Search code examples
mysqlprimary-keyunique-key

MySQL: is primary key unique by default?


If I define a column as a primary key in MySQL, is it also unique key by default or do I need to also define it as unique key (in case I want it to be unique)?

I saw this question What is the difference b/w Primary Key and Unique Key that explain the difference between the two, but doesn't exactly answer my question.

Does PK is UK by default or I need to explicitly define it?


Solution

  • Primary key is always unique in every SQL. You dont have to explicitly define it as UNIQUE.

    On a side note: You can only have onePrimary key in a table and it never allows null values. Also you can have only one primary key constraint in the table(as the point of creating a primary key is to uniquely identify the row in your table) but you can more than one unique key constraint in your table.

    Example:

    An employee details table having EmpID as Primary key and EmpPhoneNo as unique key.