ARCHIVE / What are the advantages of using PostgreSQL versus MySQL?

While notably improved from its earlier versions, MySQL is not able to offer the same degree of power and flexibility as PostgreSQL. However, the flip side of this observation is that MySQL also doesn't offer the same degree of complexity and maintenance issues as PostgreSQL. This has led to MySQL being favored by web application developers due to the fact that web application developers usually do not have the same skill sets as database administrators and often find themselves unable to make use of the extensive feature set available in PostgreSQL. Yet, for those people and organizations who are able to make use of PostgreSQL, the advantages can be significant. Specifically, the ability to create set-returning functions, custom data types, custom operators and PostgreSQL's support of multiple procedural languages and extensions such as tree and integer array support allows for a degree of optimization and customization that simply isn't possible with MySQL. The advantages of having these features available usually shows up when generating complex reports or implementing customized programs that need to have extensive access to data in the database without creating excessive traffic and redundant processing between the web server and database manager.

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