MariaDB vs MySQL: Key Differences and Use Cases

This blog post was originally published in November 2017 and was updated in June 2023.

In this blog, we’ll provide a comparison between MariaDB vs. MySQL (including Percona Server for MySQL).

Introduction: MariaDB vs. MySQL

The goal of this blog post is to evaluate, at a higher level, MariaDB vs. MySQL vs. Percona Server for MySQL side-by-side to better inform the decision making process. It is largely an unofficial response to published comments from the MariaDB Corporation.

It is worth noting that Percona Server for MySQL is a drop-in compatible branch of MySQL, where Percona contributes as much as possible upstream. MariaDB Server, on the other hand, is a fork of MySQL 5.5. They cherry-picked MySQL features and don’t guarantee drop-in compatibility any longer. Before we dive into the differences between MariaDB and MySQL, we will provide a thorough examination of each relational database management system (RDBMS).

What is MariaDB?

MariaDB is a popular SQL open source relational database management system that originated as a fork of MySQL after MySQL was acquired by Sun Microsystems in 2008 and later Oracle in 2010. Due to concerns in the open source software community about the future of MySQL after the acquisition, MariaDB was created in 2009 by Michael Widenius (one of the original creators of MySQL), who named the new software after his daughter Maria.  While originally designed to be a drop-in replacement for MySQL, it evolved into its own distinct database management system and is now maintained and supported by the MariaDB Foundation.

MariaDB retains compatibility with MySQL, offers support for different programming languages, including Python, PHP, Java, and Perl, and works with all major open source storage engines such as MyRocks, Aria, and InnoDB. It provides ACID (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) compliance, a set of database operations that ensure database transactions are processed accurately even when unexpected errors occur.

Critical features of MariaDB include robust security features like encryption at rest and in transit,  user authentication, and role-based access control (RBAC), as well as high-performance query execution, advanced indexing techniques, and replication, clustering, and sharding, ensuring scalability and high availability.

It continues to be developed and maintained by the open source community and remains free to use under the GNU General Public License.

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The advantages and disadvantages of MariaDB

There are several advantages to using MariaDB as an RDBMS, including enhanced performance, robust security, better scalability, and compatibility with MySQL, but it also has a few drawbacks you should be aware of like a smaller user community than MySQL and possible compatibility issues with certain applications.

Advantages:

MariaDB is a highly advantageous option for a wide range of applications and organizations, offering numerous benefits that set it apart from other RDBMS:

• A significant advantages of MariaDB is its performance. Via various optimization techniques, such as advanced query optimization, efficient indexing, and fast data processing, MariaDB can deliver excellent performance even when running heavy workloads.  In addition, MariaDB provides optimal scalability options, making it ideal for growing workloads. With features like horizontal scaling through sharding and clustering, organizations can seamlessly grow their database infrastructure, enabling effective distribution of data across multiple nodes to accommodate an increase in data volume while maintaining performance.
• Enhanced security is another advantage MariaDB. It incorporates robust security features to protect your data, including encryption, authentication mechanisms, and role-based access control (RBAC) to prevent unauthorized access and other vulnerabilities.
• And lastly, MariaDB’s compatibility with MySQL is a real advantage, especially for companies already utilizing MySQL. This allows for mostly seamless migrations of applications and databases from MySQL to MariaDB, meaning your DBAs and developers can utilize their MySQL knowledge to work in MariaDB.

Disadvantages:

While MariaDB is a popular and widely-used RDBMS, it can present some disadvantages to users that may not be present in others. Here are some potential drawbacks of using it:

• Compared to MySQL, MariaDB has a smaller open source user and developer community. And while that community does continue to grow, the smaller community size may make it difficult to find specialized expertise or documentation for complex issues. In addition, there are fewer resources, plugins, libraries, third-party tools, and sources of support available than for other, more established database systems.
• As mentioned earlier, MariaDB is mostly compatible with MySQL, but that doesn’t mean that certain applications will work perfectly with both. MariaDB has a less mature ecosystem than MySQL, so some tools and features specifically created for MySQL may not be fully supported in MariaDB. 
• In addition, MariaDB sometimes lags behind other database systems in terms of implementing new features and abilities. If an organization requires the latest and greatest offerings in their RDBMS, DBAs and other users of MariaDB may find it difficult to utilize some database capabilities found in other, more mature systems.

