MariaDB

MariaDB

MariaDB is an open source relational database management system, created as a drop-in replacement for MySQL. It is developed by some of the original developers of MySQL and aims to remain free and open source software under the GNU GPL.
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opensource dropin-replacement mysql gnu-gpl

MariaDB: Open Source Relational Database Management System

An open source relational database management system, created as a drop-in replacement for MySQL, aiming to remain free and open source software under the GNU GPL.

What is MariaDB?

MariaDB is an open source relational database management system, created as a drop-in replacement for MySQL. It is developed by some of the original developers of MySQL and is intended to remain free and open source software under the GNU GPL.

After Oracle acquired MySQL in 2010, the founders of MySQL started the MariaDB project out of concerns that MySQL under Oracle's control would become closed-sourced. MariaDB aims for full compatibility with MySQL, ensuring a "drop-in" replacement capability with library binary equivalency and exact matching with MySQL APIs and commands.

While MariaDB initially started as a "cloned" version of MySQL, many new and original features have since been added including new storage engines like Cassandra and MyRocks, additional performance optimizations, advanced clustering with Galera Cluster 4, and enhanced security and encryption. Over time MariaDB has diverged from MySQL in terms of features and functionality while retaining a focus on speed, security, and reliability.

Notable users include Wikipedia, DBS Bank, ServiceNow and Google. MariaDB is used in numerous production deployments around the world, providing a stable, scalable and robust alternative to MySQL for enterprise applications and services.

MariaDB Features

Features

  1. Relational database management system
  2. Open source and community developed
  3. Drop-in replacement for MySQL
  4. Supports JSON data type
  5. Galera Cluster for high availability
  6. Encryption, compression and replication capabilities

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

High performance

High availability with clustering

Feature rich

Large community support

Cons

Not as widely used as MySQL

Limited ecosystem compared to MySQL

Less extensive documentation than MySQL


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