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Why To Choose PostgreSQL Over MySQL, MariaDB (dice.com)

Posted by timothy on from the your-momma dept.

Nerval's Lobster writes: PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB are the three "main" open-source relational databases available today (there are four if you count FireBird, but for brevity we're excluding it). For years, MySQL had a reputation of being faster than PostgreSQL, but much of that was due to the MyISAM database engine, which didn't support transactions. On the flip side of things, PostgreSQL had a reputation for being slower but more reliable. But with the recent versions of both platforms, things have started to change; for example, speed has been less of a problem for PostgreSQL, while MySQL now defaults to the InnoDB engine, which does handle transactions. According to developer David Bolton, here's why PostgreSQL is worth a second look for your database-management needs (Dice link).

9 of 244 comments (clear)

  1. Not rocket science by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Postgres is an excavator, while the other two are bobcats. For heavy lifting, the choice is obvious.

    1. Re:Not rocket science by gmack · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Postgres is an excavator, while the other two are bobcats. For heavy lifting, the choice is obvious.

      Well, not so fast. For single server, PostgreSQL is superior (although less user friendly from the shell) But Mysql / MariaDB still beat PostgreSQL when it comes to replication.

    2. Re:Not rocket science by Rei · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Postgres also has a lot of nice features. For example, I love table inheritance and don't understand why it's not more common of a feature - I probably use it in about 80% of the databases I make these days. It's just so logical and useful for real-world data (which often has at least some degree of heirarchial structure), and avoids having to hack together triggers or query logic to emulate it.

      --
      I hate to bring up our imminent arrest during your crazy time, but we gotta move.
  2. Re:I won't use a DBMS I cannot pronounce. by flacco · · Score: 3, Insightful

    post-gres-cue-ell.

    Now give it a try! :-)

    I use it for everything except the stuff where sqlite is more appropriate.

    --
    pr0n - keeping monitor glass spotless since 1981.
  3. This is going to be a nice discussion by trybywrench · · Score: 5, Insightful

    DBA's are known for being rational and objective when discussing competing RDBMSs, I'm looking forward to this discussion. Maybe next we could discuss which is better Islam, Christianity, or atheism.

    --
    I came to the datacenter drunk with a fake ID, don't you want to be just like me?
  4. Re:Speed an issue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's all warm and fuzzy until you run into the many MySQL data integrity "quirks" that would cause any other DB to return an error, but MySQL just handily stores the wrong data instead.

  5. Dice spam by grimmjeeper · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Like I'm going to trust a Dice "insights" page to tell me what DBMS to use...

  6. Re:Comparing to MySQL, you will always lose by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    but because everyone thinks of MySQL as the database that isn't a very good choice for large projects.

    That's not true! Some of us think of MySQL as the database that isn't a very good choice for any projects.

  7. Different use cases by orlanz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    MariaDB and MySQL are basically the same thing. It comes down to licensing and vendor preference. But Postgresql vs MySQL vs Sqlite is just a question of what your use case is.

    Sqlite is for the prototyping, small projects, and small foot print. Its an amazing piece of software and solution for its niche. It is probably the most widely used DB out there. Extremely easy to setup, program against, and test. And very forgiving.

    MySQL is for the small to large size operations. Easiest to setup and manage for the feature set you obtain. It is fast and reliable and has a lot of 3rd party support. Most devs work in this area and I think this is why it is used so much. It is also many folks first "personal" testing DB and thus has a lot of momentum. You can use it at the enterprise level, but not really where it shines. Its like taking a Camry and putting a HEMI in it. It works, but that's all we can really say about it. Use when migrating an existing solution is too costly.

    Postgresql is large to enterprise level projects. I place it between MSSQL and Oracle. Its a wonderful software minus the "Dedicated Vendor Support" toilet paper that PHBs love. Extremely feature rich. But it needs enterprise level care and maintenance processes just like the others. You can use it on small projects, but its really over kill.

    This is the same discussion we been having since 2005. Each system has improved a lot, and their use cases overlap more, but the general logic on which is best to use is still the same.