MySQL applications can be written to use an embedded server. See Section 17.1, “libmysqld, the Embedded MySQL Server Library”. To write such an application, you must link it against the libmysqld library by using the -lmysqld flag rather than linking it against the libmysqlclient client library by using the -lmysqlclient flag. However, the calls to initialize and finalize the library are the same whether you write a client application or one that uses the embedded server: Call mysql_library_init() to initialize the library and mysql_library_end() when you are done with it. See Section 17.2.2, “C API Function Overview”.

mysql_library_init() and mysql_library_end() are available as of MySQL 4.1.10. For earlier versions of MySQL 4.1, call mysql_server_init() and mysql_server_end() instead, which are equivalent. (mysql_library_init() and mysql_library_end() actually are #define symbols that make them equivalent to mysql_server_init() and mysql_server_end(), but the names more clearly indicate that they should be called when beginning and ending use of a MySQL C API library no matter whether the application uses libmysqlclient or libmysqld.)