What is MySQL?

MySQL is one of the most popular open source RDBMS used by organizations of all sizes due to its reliability, scalability, and performance. It supports multiple operating systems and platforms, making it an ideal choice for various applications. 

Some key features and functionalities of MySQL include:

• Support for multiple storage engines, allowing users to choose what is suitable for their needs. InnoDB, the default engine, is known for its excellent transactional capabilities.
  
• Strong data and access control security, ensuring the safeguarding and integrity of sensitive information.
• Efficient data processing and indexing, making it optimal for executing queries and handling large datasets.
• Cross-platform compatibility makes MySQL compatible with various operating systems, including Linux, Windows, macOS, and more.
• Scalability and replication options that can improve performance and high availability.
  

An abundance of APIs and connectors, allowing seamless integration with prominent programming languages and frameworks.

Initially developed by MySQL AB in the mid-1990s, with time it became a central component of the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Python/Perl) for web development efforts. In 2008, Sun Microsystems acquired MySQL AB, and then, in 2010, Oracle bought Sun Microsystems. This acquisition raised licensing concerns about the future of MySQL, with many users wondering if it would lead to a shift away from it being open source and available to the community. And while Oracle has continued maintaining MySQL Community Edition as a free, open source project, it offers an enterprise (paid) version as well.

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The advantages and disadvantages of MySQL

MySQL offers advantages such as a large user base, community support, wide compatibility, and ease of use, but also has some disadvantages, including concerns over Oracle’s control of the project, inefficient handling of large datasets, and support for complex transactions.  

In this section, we will look at specific advantages and disadvantages of using MySQL.

Advantages:

One major advantage MySQL has over other RDBMS is the size of its user base and availability of community support. MySQL is the most popular database in the world and benefits from the knowledge, resources, and development from that user base.

Because of this popularity, MySQL also has a proven track record of being reliable and stable. It is always being tested and updated, providing for optimized performance and minimal failures. MySQL offers excellent scalability, so companies can grow their databases efficiently and easily, and it provides flexibility when it comes to platform compatibility. MySQL runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, and other operating systems, letting users choose the platform that works best for their infrastructure.

A wide range of tools and integrations help users manage and interact with MySQL efficiently, including graphical user interfaces such as phpMyAdmin, command-line interfaces such as MySQL Shell, monitoring tools such as Percona Monitoring and Management, connectors and APIs for seamless integration with the most popular programming languages, and backup and recovery solutions like mysqldump and Percona XtraBackup.

Disadvantages:

One disadvantage of MySQL is its performance limitations when dealing with large datasets or complex queries. MySQL is able to handle large amounts of data, but maintaining efficient and optimal performance as your database grows may cause issues.

Another disadvantage pertains to the licensing restrictions for specific features in MySQL. And while it is open source, some advanced features you may need might require commercial licenses. Be aware, those costs can add up quickly. 

Lastly, within the open source community, there are valid concerns about Oracle’s control over MySQL. As a commercial software company, it may prioritize development of proprietary (read: for a fee) offerings over freely-available open source developments from the community, effectively closing off the accessibility of the software to all for development and use.

MariaDB vs. MySQL vs Percona Server for MySQL: General Comparisons

MariaDB, MySQL, and Percona Server for MySQL are all very popular choices for relational database management systems. In the chart below, we discuss the general protocols, features, scalability, security, and usability of each, compared to each other. Things to keep in mind as you read through the chart:

• MariaDB is a community-developed fork of MySQL
• MySQL is owned by Oracle
• Percona Server for MySQL is a performance-focused variant of MySQL, providing additional optimizations and scalability features at no cost
  

*Note. Third-party software (such as ProxySQL and ClickHouse) used in conjunction with Percona Server for MySQL is not necessarily covered by Percona Support services.

