DBMS to succeed the Ingres system. It has grown into a robust, open-source enterprise-grade database system.

The Swedish company MySQL AB developed MySQL in 1995. Sun Microsystems acquired MySQL AB in 2008, followed by Oracle in 2010. MySQL became popular and adopted by multiple organizations for web development. It provides good speed and is also very easy to use. Concerns over Oracle’s ownership led to the creation of forks like MariaDB. MySQL remains a dominant open-source RDBMS, especially in LAMP stacks.

Advantages and Disadvantages of PostgreSQL vs MySQL

When choosing an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS), PostgreSQL and MySQL are two of the most widely used options. Both have strengths and weaknesses. Which is suitable for the organization depends on your specific application needs, technical requirements, and project goals. This article explores all the key advantages and disadvantages of PostgreSQL vs. MySQL, highlighting a few critical and essential differences that will help us make the correct decision.

PostgreSQL: Advantages

A few advantages of PostgreSQL are given below for more clarity:

✅ Advanced SQL Compliance

PostgreSQL adheres to ANSI SQL standards and supports complex queries, common table expressions (CTEs), and full outer joins.

✅ Support for Advanced Data Types

It offers native support for JSON, XML, hstore, UUID, arrays, and custom composite types—ideal for modern applications.

✅ Extensibility

PostgreSQL is highly extensible. You can define your functions, operators, and data types.

✅ MVCC (Multi-Version Concurrency Control)

Efficient concurrency is ensured with MVCC, allowing readers and writers to work simultaneously without locks.

✅ Geospatial Data Support

PostgreSQL excels in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) functionality with the PostGIS extension.

✅ Custom Indexing Techniques

Another advantage of PostgreSQL is its support of BRIN, GIN, GiST, and SP-GiST indexes, which helps during performance optimization.

✅ Write-Ahead Logging (WAL)

PostgreSQL provides facilities like data integrity (DI) and crash recovery (CR) through robust transaction logging.

✅ Table Partitioning

Offers native and declarative table partitioning for large datasets.

✅ Foreign Data Wrappers (FDW)

Integrate and query external databases or files directly using FDWs.

✅ Better for Analytical Workloads

PostgreSQL is ideal for OLAP use cases, large-scale reporting, and data warehousing due to its rich analytical features.

✅ Open Community Development

There is no corporate control; an open-source community with transparent governance manages PostgreSQL.

PostgreSQL: Disadvantages

A few disadvantages of PostgreSQL are given below for more clarity:

❌ Steeper Learning Curve

The advanced feature set can be overwhelming for beginners or small teams.

❌ Less Common in Shared Hosting

In shared web hosting environments, MySQL is popular & also the default choice.

❌ Performance Overhead in Simple Reads

For basic read-heavy applications, PostgreSQL may be slower than MySQL.

❌ Limited Tooling for Beginners

While robust, the ecosystem lacks the abundance of beginner-friendly GUI tools MySQL offers.

❌ Complex Configuration

In PostgreSQL, tuning requires a clear & more profound understanding of its internal architecture.

❌ Lower Popularity in WordPress

WordPress and many PHP-based CMSs are designed primarily for MySQL.

❌ Smaller User Base in Legacy Systems

Many legacy apps and enterprise tools are explicitly built for MySQL.

❌ Migration Complexity

Migrating from MySQL to PostgreSQL can be non-trivial due to differences in syntax and behavior.

❌ Resource Intensive

It may consume more system resources than MySQL for small-scale applications.

❌ Replication Setup is Less Intuitive

Though powerful, replication in PostgreSQL can be harder to configure and manage.

MySQL: Advantages

A few advantages of MySQL are given below for more clarity:

✅ High Speed for Read-Heavy Workloads

It is optimized for fast reads and is ideal for web applications and content-heavy websites.

✅ User-Friendly Tools

Multiple tools, such as phpMyAdmin and MySQL Workbench, are available in the market. These are widely utilized by multiple organizations and are beginner-friendly.

✅ Widespread Hosting Support

It is readily available on shared hosting platforms, especially for LAMP stack setups.

✅ Excellent Documentation

Rich, well-maintained documentation and tutorials are available for all skill levels.

✅ Community and Commercial Editions

Offers flexibility between free and enterprise-grade versions.

✅ Replication Simplicity

In MySQL, the configuration of master-slave replication is more simple & straightforward than PostgreSQL.

