MySQL

MySQL is Oracle's relational database, with a GPLv2 Community tree and a separate Enterprise / HeatWave cloud, not a leftover "social media giant" origin story. The repo LICENSE file for MySQL 26.7.0 Community says GPLv2 plus extra permissions, last updated June 2026. oracle.com/mysql sells MySQL HeatWave as a managed service on OCI, AWS, and Azure, with a Start for free / Free Tier path. oracle.com/cloud/price-list/#mysql lists HeatWave ECPU / storage / backup unit rows. We did not extract a clean dollar-per-hour from that HTML.

Compare PostgreSQL if you wanted a PostgreSQL-licensed 18.6 line, Supabase if you wanted hosted Postgres, and pgvector if you wanted vectors in SQL on Postgres.

Key Features

Community vs Enterprise vs HeatWave: Community is GPLv2 source. Enterprise Edition is the commercial server. HeatWave is the managed cloud with analytics / GenAI / vector store on the Oracle page. Do not mash them into one free slogan.
Not a Meta product: First-party pages are mysql.com and Oracle. The leftover "specialized social media giant" line is dropped.
HeatWave has unit names, not a $20 seat: The OCI price list shows MySQL Database ECPU, storage, backup, HeatWave capacity, and a Free Tier row. Confirm that list before you invent a monthly dollar.
mysql.com may block scrapers: We used GitHub LICENSE + oracle.com/mysql. Confirm mysql.com/products if you need the Enterprise brochure.

Use Cases

People who will run Community GPLv2 on their own machines.
Teams that will open the OCI HeatWave price list instead of assuming a $20 seat.
People comparing MySQL 12,382 stars vs Postgres 21,814.

HeatWave dollars need the live Oracle calculator.

Pricing

GitHub LICENSE and oracle.com/cloud/price-list/#mysql on 2026-08-18.

Piece	Price	Notes from first-party pages
MySQL Community	$0	GPLv2. 12,382 stars. 26.7.0 Community LICENSE.
MySQL Enterprise	Confirm Oracle	Commercial edition. No invented seat.
HeatWave Free Tier	Free Tier row	Listed on the OCI price list. Confirm caps.
HeatWave paid	ECPU / storage units	OCI and AWS rows. Confirm the calculator.

If a leftover blog still sells a social-media origin story, treat this table as the source.

Getting Started

Open github.com/mysql/mysql-server or mysql.com.
Confirm oracle.com/mysql only if you want HeatWave.
Confirm PostgreSQL if you wanted PostgreSQL License 18.6.
Do not paste "social media giant" into a deck.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Community free?

Yes. GPLv2. You pay machines or a host.

Is HeatWave the same as Community?

No. HeatWave is Oracle's managed service, built on Enterprise Edition per the Oracle page.

Same as Postgres?

No. Postgres is PostgreSQL License with a live 18.6 line. MySQL Community is GPLv2 under Oracle.

Alternatives

PostgreSQL: PostgreSQL License, current 18.6.
Supabase: Hosted Postgres, not MySQL.
Elasticsearch: Search/analytics engine, not a relational server.

Tips

Quote GPLv2 and 12,382 stars from the GitHub check.
Split Community, Enterprise, and HeatWave.
Confirm the OCI list before you invent a HeatWave seat.

Conclusion

MySQL is an Oracle-sponsored GPLv2 community server plus a HeatWave cloud with unit rows, not a leftover social-media origin story. Start at github.com/mysql/mysql-server or oracle.com/mysql, then decide whether PostgreSQL already covers the license you want.