To get a higher level view of what Percona Server for MySQL offers compared to MySQL, please visit Percona Server Feature Comparison. Read this for a higher level view of compatibility between MariaDB Server and MySQL written by MariaDB Corporation.

MariaDB vs. MySQL: Exploring the Key Differences

In the below sections, we’ll compare the key differences between MariaDB, MySQL, and Percona Server for MySQL.

Open Community

MariaDB Server undoubtedly has an open community, with governance mixed between MariaDB Foundation and MariaDB Corporation. There are open developer meetings on average about twice per year, two mailing lists (one for developers and users), an IRC channel and an open JIRA ticket system that logs bugs and feature requests.

Percona Server for MySQL also has an open community. Developer meetings are not open to general contributors, but there is a mailing list, an IRC channel and two systems – Launchpad and JIRA – for logging bugs and feature requests.

MySQL also has an open community where developer meetings are also not open to general contributors. There are many mailing lists, there are a few IRC channels and there is the MySQL bugs system. The worklogs are where the design for future releases happens, and these are opened up when their features are fully developed and source-code-pushed.

From a source code standpoint, MySQL makes pushes to Github when a release is made, whereas open source development happens for Percona Server for MySQL and MariaDB Server on Github.

Feature development on MySQL continues in leaps and bounds, and Oracle has been an excellent steward of MySQL. Please refer to The Complete List of Features in 5.7, as well as The Unofficial MySQL 8 Optimiser Guide.

Linux distributions have chosen MariaDB Server 5.5, and some have chosen MariaDB Server 10.0/10.1 when there was more backward compatibility to MySQL 5.5/5.6. It is the “default” MySQL in many Linux distributions (such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE and Debian). However, Ubuntu still believes that when you ask for MySQL you should get it (and that is what Ubuntu ships).

One of the main reasons Debian switched was due to the way Oracle publishes updates for security issues. They are released as a whole quarterly as Critical Patch Updates, without much detail about individual fixes. This is a policy that is unlikely to change but has had no adverse effects on distribution.

All projects actively embrace contributions from the open community. MariaDB Server does include contributions like the MyRocks engine developed at Facebook, but so does Percona Server for MySQL. Oracle accepts contributions from a long list of contributors, including Percona. Please see Licensing information for MySQL 5.7 as an example.

A Shared Core Engine

MariaDB Server has differed from MySQL since MySQL 5.5. This is one reason why you don’t get version numbers that follow the MySQL scheme. It is also worth noting that features are cherry-picked at merge time because the source code has diverged so much since then.

As the table below shows, it took Percona Server for MySQL over four months to get a stable 5.5 release based on MySQL 5.5, while it took MariaDB Server one year and four months to get a stable 5.5 release based on MySQL 5.5. Percona Server for MySQL 5.6 and 5.7 are based on their respective MySQL versions.

MySQL is currently at 8.0.3 Release Candidate, while MariaDB Server is at 10.3.2 Alpha as of this writing.

MariaDB Server is by no means a drop-in replacement for MySQL. The risk of moving to MariaDB Server if you aren’t using newer MySQL features may be minimal, but the risk of moving out of MariaDB Server to MySQL is very prevalent. Linux distributions like Debian already warn you of this.

The differences are beyond just default configuration options. Some features, like time-delayed replication that were present in MySQL since 2013, only make an appearance in MariaDB Server in 2017! (Refer to the MariaDB Server 10.2 Overview for more.) However, it is also worth noting some features such as multi-source replication appeared in MariaDB Server 10.0 first, and only then came to MySQL 5.7.

Extensibility

MySQL and MariaDB Server have a storage engine interface, and this is how you access all engines, including the favored InnoDB/Percona XtraDB. It is worth noting that Percona XtraDB was the default InnoDB replacement in MariaDB Server 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.5, 10.0 and 10.1. But in MariaDB Server 10.2, the InnoDB of choice is upstream MySQL.

Stock MySQL has provided several storage engines beyond just InnoDB (the default) and MyISAM. You can find out more information about 5.7 Supported Engines.

Percona Server for MySQL includes a modified MEMORY storage engine, ships Percona XtraDB as the default InnoDB, and also ships TokuDB and MyRocks (currently experimental). MyRocks is based on the RocksDB engine, and both are developed extensively at Facebook.

