This topic provides an overview of the features that are provided by AliSQL. This topic also provides a comparison between AliSQL and other MySQL versions.
Introduction to AliSQL
AliSQL is an independent MySQL branch that is developed by Alibaba Cloud. AliSQL provides all the features of the MySQL Community Edition. AliSQL also provides some similar features that you can find in MySQL Enterprise Edition. These similar features include enterprise-grade backup and restoration, thread pool, and parallel query. In addition, AliSQL provides Oracle-compatible features, such as the Sequence engine. ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL with AliSQL provides all features of MySQL and a wide range of advanced features that are developed by Alibaba Cloud. These advanced features include enterprise-grade security, backup and restoration, monitoring, performance optimization, and read-only instances.
Features and MySQL versions
| Category | Feature | Description | MySQL 8.0 | MySQL 5.7 | MySQL 5.6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functionality | Native flashback | The native flashback feature allows you to query or restore the data at a specified point in time by executing SQL statements. This way, you can obtain the historical data at your earliest opportunity after accidental operations. | Supported | Not supported | Not supported |
| Thread Pool | The thread pool feature separates threads from sessions. If a large number of sessions are created on your RDS instance, the system can run a small number of threads to process the tasks in all active sessions. | Supported | Supported | Supported | |
| Statement outline | The statement outline feature allows the system to stably run query plans by using optimizer hints and index hints. You can install the DBMS_OUTLN package to use this feature. | Supported | Supported | Not supported | |
| Sequence Engine | The Sequence engine simplifies the generation of sequence values on your RDS instance. | Supported | Supported | Supported | |
| Returning | The returning feature allows DML statements to return result sets. You can install the DBMS_TRANS package to use this feature. | Supported | Not supported | Not supported | |
| Performance | Fast query cache | The fast query cache is a query cache that is developed by Alibaba Cloud based on the native MySQL query cache. The fast query cache uses a new design and a new implementation mechanism to increase the query performance of your RDS instance. | Not supported | Supported | Not supported |
| Binlog in Redo | The Binlog in Redo feature allows the system to write binary logs to the redo log file when transactions are committed. This reduces the operations on the disk and increases the performance of your RDS instance. | Supported | Not supported | Not supported | |
| Statement Queue | The statement queue feature allows statements to queue in the same bucket. These statements may be executed on the same resources. For example, these statements are executed on the same row of a table. This feature reduces the overheads that are caused by potential conflicts. | Supported | Supported | Not supported | |
| Inventory Hint | The inventory hint feature can be used in combination with the returning feature and the statement queue feature to commit and roll back transactions at fast speeds. This increases the throughput of your application. | Supported | Supported | Supported | |
| Stability | Faster DDL | The faster DDL feature provides an optimized buffer pool management mechanism. This mechanism reduces the impact of DDL operations on the performance of your RDS instance. This mechanism also increases the number of concurrent DDL operations that are allowed. | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Statement concurrency control | The concurrency control (CCL) feature allows the system to control the concurrency of statements based on syntax rules. You can install the DBMS_CCL package to use this feature. | Supported | Supported | Not supported | |
| Performance Agent | The performance agent feature is provided as an extension for MySQL. This feature is used to calculate and analyze the performance metrics of your RDS instance. | Supported | Supported | Supported | |
| Purge Large File Asynchronously | The Purge Large File Asynchronously feature allows the system to asynchronously delete files from your RDS instance. This ensures the stability of your RDS instance. | Supported | Supported | Supported | |
| Performance Insight | The performance insight feature supports load monitoring, association analysis, and performance optimization at the instance level. You can evaluate the loads on your RDS instance and resolve performance issues. This increases the stability of your RDS instance. | Supported | Supported | Not supported | |
| Security | Recycle bin | The recycle bin feature allows the system to temporarily store deleted tables. It also allows you to specify a retention period within which you can retrieve the deleted tables. You can install the DBMS_RECYCLE package to use this feature. | Supported | Not supported | Not supported |
Features
| Category | Feature | MySQL Community Edition | MySQL Enterprise Edition | AliSQL (MySQL 5.7 and MySQL 8.0) | ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise-grade value-added services | 24/7 support | Not supported | √ | √ | √ |
| Emergency troubleshooting | Not supported | √ | √ | √ | |
| Expert support | Not supported | √ | √ | √ | |
| MySQL Features | MySQL Database Server | √ | √ | √ | √ |
| MySQL Connectors | √ | √ | Supported for public versions | Supported for public versions | |
| MySQL Replication | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| MySQL Router | √ | √ | MaxScale supported for MySQL 8.0 | Shared proxies supported | |
| MySQL Partitioning | √ | √ | √ | √ | |
| Storage Engine | InnoDB MyISAM NDB | InnoDB MyISAM NDB | InnoDB X-Engine | InnoDB X-Engine | |
| Oracle Compatibility | Sequence Engine | Not supported | Not supported | Supported for MySQL 8.0 | Supported for MySQL 8.0 |
| MySQL Enterprise Monitor | Enterprise Dashboard | Not supported | √ | Under development | Enhanced Monitor |
| Query Analyzer | Not supported | √ | Under development | Performance Insight | |
| Replication Monitor | Not supported | √ | Under development | √ | |
| Enhanced OS Metrics | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | Enhanced Monitor | |
| MySQL Enterprise Backup | Hot backup for InnoDB | Not supported | √ | √ | √ |
| Full, Incremental, Partial, Optimistic Backups | Not supported | √ | √ | Database- and table-level backup supported | |
| Full, Partial, Selective, Hot Selective restore | Not supported | √ | √ | Database- and table-level restoration supported | |
| Point-In-Time-Recovery | Not supported | √ | √ | √ | |
| Cross-Region Backup | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | Cross-region backup supported | |
| Recycle bin | Not supported | Not supported | Supported for MySQL 8.0 | Supported for MySQL 8.0 | |
| Flashback | Not supported | Not supported | √ | √ | |
| MySQL Enterprise Security | Enterprise TDE | Local key replacement supported | √ | BYOK-based TDE and key rotation supported | BYOK-based TDE and key rotation supported |
| Enterprise Disk Data Encryption at Rest | Not supported | Not supported | Not supported | BYOK-based disk encryption supported | |
| Enterprise Encryption | SSL | √ | SSL | SSL | |
| SQL Explorer | Not supported | √ | Use the SQL Explorer feature on an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance | Use the SQL Explorer feature on an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance | |
| SM4 encryption algorithm | Not supported | Not supported | √ | √ | |
| MySQL Enterprise Scalability | Thread Pool | Not supported | √ | Supported for MySQL 8.0 | Supported for MySQL 8.0 |
| Enterprise Readonly Request Extention | Not supported | Not supported | √ | Read-only instances supported | |
| MySQL Enterprise Reliability | Statement outline | Not supported | Not supported | √ | √ |
| Inventory Hint | Not supported | Not supported | √ | √ | |
| Statement concurrency control | Not supported | Not supported | √ | √ | |
| Hot SQL Firewall | Not supported | Not supported | √ | √ | |
| MySQL Enterprise High-Availability | Enterprise Automatic Failover Switch | Not supported | Not supported | Third-party high-availability mechanism required | Supported for the RDS High-availability Edition |
| Multi-Source Replication | √ | √ | √ | Highly available read-only instances supported |