Connector/Python 2.0.0rc2 Release Notes

The most recent release of MariaDB Connector/Python is:

Connector/Python 1.1.14 Download Now

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Release date: March 2026

This is a Release Candidate (RC) release of MariaDB Connector/Python.

Do not use non-stable (non-GA) releases in production!

For a description of this library see the MariaDB Connector/Python documentation .

Overview

MariaDB Connector/Python 2.0.0 RC2 is a major rewrite that introduces significant improvements and new features while maintaining compatibility with the Python DB API 2.0 (PEP-249) standard.

Version 2.0 offers flexible distribution options:

• Pure Python implementation - Works everywhere, no compiler required

• C extension - Maximum performance for data-heavy workloads

• Pre-compiled binary wheels - No local C connector installation needed

• Native async/await support - First-class asynchronous API

Major New Features

Asynchronous Support

• CONPY-2: Native async/await support for asynchronous database operations

• CONPY-327: Asynchronous support for C implementation

  • asyncConnect() function and AsyncConnection class

  • AsyncCursor class with async methods

  • create_async_pool() for async connection pooling

  • Context manager support with async with statements

  • Compatible with FastAPI, Starlette, and other asyncio-based frameworks

Enhanced Distribution Options

• CONPY-324: Enhanced Python Connector Distribution

  • Pure Python implementation available via pip install mariadb[python]

  • C extension for maximum performance via pip install mariadb[c]

  • Pre-compiled binary wheels via pip install mariadb[binary]

  • Connection pooling support via pip install mariadb[pool]

Connection URI Support

• CONPY-326: Add Connection URI Support to MariaDB Python Connector

  • Standard mariadb:// connection string syntax

  • Simplified connection configuration

  • Example: mariadb.connect("mariadb://user:password@localhost:3306/database")

Type Hints

• CONPY-325: Add Type Hints to MariaDB Python Connector

  • Complete type annotations for all public APIs

  • Full mypy and pyright compatibility

  • Improved IDE autocomplete and type checking

Binary Protocol Improvements

• CONPY-338: Unified binary protocol use

  • Explicit control over binary vs text protocol

  • Prepared statement caching enabled by default

  • Better performance for repeated queries

  • Connection-level and cursor-level binary parameter

Performance and Architecture Improvements

Metadata Optimization

• CONPY-335: Metadata: Store metadata as an object of arrays instead of an array of objects

  • Improved memory efficiency for cursor metadata

  • Faster metadata access patterns

  • Better performance with large result sets

C Implementation Enhancements

• CONPY-333: C implementation: columns metadata reading

  • Optimized metadata reading in C extension

  • Reduced overhead for query execution

  • Enhanced performance for data-heavy workloads

Installation

MariaDB Connector/Python 2.0.0-rc2 can be obtained from the Python Package Index (PyPI):

Pure Python implementation (recommended for development):

pip install --pre mariadb[python,pool]

Pre-compiled binary wheels (recommended for production):

pip install --pre mariadb[binary,pool]

C extension from source (maximum performance):

# Requires MariaDB Connector/C 3.3.1 or later
pip install --pre mariadb[c,pool]

Breaking Changes

Please refer to the Migration Guide for detailed information on migrating from version 1.1 to 2.0.

Key breaking changes:

• Python 3.8+ required (Python 3.7 and earlier no longer supported)

• Some internal APIs have changed

• Default behavior changes for prepared statement caching

Changelog

For a list of changes made in this release, with links to detailed information on each push, see the changelog.

Links

• Documentation

• Migration Guide

• API Reference

• Bug tracker

• Source code

Do not use non-stable (non-GA) releases in production!

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