✅ Default Engine (InnoDB) Supports Transactions

The Default Engine (InnoDB) supports full ACID properties, foreign keys (FK), and crash recovery (CR) features.

✅ Popular in Web Development

Most PHP frameworks, CMSs, and eCommerce platforms (WordPress, Magento, and Joomla) are MySQL-centric.

✅ Cross-Platform Compatibility

It runs smoothly on various platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS.

✅ Low Resource Usage

Suitable for smaller applications with limited hardware.

✅ Strong Ecosystem

Many plugins, GUI tools, and third-party integrations are available.

MySQL: Disadvantages

A few disadvantages of MySQL are given below for more clarity:

❌ Limited SQL Compliance

Lacks full support for advanced SQL features like window functions and common table expressions (until version 8.0).

❌ Fewer Data Types

Limited support for complex types like arrays, stores, and full JSON operations.

❌ Poorer Write Performance Under Load

Can experience bottlenecks with high-volume writes.

❌ Lacks MVCC in MyISAM Engine

MyISAM doesn’t support MVCC, which affects data integrity and concurrency.

❌ Closed Features in Enterprise Edition

Some advanced features are only available in the commercial version under Oracle.

❌ Less Suitable for Complex Analytics

Lacks native support for many OLAP operations out-of-the-box.

❌ Limited Full-Text Search

Full-text indexing is fundamental compared to PostgreSQL’s capabilities with extensions like vector.

❌ Indexing Limitations

PostgreSQL’s custom index types are more flexible than MySQL indexing.

❌ Rigid Triggers and Stored Procedures

Less powerful procedural language support for writing custom triggers and functions.

❌ Data Integrity Issues in MyISAM

MyISAM does not support foreign keys, risking referential integrity problems.

❌ Corporate Control by Oracle

The open-source community is concerned about Oracle Corporation’s influence on licensing decisions and future directions.

9 Major Differences Between PostgreSQL vs MySQL

Features	PostgreSQL	MySQL
ACID Compliance	Full Support	It depends on engine (InnoDB)
JSON Support	It supports – Advanced (JSONB)	Supports Basic features
Replication	Synchronous & Asynchronous	Primarily Asynchronous
Data Types	Rich & customizable	Supports Basic features
Performance (Read-heavy)	Slightly slower	Faster Than PostgreSQL
Performance (Write-heavy)	It Provides a better concurrency.	Decent but limited.
Extensibility	Highly extensible.	Limited.
Community	Strong academic & enterprise focus.	Huge user base.
Licensing	PostgreSQL License (Open)	GPL (with Oracle’s control)

Differences Between PostgreSQL vs MySQL

Selection Criteria : PostgreSQL vs MySQL

For better clarity, a few points have been given, which will help during tool selection..

PostGreSQL:

🔹 For complex data models, analytics, and extensibility, PostgreSQL is ideal.

🔹 Because it supports complex data types like store, arrays, JSONB, UUID, and custom types.

🔹 It provides rich Indexing options, such as GiST, full-text indexes, GIN, BRIN, and SP-GiST, which are essential for enhancing the performance of complex queries.

🔹 PostgreSQL provides a strong Ecosystem and Tools like pgAdmin, DBeaver, and psql to help administrators & developers.

🔹 PostgreSQL is fully ACID-compliant, ensuring reliable transactions.

🔹 Supports advanced SQL features like Common Table Expressions (CTEs), window functions, recursive queries, and subselects.

🔹 Native support for statistical, mathematical, and pattern-matching functions Can be used with analytical tools like Apache Superset, Tableau, and Python (via psycopg2 or SQLAlchemy).

MySQL:

🔸 MySQL is renowned for its user-friendly setup and straightforward configuration, making it an ideal choice for beginners and rapid development.

🔸 Optimized for read-heavy operations, MySQL delivers high-speed query execution in simple CRUD applications.

🔸 Almost every shared hosting provider, especially in popular stacks like LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), supports MySQL by default.

🔸 Good part of MySQL is that it has massive global user base and a long-standing community for future supports.

🔸 MySQL is a popular & widely used RDBMS and is supported by CMS platforms like Drupal, Joomla, eCommerce, and WordPress tools like Magento and WooCommerce.

🔸 Tools like phpMyAdmin, MySQL Workbench, and GUI-based installers simplify database creation and management.

🔸 It requires fewer system resources than PostgreSQL, making it suitable for low-cost or resource-constrained environments.

