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MySQL vs MySQL NDB Cluster

MySQL: The web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line. MySQL NDB Cluster: Shared-nothing, auto-sharded in-memory MySQL engine built for telecom-grade availability.

key differences

  • Horizontal scaling is addon in MySQL and native in MySQL NDB Cluster.
  • Only MySQL has full-text search, geospatial.
  • Only MySQL NDB Cluster has in-memory.

choose mysql for

  • +Web applications and CMS backends (WordPress, Drupal, Magento)
  • +Read-heavy SaaS OLTP with replicas
  • +Sharded high-traffic systems via Vitess
  • +E-commerce catalogs and order systems

best at · OLTP, Content, Metadata

choose mysql-ndb-cluster for

  • +Telecom subscriber databases (HLR, HSS, 5G UDM)
  • +Online gaming player state
  • +Session and user-profile stores needing five-nines uptime
  • +Payment authorization with strict availability SLAs

best at · OLTP, Sessions, Cache

MySQLThe web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line.
MySQL NDB ClusterShared-nothing, auto-sharded in-memory MySQL engine built for telecom-grade availability.
overview
Primary model
Relational
Relational
Also supports
Document, Spatial
Key-Value
Type
Database engine
Database engine
Status
Active
Active
Developer
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation
First release
1995
2004
Latest version
26.10.0 (Oct 20, 2026)
26.10.0 (Oct 20, 2026)
License
Open source (copyleft)GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise)
Open source (copyleft)GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (CGE)
Free tier
✓
✓
popularity
WhichDB Score
82.3
11.4
Rank
#3
#283
GitHub stars
12.5K
–
Stack Overflow questions
657K
197
scale & guarantees
Comfortable data size
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Medium (≤ 10 TB)
Horizontal scaling
Addon
Native
Multi-region
Read replicas
Active active
ACID
Full
Full
Consistency
Strong, Eventual
Strong
Schema
Strict
Strict
Architecture
Single node, Primary replica, Multi primary, Client server
Distributed, In memory, Client server
deployment
Self-hosted
✓
✓
Vendor-managed cloud
—
—
Serverless
—
—
Embedded
—
—
Edge
—
—
Clouds
AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, DigitalOcean
–
capabilities
Transactions
✓
✓
Joins
✓
✓
Secondary indexes
✓
✓
Full-text search
✓
—
Vector search
—
—
Geospatial
✓
—
JSON
✓
✓
Change data capture
✓
✓
Triggers
✓
✓
Stored procedures
✓
✓
Materialized views
—
—
TTL / expiry
—
—
Pub/Sub
—
—
Columnar storage
—
—
In-memory
—
✓
Durable persistence
✓
✓
Compression
✓
✓
Encryption at rest
✓
✓
Role-based access
✓
✓
Time travel
—
—
Branching
—
—
Online schema changes
✓
✓
Streaming ingest
—
—
Offline sync
—
—
Runs in WebAssembly
—
—
interfaces
Query languages
SQL
SQL
Client languages
C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, PHP, C#
C++, Java, JavaScript, C, Python, PHP
Best for
OLTP, Content, Metadata, Geo
OLTP, Sessions, Cache, Real-time analytics
Add more to this comparisonNot sure either fits? Try smart match

MySQL vs MySQL NDB Cluster: FAQ

What is the difference between MySQL and MySQL NDB Cluster?

MySQL: The web's default open-source SQL database, now on calendar versioning with 9.7 as the LTS line. MySQL NDB Cluster: Shared-nothing, auto-sharded in-memory MySQL engine built for telecom-grade availability. Horizontal scaling is addon in MySQL and native in MySQL NDB Cluster. Only MySQL has full-text search, geospatial. Only MySQL NDB Cluster has in-memory.

When should I choose MySQL over MySQL NDB Cluster?

Choose MySQL for web applications and CMS backends (WordPress, Drupal, Magento); read-heavy SaaS OLTP with replicas; and sharded high-traffic systems via Vitess. Choose MySQL NDB Cluster for telecom subscriber databases (HLR, HSS, 5G UDM); online gaming player state; and session and user-profile stores needing five-nines uptime.

Is MySQL or MySQL NDB Cluster more popular?

MySQL ranks #3 on the WhichDB Score (82.3/100) and MySQL NDB Cluster ranks #283 (11.4/100). Popularity is not fit: check the requirements that matter for your project.

Are MySQL and MySQL NDB Cluster open source?

Yes. MySQL is open source. License: GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (Enterprise). Yes. MySQL NDB Cluster is open source. License: GPL-2.0 (Community) / commercial (CGE).