What are the different storage engines supported by MySQL?

MySQL supports various storage engines, each with its own unique features, performance characteristics, and use cases. Here's a technical breakdown of some of the most commonly used storage engines supported by MySQL:

1. InnoDB:
   • InnoDB is the default storage engine for MySQL as of version 5.5. It provides ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) compliance, transactions, and foreign key constraints.
   • InnoDB utilizes clustered indexes, where the primary key index is the actual data storage structure.
   • It supports row-level locking for concurrent access, improving performance in high-concurrency environments.
   • InnoDB is well-suited for OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) workloads and applications that require high reliability and transactional support.
2. MyISAM:
   • MyISAM was the default storage engine in older versions of MySQL but has been largely superseded by InnoDB.
   • MyISAM doesn't support transactions or foreign key constraints, making it less suitable for applications that require strong data integrity guarantees.
   • It offers table-level locking, which can lead to contention in high-concurrency scenarios.
   • MyISAM is known for its fast read operations, making it suitable for read-heavy workloads such as data warehousing or reporting.
3. MEMORY (HEAP):
   • The MEMORY engine stores tables entirely in memory, making it extremely fast for read and write operations.
   • As the data is stored in memory, it's volatile and gets lost on server restarts or crashes.
   • MEMORY tables support hash and B-tree indexes but don't support features like transactions or foreign keys.
   • It's useful for caching, temporary tables, or other scenarios where performance is critical and data persistence is not a requirement.
4. CSV:
   • The CSV engine stores data in text files using comma-separated values (CSV) format.
   • It's suitable for exchanging data with external systems or for storing non-critical data.
   • CSV tables don't support indexes, transactions, or foreign keys.
   • It's not suitable for high-concurrency or high-volume transactional workloads due to its simplistic nature.
5. ARCHIVE:
   • The ARCHIVE engine is optimized for storing large volumes of data with minimal storage space.
   • It achieves compression by storing rows in a highly compressed format.
   • ARCHIVE tables support INSERT and SELECT operations but don't support UPDATE or DELETE operations.
   • It's useful for storing historical data or log files where fast retrieval is not a primary concern.
6. NDB (MySQL Cluster):
   • The NDB storage engine is part of the MySQL Cluster technology, which enables high availability and scalability through shared-nothing clustering.
   • It's designed for distributed, high-availability environments where data needs to be distributed across multiple nodes.
   • NDB tables support ACID transactions and are highly fault-tolerant.
   • It's suitable for applications requiring high availability, real-time performance, and automatic sharding of data.