MySQL is a robust relational database used from small apps to large-scale web platforms. It supports ACID transactions, replication, and extensive SQL features.
Installation
bash
# Docker (recommended for development)
docker run -d --name mysql -p 3306:3306 \
-e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=secret \
-e MYSQL_DATABASE=myapp \
mysql:8
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install mysql-server
sudo mysql_secure_installation
# macOS
brew install mysql && brew services start mysql
# Node.js driver
npm install mysql2
# Python driver
pip install mysql-connector-python
CLI Basics
bash
# Connect to MySQL
mysql -u root -p
# Connect to specific database
mysql -u root -p myapp
# Execute query from command line
mysql -u root -p -e "SHOW DATABASES;"
# Import SQL file
mysql -u root -p myapp < schema.sql
# Export database
mysqldump -u root -p myapp > backup.sql
Schema Design
sql
-- schema.sql: Create tables with proper types, indexes, and constraints
CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS myapp CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
USE myapp;
CREATE TABLE users (
id BIGINT UNSIGNED AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
email VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
password_hash VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
INDEX idx_created (created_at)
) ENGINE=InnoDB;
CREATE TABLE orders (
id BIGINT UNSIGNED AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
user_id BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
total_cents INT UNSIGNED NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
status ENUM('pending','paid','shipped','completed','cancelled') DEFAULT 'pending',
created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
INDEX idx_user_status (user_id, status)
) ENGINE=InnoDB;
Indexing Strategies
sql
-- indexing.sql: Common indexing patterns for performance
-- Composite index for multi-column queries (leftmost prefix rule)
CREATE INDEX idx_orders_status_date ON orders(status, created_at);
-- Covering index — query answered entirely from index
CREATE INDEX idx_users_email_name ON users(email, name);
-- Full-text index for search
ALTER TABLE products ADD FULLTEXT INDEX ft_search (name, description);
SELECT * FROM products WHERE MATCH(name, description) AGAINST('laptop' IN BOOLEAN MODE);
-- Check query execution plan
EXPLAIN ANALYZE SELECT * FROM orders WHERE user_id = 42 AND status = 'paid';
Node.js with mysql2
javascript
// db.js: MySQL connection pool with mysql2 and promise API
const mysql = require('mysql2/promise');
const pool = mysql.createPool({
host: process.env.DB_HOST || 'localhost',
user: process.env.DB_USER || 'root',
password: process.env.DB_PASS || 'secret',
database: 'myapp',
waitForConnections: true,
connectionLimit: 10,
charset: 'utf8mb4',
});
async function getUser(id) {
const [rows] = await pool.execute(
'SELECT id, email, name FROM users WHERE id = ?',
[id]
);
return rows[0] || null;
}
async function createOrder(userId, totalCents) {
const conn = await pool.getConnection();
try {
await conn.beginTransaction();
const [result] = await conn.execute(
'INSERT INTO orders (user_id, total_cents) VALUES (?, ?)',
[userId, totalCents]
);
await conn.commit();
return result.insertId;
} catch (err) {
await conn.rollback();
throw err;
} finally {
conn.release();
}
}
module.exports = { pool, getUser, createOrder };
Python Client
python
# db.py: MySQL connection with mysql-connector-python
import mysql.connector
from mysql.connector import pooling
pool = pooling.MySQLConnectionPool(
pool_name="myapp",
pool_size=5,
host="localhost",
user="root",
password="secret",
database="myapp",
charset="utf8mb4",
)
def get_user(user_id):
conn = pool.get_connection()
try:
cursor = conn.cursor(dictionary=True)
cursor.execute("SELECT id, email, name FROM users WHERE id = %s", (user_id,))
return cursor.fetchone()
finally:
conn.close()
def insert_users(users):
conn = pool.get_connection()
try:
cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.executemany(
"INSERT INTO users (email, name, password_hash) VALUES (%s, %s, %s)",
users,
)
conn.commit()
finally:
conn.close()
Replication Setup
ini
# my.cnf (primary): Enable binary logging for replication
[mysqld]
server-id = 1
log-bin = mysql-bin
binlog-format = ROW
gtid-mode = ON
enforce-gtid-consistency = ON
sql
-- replication.sql: Configure replica to follow primary
-- On primary: create replication user
CREATE USER 'repl'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'repl_password';
GRANT REPLICATION SLAVE ON *.* TO 'repl'@'%';
-- On replica: start replication
CHANGE REPLICATION SOURCE TO
SOURCE_HOST='primary-host',
SOURCE_USER='repl',
SOURCE_PASSWORD='repl_password',
SOURCE_AUTO_POSITION=1;
START REPLICA;
SHOW REPLICA STATUS\G
Backup and Maintenance
bash
# backup.sh: Automated backup with compression
mysqldump -u root -p --single-transaction --routines --triggers myapp | gzip > "backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql.gz"
# Restore from backup
gunzip < backup_20260219.sql.gz | mysql -u root -p myapp