A mixer is designed to let you plug many signals into it, modify those signals, and mix them together into one or more signals, which can be sent to a PA or recorder.
One common way in which mixers are described is by the number of buses. A buss is a signal path and lets you group a number of channels and control them with one fader. You can take 3 of your inputs, mix them together then route those 3 signals into one buss. You may take the rest of your inputs and route them to another buss. That is why you see mixers described as 4 buss, 8 buss, etc.
Here is an example, let's say you did the sound check, and you got the drums sounding great. Now the band comes out for the set, the place is packed, and you need to turn up the drums. But, you have 8 drum mics, all on different channels. Is it possible to turn up all 8 faders by the exact same amount and keep your great mix? Most likely not, but you can route all 8 of those channels into one buss. Now when you turn up the volume for that buss, you are turning up all of the drums!
Most mixers have all the separate channels on the left side, and the master section on the right. Whether it is a 4 channel mixer or a 32 channel mixer, the controls for each channel are the same. You have the input jack, then a preamp, then some auxiliary sends, then your EQ, then the balance, and finally the volume control. The signal travels down this line, and then is sent to the master section. This get repeated for each and every channel. The master output then goes to your power amps.
Your signal travels through all of these switches and knobs. Each one adds a small amount of noise to the signal. Why is a Mackie mixer better than a Behringer? Less noise. If the manufacturer uses quality components, you get much less noise than if cheap components are used. This make a huge difference and you get what you pay for.
The quality of the mic preamps are also important. Did the manufacturer use a $100 preamp, or a made-in-China $1 preamp? There are reasons why better mixers cost more money.
Some mixers have built-in effects. These make it easy to use, but the effects are usually not as good as a stand-alone effects processor. You wouldn't use these effects for recording, but they are probably good enough for live sound.
The last thing to consider right now is the number of Aux sends. You will need one PRE
fader send for each monitor mix that you want to have. You also will need one POST fader send for each external effects unit that you want to use.
So which mixer is best? Consider the preamp quality, the number of buses (which give you many routing options), the number of channels, the number of auxiliary sends (pre and post), and effects. Find one that has all the features you need and fits your budget, just remember this is one place you really get what you pay for.
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