MariaDB Server includes many storage engines beyond the default InnoDB. MyISAM is modified with segmented key caches, the default temporary table storage engine is Aria (which is a crash-safe MyISAM), the FederatedX engine is a modified FEDERATED engine, and there are more: CONNECT, Mroonga, OQGRAPH, Sequence, SphinxSE, SPIDER, TokuDB and of course MyRocks.

Storage engines have specific use cases and have different levels of feature completeness. You should thoroughly evaluate a storage engine before choosing it. We believe that over 90% of installations are fine with just InnoDB or Percona XtraDB. Percona TokuDB is another engine that users who need compression could use. We naturally expect more usage in the MyRocks sphere going forward.

Analytics

MariaDB ColumnStore is the MariaDB solution to analytics and using a column-based store. It is a separate download and product and not a traditional storage engine (yet). It is based on the now-defunct InfiniDB product.

At Percona, we are quite excited by ClickHouse. We also have plenty of content around it. There is no MySQL story around this.

High Availability

High Availability is an exciting topic in the MySQL world, considering the server itself has been around for over 22 years. There are so many solutions out there, and some have had evolution as well.

MySQL provides MySQL Cluster (NDBCLUSTER) (there is no equivalent in the MariaDB world). MySQL also provides group replication (similar to Galera Cluster). Combined with the proxy MySQL Router, and the mysqlsh for administration (part of the X Protocol/X Dev API), you can also get MySQL InnoDB Cluster.

We benefit from the above at Percona, but also put in lots of engineering work to make Percona XtraDB Cluster.

MariaDB Server only provides Galera Cluster.

Security

While we don’t want to compare the proprietary MySQL Enterprise Firewall, MariaDB’s recommendation is the proprietary, non-open source MariaDB MaxScale (it uses a Business Source License). We highly recommend the alternative, ProxySQL.

When it comes to encryption, MariaDB Server implements Google patches to provide complete data at rest encryption. This supports InnoDB, XtraDB, and Aria temporary tables. The log files can also be encrypted (not present in MySQL, which only allows tablespace encryption and not log file encryption).

When it comes to attack prevention, ProxySQL should offer everything you need.

MySQL Enterprise provides auditing, while MariaDB Server provides an audit plugin as well as an extension to the audit interface for user filtering. Percona Server for MySQL has an audit plugin that sticks to the MySQL API, yet provides user filtering and controls the ability to audit (since auditing is expensive). Streaming to syslog is supported by the audit plugins from Percona and MariaDB.

Supporting Ecosystem and Tools

Upgrading from MySQL to MariaDB Server should be a relatively simple process (as stated above). If you want to upgrade away from MariaDB Server to MySQL, you may face hassles. For tools, see the following table:

Enterprise Database Compatibility

MariaDB Server today has window functions and common table expressions (CTEs). These appeared in MariaDB Server 10.2. MySQL 8 is presently in release candidate status and also has similar functionality.

Looking ahead, MariaDB Server 10.3 also includes an Oracle SQL_MODE and a partial PL/SQL parser. This is to aid migration from Oracle to MariaDB Server.

MariaDB Server 10.2 also has “flashback”, developed at Alibaba, to help with log-based rollback using the binary log.

Conclusion: Maximizing Database Performance with Percona

Percona sees healthy competition in the MySQL ecosystem. We support all databases in the ecosystem: MySQL, MariaDB Server, and Percona Server for MySQL. Our focus is to provide alternatives to proprietary parts of open source software. Percona has a strong operations focus on compatibility, application scalability, high availability security, and observability. We also support many additional tools within the ecosystem and love integrating and contributing to open source code.

For example, Percona Monitoring and Management (PMM) includes many open source tools like Prometheus, Consul, Grafana, Orchestrator, and more. We have made the de facto open source hot backup solution for MySQL, MariaDB Server, and Percona Server for MySQL (called Percona XtraBackup). We continue to maintain and extend useful tools for database engineers and administrators in Percona Toolkit. We make Percona XtraDB Cluster safe for deployment out of the box. We have invested in a write-optimized storage engine, TokuDB, and now continue to work on making MyRocks better.

