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      <a name="pluggable-storage-overview">
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      18.11 Overview of MySQL Storage Engine Architecture
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      <a href="pluggable-storage.html">
       18.11.1 Pluggable Storage Engine Architecture
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     <span class="section">
      <a href="pluggable-storage-common-layer.html">
       18.11.2 The Common Database Server Layer
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  <p>
   The MySQL pluggable storage engine architecture enables a database
      professional to select a specialized storage engine for a
      particular application need while being completely shielded from
      the need to manage any specific application coding requirements.
      The MySQL server architecture isolates the application programmer
      and DBA from all of the low-level implementation details at the
      storage level, providing a consistent and easy application model
      and API. Thus, although there are different capabilities across
      different storage engines, the application is shielded from these
      differences.
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  <p>
   The MySQL pluggable storage engine architecture is shown in
   <a class="xref" href="pluggable-storage-overview.html#mysql-architecture-diagram" title="Figure 18.3 MySQL Architecture with Pluggable Storage Engines">
    Figure 18.3, “MySQL Architecture with Pluggable Storage Engines”
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   .
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     Figure 18.3 MySQL Architecture with Pluggable Storage Engines
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     <img alt="MySQL architecture diagram showing connectors, interfaces, pluggable storage engines, the file system with files and logs." src="images/mysql-architecture.png" style="width: 100%; max-width: 500px;"/>
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  <p>
   The pluggable storage engine architecture provides a standard set
      of management and support services that are common among all
      underlying storage engines. The storage engines themselves are the
      components of the database server that actually perform actions on
      the underlying data that is maintained at the physical server
      level.
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   This efficient and modular architecture provides huge benefits for
      those wishing to specifically target a particular application
      need—such as data warehousing, transaction processing, or
      high availability situations—while enjoying the advantage of
      utilizing a set of interfaces and services that are independent of
      any one storage engine.
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   The application programmer and DBA interact with the MySQL
      database through Connector APIs and service layers that are above
      the storage engines. If application changes bring about
      requirements that demand the underlying storage engine change, or
      that one or more storage engines be added to support new needs, no
      significant coding or process changes are required to make things
      work. The MySQL server architecture shields the application from
      the underlying complexity of the storage engine by presenting a
      consistent and easy-to-use API that applies across storage
      engines.
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