# Getting Started with MySQL

[MySQL](https://www.mysql.com) is a widely-used, open-source database. It has an extremely popular wire-protocol that other open-source databases like [MariaDB](https://mariadb.com) also support.

You can use MySQL with Vapor (or any server-side Swift framework) by either:

- Using [Fluent MySQL](fluent.md) ORM.
- Use just [MySQL core](core.md).

We recommend using the ORM since it does a lot of the hard work for you. Check out the respective guides to learn more.