Google Summer of Code 2024

You are viewing an old version of this article. View the current version here.

This year we are again participating in the Google Summer of Code. The MariaDB Foundation believes we are making a better database that remains application compatible with MySQL. We also work on making LGPL connectors (currently C, C++, ODBC, Java, Node.js) and on MariaDB Galera Cluster, which allows you to scale your reads & writes. And we have MariaDB ColumnStore, which is a columnar storage engine, designed to process petabytes of data with real-time response to analytical queries.

Where to Start

Please join us on Zulip to mingle with the community. You should also subscribe to the developers mailing list (this is the main list where we discuss development - there are also other mailing lists).

To improve your chances of being accepted, it is a good idea to submit a pull request with a bug fix to the server.

Also see the List of beginner friendly issues from the MariaDB Issue Tracker.

List of Tasks

MariaDB Server

Implement IVFFlat indexing strategy for MariaDB Vector and evaluate performance

Part-time (175h) or full-time project (350h) - depending on scope MariaDB Vector is coming to MariaDB Server to serve AI Workloads. The current indexing strategy will use HNSW, but IVFFlat is a possible alternative that costs fewer resources to create. Having it as an option is desirable.

MDEV-17398 Spatial (GIS) functions in MariaDB

Part-time (175h) or full-time project (350h) - depending on scope

Our GIS functionality is limitted compared to other DBMSes. Given that MariaDB looks to facilitate migration from MySQL, we should be on par. We have a list of functions that are missing in MariaDB compared to MySQL, as described in https://mariadb.com/kb/en/function-differences-between-mariadb-1010-and-mysql-80/.
Our goal is to have as many of these functions available within MariaDB. Some of the functionality can be ported from MySQL, while others might require implementation from scratch.

Skills needed: Understanding of C++ development. Ability to navigate a large codebase (with help from mentor).
Mentors: Anel Husakovic (primary) / Vicențiu Ciorbaru (secondary)


MDEV-16482 MariaDB Oracle mode misses Synonyms

Full-time project 350h

Synonyms are an important feature, particularly as it helps smooth migration from other databases. While the initial project scope seems straightforward, there are a number of aspects that must be considered:

  1. Grammar extension
  2. Where will the synonyms definitions be stored?
  3. How do synonyms map to the underlying privilege system? Who can create a synonym? Who can access a synonym?
  4. Do we enforce the underlying object to exists before creating a synonym? What if the underlying object gets dropped?
  5. What kind of error messages do we present to the user in various corner cases?
  6. How do synonyms interact with replication (row based vs statement based)
  7. How do synonyms interact with views (and views execution)
  8. How to present synonyms to users (as part of INFORMATION_SCHEMA for instance?)
  9. Performance considerations for multiple connections to the database.

Skills needed: Understanding of C++ development. Able to write and discuss various tradeoffs such that we achieve a feature set that makes sense given the database's priorities.
Mentors: Vicențiu Ciorbaru (primary) / Michael Widenius (secondary)


Buildbot (CI/CD)

MDBF-320 Better Grid view for buildbot.mariadb.org (Python / Javascript / Web Dev

Full-time project 350h

Our CI/CD infrastructure uses a recent version of Buildbot. The GRID view plugin that comes with Buildbot is not adequate for our needs. In this project, you will discuss with your mentor as well as other MariaDB developers on how to best improve the User Experience of Buildbot's grid view for what MariaDB Developers needs to accomplish.

Skills needed: Understanding of web-dev technologies like Angular, React, and Javascript related libraries. Python may also be required.
Mentor: Vlad Bogolin

Suggest a Task

Do you have an idea of your own, not listed above? Do let us know!

Comments

Comments loading...
Content reproduced on this site is the property of its respective owners, and this content is not reviewed in advance by MariaDB. The views, information and opinions expressed by this content do not necessarily represent those of MariaDB or any other party.