MariaDB vs MySQL
| Feature | MariaDB | MySQL |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Databases | Databases |
| Sub-category | Relational | Relational |
| Maturity | mature | mature |
| Complexity | beginner | beginner |
| Performance tier | medium | enterprise grade |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| License type | copyleft | copyleft |
| Pricing | fully free | fully free |
| GitHub stars | 6.0K | 0 |
| Contributors | 500 | 500 |
| Commit frequency | weekly | weekly |
| Plugin ecosystem | none | none |
| Docs quality | good | excellent |
| Backing org | MariaDB Foundation | Oracle |
| Funding model | community | corporate |
| Min RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Min CPU cores | 1 | 1 |
| Scaling pattern | vertical | vertical |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| K8s native | No | No |
| Offline capable | Yes | Yes |
| Vendor lock-in | none | none |
| Languages | C, C++ | C, C++ |
| API type | REST | SDK |
| Protocols | HTTP | MySQL wire |
| Deployment | docker, apt, binary | apt, docker, binary |
| SDK languages | — | python, javascript, java, go, rust, ruby, php, c, c# |
| Team size fit | solo, small, medium, enterprise | solo, small, medium, enterprise |
| First release | 2020 | 1995 |
| Latest version | — | — |
When to use MariaDB
- ✓ Primary use: web-application-data
- ✓ Primary use: mysql-replacement
- ✓ Primary use: clustering
When to use MySQL
- ✓ WordPress and CMS backend
- ✓ Read-heavy web application data
- ✓ E-commerce product catalogs
- ✓ Legacy enterprise applications
MariaDB anti-patterns
MySQL anti-patterns
- ✕ Less feature-rich than PostgreSQL for advanced SQL
- ✕ Oracle stewardship concerns
- ✕ JSON support weaker than PostgreSQL JSONB
- ✕ No native horizontal sharding