MySQL is the most popular Open Source Relational SQL Database Management System. MySQL is one of the best RDBMS being used for developing various web-based software applications.

RDBMS is a kind of DBMS that is good at relating information stored in one table to information stored in another table by looking for elements common to each of them. Relational DBMS has the advantage of efficient storage, and retrieval mechanisms for data, and uses normalization process during design of RDBMS.

MySQL operates using client/server architecture in which the server runs on the machine containing the databases and clients connect to the server over a network.

mySQL is supported on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Fedora Linux, and Debian Linux, and others. As with any other client/server application, MySQL is a multi-user database system, meaning several users can access the database simultaneously.

The server listens for client requests coming in over the network and accesses database contents according to those requests and provides that to the clients.

Clients are programs that connect to the database server and issue queries in a pre-specified format. MySQL is compatible with the standards based SQL language. The client program may contact the server during execution.

The features of mysql includes

• Speed: MySQL is considered as a very fast database program. It supports clustered servers for demanding applications.
• Easy to use: MySQL is a high-performance, relatively simple database system. MySQL is a high-performance, relatively simple database system.
• Cost: It is available free of cost. MySQL is a “Open Source” database.
• Compatibility: SQL is a standardized language for querying and updating data and for the administration of a database. MySQL adheres to the current SQL standard , although with significant restrictions and a large number of extensions.
• Capability: Many clients can connect to the server at the same time. Clients can use multiple database simultaneously. You can access MySQL using several interfaces such as command-line clients, Web browsers.
• Portability: MySQL runs on many varieties of UNIX, as well as on other non-UNIX systems, such as Windows and OS/2. MySQL runs on hardware from home PCs to high-end server. MySQL can be installed on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Fedora Linux, Debian Linux, and others.

Many content management systems, such as WordPress, Joomla and Drupal, use MySQL databases.