MySQL was developed in 1994 by the Swedish company MySQL AB with a launch one year later. The name of the database system consists of the first name of the founder’s daughter (My) and the central language of the database system (SQL). MySQL is based on the C and C++ programming languages. Its current version, MySQL 8, has been available since 2018.
In 2008, Sun Microsystems acquired MySQL AB – before being acquired in turn two years later by Oracle, so that today MySQL is managed and developed by Oracle. Shortly before the takeover, MySQL founder Michael Widenius spearheaded the creation of a MySQL spin-off called MariaDB. This time, the name was inspired by that of his youngest daughter Maria.
Since its takeover by Oracle, however, the MySQL database system is more often under fire from critics. Indeed, the differences between the free version and the paid version of the database system are constantly increasing. This is one of the reasons why the competition between MariaDB and MySQL is now tougher than ever.
