Virtual MySQL Server
The Virtual MySQL server is a regular MySQL server, which is being run on a virtual machine. By running a virtual MySQL server, you eliminate the need for a stand-alone machine dedicated to handling all MySQL queries, but keep the same level of availability and functionality as that of a dedicated MySQL server.
Virtual Private Servers
When virtual private servers were introduced, most people didn't really see where they could fit and how they could be used. Today, several years later, virtualization is all the rage, alongside with cloud computing. With the help of the virtual servers, you can now run several separate operating systems, as if they were stand-alone computers on a single machine. The virtual private servers share the main server's resources between themselves.
This approach quickly found its way in the web hosting world. It was now possible, for example, to run two identical websites on a single machine, one of them being the production (live) site and the other - an exact copy where all new additions can be tested to see how they will act when released on the production server.
Virtual MySQL Server
Quickly, web hosting companies started migrating to reliable VPS servers. Among them were the SQL servers. And, one of the most popular virtual SQL servers was the MySQL server.
A MySQL server is usually a stand-alone server, which handles solely the MySQL software. There's a big advantage of keeping this sole software on a single server. Had it been a part of a cloud hosting server, for example, it could have been affected by any server problems caused by users or other services on the server. As a single-server service, it provides the speed and stability all users need when accessing their databases.
When the virtual MySQL servers were introduced, this helped decrease the budget spent on different servers - instead of two servers, now there could be one, just a bit more powerful. This helped companies reduce their costs and consecutively - reduce their prices. And when running the servers on Linux, this saves even more funds, from not having to pay a lot of license fees. This is how companies can offer reliable VPS server solutions