MySQL is a Structured Query Language used to retrieve data from a database with the use of queries to find matching data. MySQL is used in many popular websites, including Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. It was first launched in 1995, and is now in version 5.

MySQL is flexible and scalable, which allows complex queries to be developed collecting data from multiple tables in one query. The high performance allows thousands of records to be returned quickly, searching for only the data that is selected.

Many Content Management Systems (CMS) use MySQL to retrieve, and update data on the website. The server used to host a website using a CMS needs to have support for MySQL, so finding a host which supports it is crucial.

I use MySQL to build custom queries on WordPress websites, and also to change URLs of websites when moving a website from a ‘local’ development environment to a live server.