MySQL vs PostgreSQL: Overview, Performance Benchmark, and Choosing the Right Database

The article provides a concise introduction to two popular open‑source relational databases, MySQL and PostgreSQL, outlining their histories, licensing, and typical deployment contexts.

MySQL

MySQL is the most widely used open‑source RDBMS, originally developed by MySQL AB, later acquired by Sun and then Oracle, resulting in commercial and community editions. It is a core component of the LAMP stack.

PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL is an advanced open‑source ORDBMS originating from the University of California, Berkeley, fully community‑driven and released under a permissive BSD/MIT license.

Note: MySQL hierarchy: Instance -> Database -> Table PostgreSQL hierarchy: Instance -> Database -> Schema -> Table The schema acts as a namespace and does not affect usage.

Performance Comparison

Test environment

Hardware: 4‑core CPU, 16 GB RAM

MySQL version: 8.0

PostgreSQL version: 13

Benchmarks were run using primary‑key based SELECT, UPDATE, and single‑row INSERT operations.

PostgreSQL delivers roughly twice the SELECT throughput of MySQL, 4–5× faster INSERTs, and 5–6× faster UPDATEs.

Average latency is several times lower for PostgreSQL across all operations.

For hotspot row updates, MySQL achieves only about 1/8 of PostgreSQL's performance, with latency up to 7× higher.

Suitable Scenarios and Selection Guidance

MySQL’s simplicity and extensive ecosystem make it a good fit for small‑to‑medium projects such as e‑commerce sites, blogs, and general‑purpose web applications where extreme performance is not critical.

PostgreSQL excels in complex data models, advanced features, and large‑scale workloads, offering better performance for high‑throughput and sophisticated query requirements, though it may require more careful tuning (e.g., vacuum management) and has a steeper learning curve.

Conclusion

Advantages of PostgreSQL over MySQL

Significantly higher performance in SELECT, INSERT, and UPDATE operations.

More robust handling of single‑row updates, especially with HOT UPDATE.

More complete and standards‑compliant SQL implementation.

Supports larger data volumes with heap‑based storage.

Physical replication provides stronger consistency and lower impact on primary performance.

Default repeatable‑read isolation level includes built‑in optimistic locking.

Disadvantages of PostgreSQL

System catalog design is more complex, making certain administrative tasks harder.

Index selection can be less straightforward; PostgreSQL lacks a direct equivalent to MySQL’s force_index hint.

Requires periodic vacuuming and tuning of related parameters.