MySQL offers several key advantages:

Reliability and Performance. MySQL AB provides early versions of all its database server software to the community to allow for several months of "battle testing" by the open source community before it deems them ready for production use.

Ease of Use and Deployment. MySQL's architecture makes it extremely fast and easy to customize. Its unique multi-storage engine architecture gives corporate customers the flexibility they need with a database management system unmatched in speed, compactness, stability, and ease of deployment.

Freedom from Platform Lock-in. By providing ready access to source code, MySQL's approach ensures freedom, thereby preventing lock-in to a single company or platform.

Cross-Platform Support. MySQL is available on more than twenty different platforms including major Linux distributions, Mac OS X, UNIX and Microsoft Windows.

Millions of Trained and Certified Developers. MySQL is the world's most popular open source database, so it's easy to find high-quality, skilled staff.

Powerful, Uncomplicated Software

MySQL has the capabilities to handle most corporate database application requirements with an architecture that is extremely fast and easy to use.