MariaDB and MySQL are both open source relational databases with comparable structures and functionality. Since Oracle now owns MySQL, many users find themselves on a fast track to vendor lock-in with other proprietary solutions, such as Oracle Cloud and Oracle HeatWave. By contrast, MariaDB prioritizes flexibility and user freedom. Our open source relational database started as a fork of MySQL and maintains a high level of compatibility with MySQL. Our database experts, including many members of the original core MySQL team, bring the best of database technology without vendor lock-in.
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MariaDB versus MySQL
How Are MariaDB and MySQL Similar?
MariaDB maintains a high level of compatibility with the MySQL protocol and MySQL clients. Both MariaDB and MySQL offer open source community versions, as well as enterprise editions: MariaDB Enterprise Platform and MySQL Enterprise Edition. These enterprise offerings include software components not available to the community, backporting stable features for older enterprise versions, and a collection of plugins and additional tools. Since the two products share a common ancestry, there is a high degree of compatibility and similarity.
Core Architecture and Data Structures
MariaDB and MySQL are built upon the same foundational architecture and use the same data and table definition files, ensuring a seamless migration path for many applications.
Client Protocols and APIs
MariaDB was designed as a drop-in replacement for MySQL. This means it uses the same client protocols, APIs, ports and sockets. Although MySQL veered further off track with version 8.0, applications and tools designed for MySQL can often connect to a MariaDB server with little to no modification.
High Availability
MariaDB and MySQL both support asynchronous and semi-synchronous replication. They also provide continuous availability through multi-master clustering and dynamic query routing. MariaDB multi-master clustering is based on a robust, mature and proven solution that has been used in production for years. MySQL introduced group replication in an earlier major release (MySQL 5.7). However, it lacks advanced clustering features, such as full state transfer for adding new database instances, automatic rejoin for recovered database instances and streaming replication for handling large transactions.
Cloud
MariaDB and MySQL can both be run in any cloud environment, and each offers a database-as-a-service option: MariaDB Cloud and Oracle Base Database Service. MariaDB Cloud can run on AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure, while Oracle Base Database Service only runs on Oracle Cloud.
How Do MariaDB and MySQL Differ?
Innovation Gap
Even with a common heritage and similar end goals, the two products have diverged over the years. MariaDB has introduced multiple new features and capabilities, while MySQL lags in development. Because MySQL has received less attention in recent years, MariaDB has become the default database in several leading Linux distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux/CentOS, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server/openSUSE and OpenBSD/FreeBSD.
Oracle has maintained the open source community version of MySQL, but recent actions and strategic shifts, including significant layoffs of the core development team, suggest declining interest in the community edition and a focus on steering users toward proprietary, cloud-exclusive services such as MySQL HeatWave on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).
While Oracle has not discontinued MySQL’s community version, its strategic direction indicates a clear preference for driving users toward its commercial cloud offerings.
MariaDB continues to innovate the community edition. The recent addition of AI-based features, such as vector search, RAG and more, illustrates an ongoing commitment to providing new functionality in both the community and enterprise editions.
Server Consolidation
Vector Search and AI Integration
MariaDB integrates vector search directly into its core database engine, unlocking powerful new capabilities that enable you to build sophisticated AI-driven applications using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems. By eliminating the need for a separate vector database, MariaDB streamlines your data infrastructure and lets you combine the power of traditional SQL operations with vector embeddings. By consolidating vector and relational data management, MariaDB simplifies development, enhances performance and reduces costs, making it a cost-effective solution for organizations looking to harness the full potential of AI.
Columnar Storage Format
The MariaDB ColumnStore engine enables MariaDB to leverage columnar storage and massively parallel processing for interactive, ad hoc analytics on massive datasets, eliminating the need for a separate data warehouse. However, MariaDB is not limited to using either storage format. MariaDB schemas can use row tables for transaction processing and columnar tables for analytics, or store data in both row and columnar formats, enabling support for applications that require hybrid transactional and analytical processing. MySQL does not natively offer a full-fledged columnar storage engine as a built-in option.
Working with External Products
Oracle Database Compatibility
MariaDB tables can be created using Oracle Database data types, and can execute stored procedures written in Oracle PL/SQL. Oracle Database compatibility simplifies migration to MariaDB, enabling DBAs to “lift and shift” Oracle Database tables, packages and stored procedures. In addition, MariaDB supports Oracle Database syntax for sequences. Although Oracle owns both MySQL and Oracle Database, they are not inherently compatible, as they are not interchangeable.
NoSQL Protocol Support
MariaDB MaxScale’s nosqlprotocol module enables MongoDB client libraries to use a MariaDB backend. The module transparently converts MongoDB commands into SQL for MariaDB and then translates MariaDB responses back into the MongoDB format. Internally, documents are stored in a table with an id column for the object id and a doc column for the document.
Federation
The MariaDB Enterprise Federation plugin can access tables in other databases through MariaDB. Unlike similar plugins for MySQL, it is not limited to remote MariaDB databases. It accesses remote databases, open source or proprietary, using standard ODBC connections. MySQL Federation uses the FEDERATED storage engine in MySQL, which allows a local server to access tables on a remote MySQL server as if they were local. It does not provide access to other database types.
