Of course! This is a great question that touches on a common point of confusion for Python developers working with MySQL.

Let's break it down clearly.

The Short Answer (TL;DR)

For Python 3.3, the standard, recommended, and most reliable library to connect to MySQL is mysql-connector-python.

You install it using pip:

pip install mysql-connector-python

The Detailed Explanation: Why mysql-connector-python?

The old, go-to library for a long time was MySQLdb. However, this library has a major problem:

• MySQLdb is not compatible with Python 3. It was written for Python 2 and was never officially updated to support Python 3.

This led to the creation of several alternative libraries. Here’s a quick comparison to understand why mysql-connector-python is the best choice for your situation.

Conclusion for Python 3.3: Stick with the officially supported and straightforward option: mysql-connector-python.

How to Use mysql-connector-python with Python 3.3

Here is a step-by-step guide with code examples.

Step 1: Install the Library

Open your terminal or command prompt and run:

pip install mysql-connector-python

If you need to specify a version (though this is rarely necessary as it's backward compatible), you could do:

pip install "mysql-connector-python==8.0.33" 

But the simple install is best.

Step 2: Basic Python Code Example

Here is a simple, complete script that connects to a MySQL database, creates a table, inserts a record, and then queries it.

Prerequisites:

• You have a MySQL server running.
• You have a database created (e.g., testdb).
• You have a user with permissions on that database (e.g., user with password password).

# import the MySQL Connector Python module
import mysql.connector
from mysql.connector import Error
def connect_to_mysql():
    """Establishes a connection to the MySQL database."""
    try:
        # Replace with your actual database connection details
        connection = mysql.connector.connect(
            host='localhost',          # Your MySQL server host
            database='testdb',         # Your database name
            user='user',               # Your MySQL username
            password='password'        # Your MySQL password
        )
        if connection.is_connected():
            db_info = connection.get_server_info()
            print(f"Successfully connected to MySQL Server version {db_info}")
            cursor = connection.cursor()
            cursor.execute("SELECT database();")
            record = cursor.fetchone()
            print(f"You're connected to database: {record[0]}")
            # --- Example of creating a table and inserting data ---
            create_table_query = """
            CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS employees (
                id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
                name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
                position VARCHAR(100),
                salary DECIMAL(10, 2)
            )
            """
            cursor.execute(create_table_query)
            print("Table 'employees' created or already exists.")
            # Insert a new record
            insert_query = "INSERT INTO employees (name, position, salary) VALUES (%s, %s, %s)"
            employee_data = ('Alice Smith', 'Software Engineer', 95000.00)
            cursor.execute(insert_query, employee_data)
            # Commit the transaction to save the changes
            connection.commit()
            print(f"{cursor.rowcount} record inserted into 'employees' table.")
            # --- Example of querying data ---
            select_query = "SELECT id, name, position, salary FROM employees"
            cursor.execute(select_query)
            # Fetch all the records
            records = cursor.fetchall()
            print("\nPrinting employee records:")
            for row in records:
                print(f"ID: {row[0]}, Name: {row[1]}, Position: {row[2]}, Salary: {row[3]}")
    except Error as e:
        print(f"Error while connecting to MySQL: {e}")
    finally:
        # Closing the database connection
        if 'connection' in locals() and connection.is_connected():
            cursor.close()
            connection.close()
            print("\nMySQL connection is closed.")
# Run the function
if __name__ == "__main__":
    connect_to_mysql()

Important Consideration for Python 3.3 and Modern Systems

While mysql-connector-python works perfectly with Python 3.3, it's crucial to understand that Python 3.3 reached its official "end of life" in September 2025.

This means:

• It no longer receives security updates.
• It no longer receives bug fixes.
• Many modern libraries and tools may have dropped support for it.

If you are starting a new project today, you should absolutely use a modern, supported version of Python (like Python 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, or 3.12). The connection libraries (mysql-connector-python, PyMySQL) work much better and are more secure on these versions.

You should only use Python 3.3 if you are maintaining a legacy application that cannot be upgraded.