> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mariadb.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mariadb.com/docs/general-resources/community/community/faq/mariadb-software-questions/what-is-mariadb.md).

# What is MariaDB?

MariaDB is a [backwards compatible](/docs/release-notes/community-server/about/compatibility-and-differences/mariadb-vs-mysql-compatibility.md), drop-in replacement of the MySQL® Database Server. It includes all major open source storage engines.

You can see a [list of all current and old releases](https://mariadb.com/docs/release-notes/) as well as a [feature comparison to MySQL](/docs/release-notes/community-server/about/compatibility-and-differences/mariadb-vs-mysql-features.md).

The source code for MariaDB is [publicly available](/docs/server/clients-and-utilities/server-client-software/download/getting-the-mariadb-source-code.md) on [GitHub](https://github.com/MariaDB/server). Binaries and packages are [also available](https://mariadb.org/download).

<sub>*This page is licensed: CC BY-SA / Gnu FDL*</sub>

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