Enhancing Auditing and Cloud Options
Temporal Tables
MariaDB supports all three types of temporal tables defined in the SQL standard: system-versioned tables, application-time period tables and bitemporal tables. With system-versioned tables, the database creates a new row whenever a row’s data is modified, maintaining a complete version history for each row. This enables DBAs and/or applications to query table data from a previous point in time. With application-time period tables, applications specify the start and end time for when a row is valid. MySQL does not natively support temporal tables.
MariaDB Cloud
MariaDB Cloud is a fully managed database-as-a-service (DBaaS) offering two robust architectures: provisioned for consistent performance and serverless for on-demand elastic scaling. Built on the full power of MariaDB Server, the service delivers mission-critical resilience, integrated AI and multicloud freedom right out of the box. MariaDB Cloud can run on AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure, giving you the freedom to choose and switch providers. Oracle HeatWave locks you further into the Oracle environment, making provider changes a challenge.
MariaDB Cloud also streamlines the development of AI applications by integrating high-performance vector search and developer tooling directly into the database. This unified approach eliminates the complexity and cost of a fragmented data stack. It is designed to ensure uptime and resilience. It combines an advanced, self-healing architecture with intelligent, automated failover, enabling zero-downtime recovery and safeguarding your database from both small-scale failures and large-scale outages. MySQL only offers these features in the Enterprise edition.
How to Choose Between MariaDB and MySQL
There are many factors to consider when choosing between MariaDB and MySQL. MySQL is backed by Oracle, which some see as a benefit while others view it as a drawback. As organizations move away from other Oracle products, migrating from MySQL to MariaDB is a sensible option.
Beyond this, there are several compelling reasons to choose MariaDB.
Improve Query Performance
Incremental gains in query performance lead to better overall resource usage and a more efficient system. MariaDB added several query optimizer enhancements that lead to faster query execution in specific scenarios. Recent benchmarks for OLTP queries in version 10.8 show a 2.63x performance gain (163%) compared to our earlier 10.6 release. With the introduction of the Query Accelerator for use with the ColumnStore engine and MariaDB Exa as an option in the Enterprise Platform for near real-time analytical access to your essential data, MariaDB is also a clear winner for analytics.
Storage Engines to Meet Your Needs in a Unified Environment
Achieving fast query response without overcomplicating a database environment is an ongoing challenge. MySQL supports multiple storage engines, but its development efforts are heavily focused on InnoDB. MariaDB offers a diverse set of storage engines, giving users more options to tailor their databases or tables to specific use cases. The recent addition of MariaDB Exa further illustrates our ongoing commitment to improving performance and delivering a unified database environment.
Quick and Reliable Replication
Replication solutions need to commit write requests quickly and ensure consistent data across all nodes. MariaDB demonstrates superior performance in replication tasks, and its acquisition of Codership, the maker of the Galera replication engine, further strengthens its dominance. MariaDB MaxScale provides another replication option.
Enhanced Performance Through Connection Handling
Any increase in performance helps a business thrive. MariaDB’s built-in thread pooling provides a significant performance advantage in environments with a high number of simultaneous connections.
Storage Engines to Meet Your Needs in a Unified Environment
Achieving fast query response without overcomplicating a database environment is an ongoing challenge. MySQL supports multiple storage engines, but its development efforts are heavily focused on InnoDB. MariaDB offers a diverse set of storage engines, giving users more options to tailor their databases or tables to specific use cases. The recent addition of MariaDB Exa further illustrates our ongoing commitment to improving performance and delivering a unified database environment.
Enhanced High Availability Capabilities
Both MariaDB and MySQL provide continuous availability with multi-master clustering and dynamic query routing, but MariaDB significantly outperforms MySQL. MySQL group replication lacks several basic features of a true high-availability solution, while MariaDB high availability is a multi-master, synchronous replication cluster that supports automatic failover, data consistency, and zero data loss.
Comparing MariaDB to MySQL
Reasons to Choose MariaDB
- Your applications are read-intensive or require high concurrency.
- You want to minimize your database licensing and support costs.
- You want to consolidate your data stack.
- Your workloads are diverse and could benefit from specialized engines.
Reasons to Choose MySQL
- You are already heavily invested in the MySQL ecosystem.
- Your applications make extensive use of JSON data.
- You prefer the support of a major corporation.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | MariaDB | MySQL |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Generally considered faster, especially for read-heavy workloads and replication. Offers more storage engines that can be optimized for specific use cases. | Reliable performance, but can be slower than MariaDB in certain scenarios. |
| Key Features | Includes a wide variety of storage engines (e.g., Aria, ColumnStore), and advanced clustering with Enterprise Cluster. | Strong native JSON support, a mature Group Replication feature for high availability, and the support of Oracle for enterprise-level features. |
| Security | Provides robust security features including role-based access control, encryption and advanced authentication plugins. | Offers strong security features, with some advanced options like a password validation component enabled by default. |
| Scalability | Excellent scalability with features like thread pooling (handling over 200,000 connections) available in the community version. | Good scalability, but thread pooling is an enterprise-only feature. |
| Support & Community | Strong, active community-driven development and support. Enterprise support is available through the MariaDB Corporation. | Extensive community support due to its widespread adoption. Enterprise-level support is provided by Oracle. |
| Cost | Generally lower total cost of ownership as all features are included in the free version. Enterprise subscriptions are available for enhanced support. | The Community Edition is free, but accessing advanced features and official support requires a paid Enterprise license. |