Best Practices for PostgreSQL vs MySQL

🔹 MySQL: Opt for an InnoDB storage engine, enable query caching, and monitor slow queries.

🔹 Use ORM tools that support both to keep flexibility.

🔹 Perform load testing before choosing one for production.

Most Important Things to Know: PostgreSQL vs MySQL

🔹 PostgreSQL supports full MVCC (multi-version concurrency control).

🔹 MySQL’s performance depends heavily on correct indexing and engine choice.

🔹 MySQL is often preferred in shared hosting environments due to its lightweight nature.

Example: PostgreSQL vs MySQL Syntax

PostgreSQL

SELECT name FROM employees WHERE data->>'age' > '30';

MySQL

SELECT name FROM employees WHERE JSON_EXTRACT(data, '$.age') > 30;

9 Common Issues with PostgreSQL vs MySQL:

🔹 If the Query Performance is slow

PostgreSQL: In PostgreSQL, we may observe a slightly slower response to complex queries due to missing indexes or inefficient joins.

Solution: Use EXPLAIN ANALYZE to understand the query plan, add appropriate indexes, and optimize joins.

MySQL: Inefficient indexing or outdated statistics may slow down queries.

Solution: Use EXPLAIN, add missing indexes, and run ANALYZE TABLE to refresh statistics.

🔹 Connection Limit Exceeded

PostgreSQL: The default connection limit may not handle high concurrency.

Solution: Use a connection pooler like pgBouncer, and increase max_connections in PostgreSQL.conf.

MySQL: Too many client connections can overload the server.

Solution: Increase max_connections in my.cnf and use persistent connections or pooling in the application.

🔹 Replication Lag

PostgreSQL: Replication may fall behind in write-heavy environments.

Solution: In this case, try to configure WAL settings properly (wal_buffers, wal_writer_delay), and ensure adequate network bandwidth.

MySQL: Enslaved people may lag due to single-threaded replication.

Solution: Use multi-threaded replication (slave_parallel_workers), optimize write queries, and monitor Seconds_Behind_Master.

🔹 Deadlocks

PostgreSQL: Complex transactions may cause deadlocks.

Solution: Keep transactions short, access tables consistently, and monitor logs for deadlock patterns.

MySQL: Deadlocks can occur with InnoDB under high concurrency.

Solution: Use consistent row access patterns and enable innodb_deadlock_detect.

🔹 Data Corruption or Inconsistency

PostgreSQL: Unexpected shutdowns may corrupt WAL or indexes.

Solution: Enable fsync, set up automated backups, and run REINDEX when needed.

MySQL: Table corruption, especially in MyISAM.

Solution: Use InnoDB, run CHECK TABLE, and back up regularly using mysqldump or mysqlpump.

🔹 Poor JSON Performance

PostgreSQL: JSONB queries may be slow without indexing.

Solution: Use GIN indexes on JSONB columns for faster lookups.

MySQL: JSON lacks native indexing.

Solution: Use generated (virtual) columns and index them for efficient filtering.

🔹 Large Database Size

PostgreSQL: Bloat from MVCC and dead tuples increases size.

Solution: For the large database, it would be better if we run VACUUM, VACUUM FULL, or pg_repack regularly to clean up dead rows.

MySQL: Unused indexes and data fragments inflate size.

Solution: Drop unused indexes and run OPTIMIZE TABLE.

🔹 Slow Startup Time

PostgreSQL: Too many extensions or large shared buffers can slow startup.

Solution: Disable unused extensions and tune memory settings.

MySQL: Large InnoDB buffer pool or slow I/O causes startup delay.

Solution: Tune innodb_buffer_pool_size and ensure disk I/O performance is optimized.

🔹 Inadequate Security Settings

PostgreSQL: The Default pg_hba.conf may allow unwanted access.

Solution: Always use complex and strong password authentication, restrict IPs, and enable SSL connections.

MySQL: Weak default root password or open ports.

Solution: Set strong passwords, restrict remote root access, and configure firewalls or bind addresses.

Conclusion: PostgreSQL vs MySQL

Ultimately, your application requirements, team experience, and deployment environment will determine which PostgreSQL and MySQL are best for you. PostgreSQL is a strong option if you require sophisticated features, great data integrity, and sophisticated queries. On the other hand, MySQL often proves more convenient for lightweight applications, fast read operations, and ease of use.

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