Long the backbone of just about any open source-driven web site, the MySQL and PostgreSQL database engines are just as at home on your Mac as they have been in the more traditional Unix shop. With front ends like SQL4X and MacSQL, you needn't fear being restricted to a command line-only view of your data. And the combination of Apache web server, MySQL database, and web-scripting capabilities of PHP provide you all you need to build amazing, dynamic, content-driven web sites.
This chapter walks you through the installation and exploration of these two remarkable database applications, both on the command line and the desktop.