What is MariaDB?

MariaDB is an independent relational database management system that offers high performance, flexible storage engines, and seamless compatibility with MySQL. It also stands out due to its comprehensive security features, JSON support, and easy scalability. Some typical use cases for MariaDB databases include web applications, cloud databases, e-commerce, and enterprise applications.

What is MariaDB?

MariaDB is a general-purpose open-source relational database management system that was launched in 2009 as a fork of MySQL. It is among the most popular database servers worldwide and is used by Google, WordPress, and Wikipedia, among others. The MariaDB Foundation coordinates the ongoing development of the platform, overseeing release cycles, quality assurance, and security updates. MariaDB is published under the GPLv2 license, meaning it is an open source database management system or DBMS, for short.

Like MySQL, MariaDB uses the relational database model, organizing data into tables. These tables can be related to each other, enabling complex queries and efficient data management. MariaDB databases are based on the universal language SQL (Structured Query Language), which is designed for accessing and managing data in relational databases. For example, the SQL command SELECT is used to query data, while the command INSERT allows data to be inserted into a table.

MariaDB is programmed in C and C++, but it also supports other programming languages such as Java, Python, PHP, and Perl. It is also designed for all major operating systems—Windows, Linux, and macOS—making it cross-platform compatible.

What features does MariaDB offer?

MariaDB has an extensive set of features that meet modern demands for performance, scalability, and security. Here is a non-exhaustive list of its functions:

• Modular storage engines: MariaDB databases provide multiple storage engines designed for different needs. InnoDB is designed for general transaction storage. Aria allows for easy copying of tables between different systems and MyRocks offers stronger compression. OQGRAPH handles hierarchies and complex graphs.
• ACID compliance: MariaDB supports transactions with ACID properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability). This ensures that all operations within a transaction are either fully completed or not at all, and are rolled back in case of errors, ensuring data integrity even during system failures.
• Replication and scaling: The platform is capable of distributing loads across multiple servers. ColumnStore is specifically developed for big data scaling. Additionally, Galera offers a synchronous multi-master cluster. Spider uses partitioning to achieve data sharding across servers.
• Advanced SQL functions: Features like Window Functions, Common Table Expressions (CTEs), and JSON data types enable the creation of complex queries and modern data models.
• Extensive security features: MariaDB not only provides regular security updates, encryption, and role-based access control but also numerous plugins for authentication.

What advantages does MariaDB offer?

MariaDB combines performance, open-source accessibility and flexibility, making it suitable for projects of any size: Whether it’s small web applications or mission-critical systems, users of MariaDB enjoy numerous benefits. The following overview summarizes the key advantages:

• Completely open-source and free: MariaDB is under the GPLv2 license. This eliminates licensing fees and gives you full access to the source code, offering great freedom to customize and expand the software.
• Compatibility with MySQL: MariaDB is compatible with MySQL. This means existing applications, tools, and scripts using MySQL can usually be switched over with minimal effort.
• High performance: With features like specialized storage engines, MariaDB can quickly process requests even under heavy load and with large data volumes. Horizontal scaling through replication and clustering can be easily configured.
• Active community: A global community of developers and companies contributes to the ongoing development of MariaDB databases. These receive regular updates and new features.

What is MariaDB most suitable for?

MariaDB is suitable for a wide range of applications, from classic web projects to data-intensive enterprise solutions and modern cloud and Big Data environments. It is also ideal for everything from simple entry-level projects to complex software architectures. Classic use cases include:

• Web applications: MariaDB is often used to manage data in web applications. An example includes content management systems like WordPress, Joomla!, or Drupal, which run reliably on MariaDB despite high traffic volumes.
• Cloud databases: Many cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure offer MariaDB as a fully managed service. This allows MariaDB databases to be scaled flexibly and maintained automatically.
• Online stores: In e-commerce systems like Magento, MariaDB manages product catalogs, orders, and customer data. Even with a high number of users, MariaDB databases ensure fast transactions.
• Mission-critical applications: MariaDB is also used in enterprise environments that require high availability and performance.

What are some recommended alternatives to MariaDB?

The most obvious MariaDB alternative is MySQL, which is one of the world’s most popular relational database management systems. MySQL is known for its highly user-friendly design and strong support from Oracle, which helps users quickly resolve issues. It also offers broad compatibility with various programming languages, platforms, and systems—a trait it shares with MariaDB. In fact, some Linux distributions, such as Fedora, CentOS, and Arch Linux, have even adopted MariaDB as their default database system in place of MySQL.

Several other solutions are worth considering as alternatives. MongoDB is particularly well-suited for handling large volumes of data, offering virtually unlimited horizontal scalability. Apache Cassandraalso excels in big data environments thanks to its robust scaling capabilities. Meanwhile, Google’s Firebase is specifically optimized for mobile applications.