MySQL vs SQLite
| Feature | MySQL | SQLite |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Databases | Databases |
| Sub-category | Relational | Relational |
| Maturity | mature | mature |
| Complexity | beginner | beginner |
| Performance tier | enterprise grade | medium |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Public Domain |
| License type | copyleft | permissive |
| Pricing | fully free | fully free |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 0 |
| Contributors | 500 | 50 |
| Commit frequency | weekly | weekly |
| Plugin ecosystem | none | none |
| Docs quality | excellent | good |
| Backing org | Oracle | D. Richard Hipp |
| Funding model | corporate | community |
| Min RAM | 256 MB | 32 MB |
| Min CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Scaling pattern | vertical | single_node |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| K8s native | No | No |
| Offline capable | Yes | Yes |
| Vendor lock-in | none | none |
| Languages | C, C++ | C |
| API type | SDK | REST |
| Protocols | MySQL wire | HTTP |
| Deployment | apt, docker, binary | docker, apt, binary |
| SDK languages | python, javascript, java, go, rust, ruby, php, c, c# | — |
| Team size fit | solo, small, medium, enterprise | solo, small, medium, enterprise |
| First release | 1995 | 2020 |
| Latest version | — | — |
When to use MySQL
- ✓ WordPress and CMS backend
- ✓ Read-heavy web application data
- ✓ E-commerce product catalogs
- ✓ Legacy enterprise applications
When to use SQLite
- ✓ Primary use: mobile-database
- ✓ Primary use: embedded-storage
- ✓ Primary use: testing
MySQL anti-patterns
- ✕ Less feature-rich than PostgreSQL for advanced SQL
- ✕ Oracle stewardship concerns
- ✕ JSON support weaker than PostgreSQL JSONB
- ✕ No native horizontal sharding