Difference Between = and <=> Operators in MySQL
Both = and <=> are comparison operators in MySQL, but they behave differently when dealing with NULL values.
= checks if two values are equal.
If either value is NULL, the result is NULL (unknown).
Cannot compare NULL values reliably.
<=> is MySQL's NULL-safe equality operator.
Returns 1 (TRUE) only when the two values are equal — including when both are NULL.
Returns 0 (FALSE) when not equal.
= returns NULL when comparing to NULL; <=> returns 1 if both sides are NULL.
= is a standard equality operator; <=> is specifically designed for NULL-safe comparisons.
<=> is often used in conditions where NULL values must be treated as valid comparisons (e.g., WHERE column <=> variable).
In short: use <=> when you want reliable comparisons that include NULL values; use = for normal equality checks.