Comments - MariaDB versus MySQL - Compatibility
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You can easily run several servers side-by-side if you use a no-install packages (bintar for Linux, zip for Windows). It is also an easy way to try a new product without disturbing your system.
Both MariaDB and MySQL provide binary tarballs and Windows zip archives. Please make sure you are picking the right one for your architecture, and in case of Linux -- also the one with the suitable GLIBC requirements.