MySQL Reference Manual

What it is

The MySQL Reference Manual is Oracle's complete documentation for MySQL Server. This entry links to the manual for MySQL 9.7, the Long-Term Support release from April 2026; as of 2026-09 newer Innovation releases use calendar versions such as 26.7, and each release has its own manual (source: MySQL Reference Manual, MySQL Releases: Innovation and LTS).

Its main chapters cover installing and upgrading, the tutorial, MySQL programs such as mysql and mysqldump, server administration, security and user accounts, backup and recovery, optimisation (including EXPLAIN and how MySQL uses indexes), language structure, character sets and collations, data types, functions and operators, every SQL statement, the InnoDB storage engine with its transaction and locking model, replication and group replication.

Is it worth your time?

Yes, as a reference you keep open. MySQL has changed a great deal since 5.7, and much of what you find on forums is out of date: ONLY_FULL_GROUP_BY is on by default, utf8mb4 is the default character set, CHECK constraints are enforced, and window functions and CTEs exist. The manual is where you confirm current behaviour.

The pages you will use most

• SELECT, JOIN, INSERT (including ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE), UPDATE and DELETE statement pages.
• Data types, and the date and time and string function chapters.
• Window functions and WITH (common table expressions).
• The InnoDB locking and transaction model, for isolation levels and row locks.
• Optimization, especially the EXPLAIN output format and the pages on how MySQL uses indexes.
• Account management statements (CREATE USER, GRANT).

Free vs paid

Free online. MySQL Community Server is free and open source; commercial editions exist but are not needed to learn.

How to use it well

• Make sure the manual version matches your server: run SELECT VERSION(); and switch versions at the top of the manual.
• Read the notes at the end of statement pages, which list version changes and deprecations.
• When a blog post contradicts the manual, trust the manual for your version.

Common questions

Is MariaDB the same? MariaDB started as a fork of MySQL and has diverged. Much basic SQL is the same, but features, defaults and syntax differ in places, so use MariaDB's own documentation for MariaDB.

Where is MySQL Workbench documented? In a separate Workbench manual on the same site.