MySQL Web Hosting- MySQL, a relational database management system (RDBMS), runs on a web server and provides multiple users access to multiple databases. Invaluable in web design, MySQL is a key element customers seek when choosing webhosting. This article explains all about MySQL web hosting and who offers the best MySQL web hosting.
Introduction to MySQL
MySQL was originally developed by Michale Widenius. The name MySQL is officially pronounced using the names of the letters (/MY EHS KYOO EHL/), but is commonly pronounced as if SQL were the word sequel (/MY SEE KWIL/). There are two parts to its name. My is the name of the Widenius’s daughter. SQL is an initialism for Structured Query Language. One of, if not the, most popular database systems in use, MySQL is used on a host of popular, high traffic websites, including Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube.
MySQL forms one of the four cornerstones of six popular web server configurations, all of which have acronyms, and all of which end with A, for Apache, M for MySQL, and P for one or more of the programming languages Perl, PHP, or Python. They are:
• BAMP (in which B stands for BSD, the Berkeley Software Distribution)
• DAMP (in which D stands for Darwin OS)
• LAMP (in which L stands for a Linux distribution)
• MAMP (in which M stands for the Macintosh OS)
• SAMP (in which S stands for Sun Solaris)
• WAMP (in which W stands for Microsoft Windows).
MySQL is also an element of the WIMP system, which has Windows and in which APACHE is substituted by Web Server IIS (Internet Information Services).
MySQL source code is available with a GNU General Public License, but there are also proprietary versions.
Considerations for MySQL Webhosting
MySQL’s compatibility with different platforms (as witnessed by the large number of acronyms above) give it an advantage over competitors like Microsoft MSSQL, which is only compatible with Windows or Oracle’s PL/SQL, designed solely for the Oracle environment. The fact that Microsoft offers MSSQL, however, means that some webhosts will choose to make MySQL available only on their Unix/Linux servers, and offer MSSQL with their Windows servers, so this is something to be aware of as you consider webhosts.
Another consideration is the accessibility methods that the webhost allows. It is possible to access a MySQL database through Perl scripting through the Perl database interface (DBI), PHP3 scripting, Java Servlets (through Java Database Connectivity—JDBC), JSP (JavaServer Pages through JDBC), or a MySQL account control panel. But just because all these options are possible, does not mean they will all be available: it may depend on the level of hosting, the server type, or both. In addition, you should check the features of a MySQL account control panel, if it is offered, because they are not all the same.
The number of databases that you are allowed to run and the storage capacity allowed for each are other considerations. iPage, for example, is a webhost that offers unlimited MySQL databases, but there is not indication of size limitation on the features page. A quick Live Chat confirmed that the maximum MySQL database size is 2 GB, and this makes them attractive in comparison to, say, GoDaddy, where the size limit is 1 GB.
The site also does not indicate the server platform, But the Live Chat verified that they run UNIX-based operating systems, such as Debian Linux 4.0 on Apache web servers. Three other important factors to consider are the uptime guarantee, if any, the data transfer/month that is allowed, and the backup system—a crucial element with a database. iPage’s plan offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee. They also offer unlimited disk space and transfer bandwidth. iPage also offers free backups. The normal price of iPage web hosting is $6.99 a month but Web Host Ranking has an iPage coupon for only $3.50 a month on a three year plan! Not bad for the best MySQL web hosting you can get!
