MySql: MyISAM vs. Inno DB! [closed]

The main difference is that InnoDB supports transactions while MyISAM does not.

There are numerous other differences, however the common one's i am aware of are:

• MyISAM has typically been considered faster at searching, but recent InnoDB improvements are removing this difference and improving high concurrency workload performance
• InnoDB support transactions whilst MyISAM does not
• InnoDB supports referential integrity whilst MyISAM does not
• InnoDB handles indexes a bit differently, storing the primary key as part of every index (making indexes take up more room on the disk, but also making a covering index more likely)
• MyISAM does table level locking while InnoDB can do row level locking
• Different memory/buffer/index settings are used in the MySQL configuration files
• InnoDB is typically said to have better crash recovery
• As mentioned in another answer, the data is store on disk differently. I believe InnoDB is configurable in this area and can have one file per table etc. if required

I'm sure a google search or the MySQL site will bring up numerous other differences in more detail.

InnoDB and MyISAM

Features and Performance comparison:

1. InnoDB is newer while MyISAM is older.
2. InnoDB is more complex while MyISAM is simpler.
3. InnoDB is more strict in data integrity while MyISAM is loose.
4. InnoDB implements row-level lock for inserting and updating while MyISAM implements table-level lock.
5. InnoDB has transactions while MyISAM does not.
6. InnoDB has foreign keys and relationship contraints while MyISAM does not.
7. InnoDB has better crash recovery while MyISAM is poor at recovering data integrity at system crashes.
8. MyISAM has full-text search index while InnoDB has not.

In light of these differences, InnoDB and MyISAM have their unique advantages and disadvantages against each other. They each are more suitable in some scenarios than the other.

Advantages of InnoDB

1. InnoDB should be used where data integrity comes a priority because it inherently takes care of them by the help of relationship constraints and transactions.
2. Faster in write-intensive (inserts, updates) tables because it utilizes row-level locking and only hold up changes to the same row that’s being inserted or updated.

Disadvantages of InnoDB

1. Because InnoDB has to take care of the different relationships between tables, database administrator and scheme creators have to take more time in designing the data models which are more complex than those of MyISAM.
2. Consumes more system resources such as RAM. As a matter of fact, it is recommended by many that InnoDB engine be turned off if there’s no substantial need for it after installation of MySQL.
3. No full-text indexing.

Advantages of MyISAM

1. Simpler to design and create, thus better for beginners. No worries about the foreign relationships between tables.
2. Faster than InnoDB on the whole as a result of the simpler structure thus much less costs of server resources.
3. Full-text indexing.
4. Especially good for read-intensive (select) tables.

Disadvantages of MyISAM

1. No data integrity (e.g. relationship constraints) check, which then comes a responsibility and overhead of the database administrators and application developers.
2. Doesn’t support transactions which is essential in critical data applications such as that of banking.
3. Slower than InnoDB for tables that are frequently being inserted to or updated, because the entire table is locked for any insert or update.

The comparison is pretty straightforward. InnoDB is more suitable for data critical situations that require frequent inserts and updates. MyISAM, on the other hand, performs better with applications that don’t quite depend on the data integrity and mostly just select and display the data.

Reference: Comparison InnoDB and MyISAM

You can also check it out here for further details: MyISAM Or InnoDB MySQL engine?

Hope this helps.