MySQL: The Database That Democratized Data

#SQL for Everyone

Before MySQL, running a relational database meant expensive licenses from Oracle or IBM. MySQL, released in 1995, offered a fast, free, good-enough SQL database that any developer could install and run.

CREATE TABLE posts (
  id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
  title VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  body TEXT,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

SELECT * FROM posts WHERE created_at > DATE_SUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 7 DAY);

#The LAMP Stack

MySQL’s real impact came as part of LAMP: Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP. This free stack powered the first generation of web startups — from early WordPress blogs to the original Facebook. It proved that you didn’t need enterprise software to build products that served millions.