MySQL is the most popular open-source database, with benefits including reliable performance, scalability and ease of use. MySQL's prowess is evidenced by the businesses dependent upon its mission-critical performance – companies like Uber, Google, Twitter, and Facebook – all of whom also experience massive traffic on their platforms. Though risky in some scenarios, it's necessary and important to perform a MySQL upgrade to the latest version to experience the benefits these same companies enjoy; such as improved performance, access to new features, bug fixes and security upgrades.