Why a Former MySQL Engineer Recommends PostgreSQL Over MySQL

PostgreSQL Is the Better Open‑Source RDBMS, Says a Former Engineer

When leaving his job, a database engineer posted a candid reflection on the technology he had studied for five years, arguing that PostgreSQL is a superior open‑source relational database compared to MySQL.

Seeing Beyond MySQL

The engineer, now on Google Chrome team, described MySQL as a “parallel universe” where many users blindly believe it is the most advanced database. He noted that MySQL’s design feels primitive, especially its optimizer and executor, which are tangled and inefficient.

He acknowledged that MySQL 8.0 improved over 5.7, but the project’s resources are limited and the code still has significant room for improvement.

MariaDB Isn’t Much Better

MariaDB, a fork created by MySQL’s original founder after Oracle’s acquisition, also receives criticism. The engineer pointed out lack of modular design, difficulty handling joins, and missing features like proper slicing, making it far from perfect.

MariaDB’s co‑founder Max Mether responded that no database is flawless and highlighted that MariaDB abandoned MySQL code in 2016, introducing new storage engines and machine‑learning‑based workload analysis.

The Ongoing Conflict Without Smoke

Both MySQL and PostgreSQL are among the world’s most popular databases. While the engineer did not detail why PostgreSQL is better, many practitioners agree with his view.

At Postgres Build 2021, Roland Hörmann of SIB Visions advocated migrating from Oracle to PostgreSQL, emphasizing its open‑source nature, ease of implementation, and low operational overhead.

Real‑world cases show mixed migration patterns: Uber moved from MySQL to PostgreSQL and later back to MySQL; Square transitioned to PostgreSQL for its geospatial and search capabilities.

Industry experts note that each database has strengths and suitable scenarios, and migration decisions depend on engineering expertise, stakeholder preferences, and the cost of change.

References

https://blog.sesse.net/blog/tech/2021-12-05-16-41_leaving_mysql.html

https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/06/mysql_a_pretty_poor_database/