How to Determine If MySQL Is Free to Use

Is MySQL free?

MySQL Community Edition is free under the GNU GPL, while Enterprise editions require a paid subscription for proprietary add-ons and support.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

Is MySQL free for commercial use?

MySQL Community Edition costs nothing and is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). You may run it in production, even for profit, as long as you do not distribute MySQL itself with closed-source software that violates the GPL.

What does the GPL license require?

The GPL obligates you to share source code for any derivatives you distribute. SaaS products that keep MySQL on their own servers generally avoid this requirement because no binaries are shipped to customers.

When do I need MySQL Enterprise instead?

Upgrade to Enterprise when you want proprietary tools like Enterprise Backup, Firewall, or Audit, or when you need Oracle Premier Support and wish to distribute MySQL inside non-GPL products.

How can I check which edition I’m running?

SELECT VERSION(), @@version_comment;

The second column shows “Community” for the free version or “Enterprise” for the paid one.

Can I run my ecommerce workload on the free edition?

Yes. Import tables such as Customers, Orders, and Products with mysqldump or LOAD DATA INFILE. All core performance and ACID features are available without cost.

Best practices for using MySQL Community Edition

Keep versions current

Upgrade to each GA release to receive security patches and optimizer improvements.

Back up regularly

Automate mysqldump or use open-source Percona XtraBackup to protect Orders and OrderItems data.

Monitor performance

Enable Performance Schema and query sys.schema_table_statistics to spot slow reads on large Products tables.

Why How to Determine If MySQL Is Free to Use is important

How to Determine If MySQL Is Free to Use Example Usage


-- Find top 5 customers by lifetime spend in free MySQL
SELECT c.id, c.name, SUM(o.total_amount) AS lifetime_value
FROM Customers c
JOIN Orders o ON o.customer_id = c.id
GROUP BY c.id, c.name
ORDER BY lifetime_value DESC
LIMIT 5;

How to Determine If MySQL Is Free to Use Syntax


mysql [--host=<hostname>] [--port=<port>] --user=<user> --password [database]
# Connect to a MySQL Community server hosting an ecommerce DB
mysql --host=db.prod.local --port=3306 --user=analyst -p ecommerce

Common Mistakes

Assuming all MySQL features are free. Tools like Enterprise Backup and Audit are proprietary; using them without a subscription breaches license terms. Stick to Community features or buy Enterprise.
Distributing MySQL binaries with closed-source software under Community license. This triggers GPL obligations. Either open-source your code, provide a separate installer, or license MySQL Enterprise.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does the GPL force me to open-source my SaaS code?

No. If customers access MySQL only through your hosted service and you do not distribute MySQL binaries, the GPL does not require releasing your source code.

Can I switch from Enterprise back to Community?

Yes. Remove Enterprise-only plugins, uninstall the commercial binaries, and install the matching Community version. Dump and restore your data if downgrade scripts are unavailable.

Is MySQL Cluster also free?

MySQL NDB Cluster has a free Community build and a paid Enterprise build. The Community build lacks some management and security tools found in Enterprise.