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The recommended engine to use foreign keys is InnoDB, and honestly, for 99% of cases InnoDB is better. You can easily change all your database to use InnoDB instead of MyISAM: add default_storage_engine = InnoDB to /etc/mysql/my.cnf (or equivalent)
Use the MyISAM storage engine for read-heavy workloads and applications that require full-text search capabilities. MyISAM storage engine doesn’t support some important features such as transactions and foreign keys, which are essential for data integrity in many applications.
1.7.2.3 FOREIGN KEY Constraint Differences. The MySQL implementation of foreign key constraints differs from the SQL standard in the following key respects: If there are several rows in the parent table with the same referenced key value, InnoDB performs a foreign key check as if the other parent rows with the same key value do not exist.
Mysql can parse the foreign key syntax for the myisam table type (meaning no error message will be raised if it encounters an fk definition), making migration from other database products or table engines easier because you do not have to edit the create table statements to remove them.
You can check or repair MyISAM tables with the mysqlcheck client or myisamchk utility. You can also compress MyISAM tables with myisampack to take up much less space.
MySQL Workbench Manual / ... / Extending Workbench / Tutorial: Writing Plugins / Tutorial: Generating Foreign Keys with MyISAM
In MySQL 8.0, it is normally necessary to use ENGINE to specify the MyISAM storage engine because InnoDB is the default engine. You can check or repair MyISAM tables with the mysqlcheck client or myisamchk utility. You can also compress MyISAM tables with myisampack to take up much less space.
