Reference a parent table and enforce relational integrity.
Section: constraints and keys
Create a table with a foreign key
sql
sql
CREATE TABLE orders (
id BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
user_id BIGINT UNSIGNED NOT NULL,
status VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
created_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP,
PRIMARY KEY (id),
KEY idx_orders_user_id (user_id),
CONSTRAINT fk_orders_user FOREIGN KEY (user_id) REFERENCES users(id)
ON DELETE CASCADE
ON UPDATE RESTRICT
) ENGINE=InnoDB;Explanation
The explicit index on the foreign key column helps join and lookup performance.
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Related commands
Same sheet · prioritizing constraints and keys
Create a table with a composite primary key
Use multiple columns as the logical primary key.
Create a users table
Create a table with an auto-increment primary key and timestamps.