Moving from MSSQL to Mysql – ZoomAdmin Update (Week 23/24)

Why We’re moving to Mysql and Advantages/Disadvantages
Hope everyone had a great labor day long weekend!
As for us, building a product or running a startup doesn’t give you long weekends 🙂
I started the slow process of moving to Mysql, but I wanted to do a quick breakdown of my view on advantages and disadvantages for each platform as I have experience with both. I’ll run through them and at the end list a few of the reasons why we’re switching.
LinkedIn has a post limit, so I’ll post the outline here, but I’ll have the link to our blog for the complete post.
MSSQL Advantages:

  • Awesome Tools – MSSQL Management Studio is a great tool, mysql doesn’t have anything remotely close to it. Although, there may be hacks to use Mysql with sql management studio as well.
  • Free Version – for small businesses
  • More Enterprise Friendly
  • Arguably scales better
  • Works seamlessly with Microsoft Stack
  • Backups/Restores are quick, built into the tool
  • Has more features, SQL Jobs, schemas for security etc.
  • MSSQL Management Studio – feel like I have to say it twice

 Mysql Advantages:

  • Free/Open Source – Although, there is Oracle Enterprise edition
  • No limits on the free and supports Replication
  • Cross Platform, runs on Linux
  • Needed for WordPress – if you have a wordpress blog, Mysql becomes must have
  • phpMyAdmin is a great web based db management tool
  • Better community support

 
Why We’re switching

  • Some of the advantages are too significant for us, particularly, being open source and cross platform. Microsoft already made .NET Core cross platform, which is what we’re using, but to be able to fully move into Linux environment, we need to move the database as well.
  • I do not want any restrictions on the db. As a startup, we don’t have the budget to purchase Mssql and free version comes with limitations.
  • We use WordPress for blog/tutorial content, I don’t want to manage multiple database environments.
  • Mysql has made a lot of improvements, such as Json field type support, we will start using this soon.
  • Want to do this early on, before our launch so I don’t have to deal with data migration for PROD system.

 
Again, it’s a long list, but I’ll be honest, I like Mssql more because of its tooling, but we just can’t afford to stay with it for now. I hope #Microsoft will wake up and offer cross-platform/open source edition for Mssql as well to help the startup or small business community.
I’m curious, what databases are you using for the apps you’re working on?
See the comments on LinkedIn Post.