Answer
MyISAM is faster for reads but lacks transactions and foreign keys. InnoDB supports row-level locking and ACID transactions.
Quick Answer
MyISAM: older engine, table-level locking (only one writer at a time), no transactions, no foreign keys, faster for simple reads, supports FULLTEXT index in older MySQL. InnoDB: modern engine, row-level locking (many concurrent writers), full ACID transactions, foreign keys, MVCC for concurrent reads and writes, better crash recovery. InnoDB is the default since MySQL 5.5 and should be used for almost all cases.
S
SugharaIQ Editorial Team
Verified Answer
This answer has been peer-reviewed by industry experts holding senior engineering roles to ensure technical accuracy and relevance for modern interview standards.
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Source: SugharaIQ