We look forward to supporting your deployments of MySQL or MariaDB Server, whichever option is right for you! If you need assistance on migrations between servers, or further information, don’t hesitate to contact your friendly Percona sales associate.

Ready to take your MySQL deployments to the next level? Explore our comprehensive features and support with Percona Server for MySQL and Percona Distribution for MySQL.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which one is better, MariaDB or MySQL?
   Choosing between MariaDB or MySQL depends on your specific requirements and use case. Both are popular and offer similar core functionality. MariaDB offers improved performance for large datasets as well as enhanced security features. MySQL, on the other hand, benefits from a large user base and community and has a track record of reliability and stability. 
2. Are there any performance differences between MariaDB and MySQL?
   The performance differences between MariaDB and MySQL are typically minimal, but specific workloads, database configurations, and your database needs will dictate which choice will work best for you. It may be more important to focus on the differences beyond just performance, such as features, support, and compatibility, in order to make the right selection.
3. Is MariaDB replacing MySQL?
   While MariaDB has gained in popularity, it has not replaced MySQL as the database of choice. Both MariaDB and MySQL are still used in various applications in companies both large and small.
   
4. Are there any specific use cases where MariaDB is preferred over MySQL or vice versa?
   MariaDB can be an excellent choice for applications that deal with large datasets and complex workloads. In contrast, MySQL is a preferred choice for users where a diverse set of tools and integrations are required, and widespread adoption and community support are wanted.
5. Is MariaDB compatible with applications developed for MySQL?
   Yes, as a fork of MySQL, MariaDB is highly compatible with applications developed for MySQL.

19 Comments

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Giuseppe Maxia

6 years ago

I would like to note two important differences that make MariaDB lack of compatibility very important for evaluation:
(1) In matter of instrumentation, MySQL has implemented performance_schema tables for replication, while MariaDB has only a tiny fraction of the instrumentation available in regular tables. MariaDB has less information than MySQL when using multi-source replication and parallel threads.
(2) MySQL 8.0 implements a completely new data dictionary. Percona Server will get it just fine, while for MariaDB the adoption would be problematic, given how behind it is with MySQL compatibility. The data dictionary guarantees higher performance and better data consistency and it is fairly well integrated with the rest of the server.

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Vladislav Vaintroub

6 years ago

Hi Colin! What is the difference between “Open Source Threadpool with support for priority tickets” and “Open Source Threadpool” ?

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Paul Davis

Reply to  Vladislav Vaintroub

6 years ago

Lol, didn’t you know Vlad? You never question an unbiased opinion!

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Phil Stracchino

6 years ago

I will add to this only that I would really, really love to see Percona contribute a supported Gentoo ebuild for Percona XtraDB Cluster.

There is an ebuild for Percona Server already, but not for XtraDB Cluster, which has forced me into running MariaDB Galera Cluster on my own systems — and it is very clear that MariaDB did not do nearly as good or as thorough a job of integrating Galera as Percona did. For a long time, in testing at work we simply could not get MariaDB Galera Cluster to form a cluster at all, and while it does work now, it can still be difficult to recover it from an all-nodes-down condition, especially if it is allowed to attempt to autostart.

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Peter Zaitsev

Admin

Reply to  Phil Stracchino

6 years ago

Hi Phil,

I would love to see more customer demand for Gentoo which would allow us to allocate resources to do official build for Gentoo. We are performing extensive testing of our software on all platforms we support so adding another platform is not a trivial investment.

Thank you for your encouraging words on Percona XtraDB Cluster!

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Yzmir Ramirez

6 years ago

Was there a reference to Delayed Replication support?

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svar

6 years ago

For replication-manger, MariaDB, lack super_read_only mode, forcing no writes can happen during critical sections. Useful when using DNS ( Consul, mdns) to point to a master. Is MariaDB ignoring this feature request to force users to use maxscale, ignoring many other open source community around ? I don’t think that is the case, support for haproxy proxy protocol was added by Vlad, so please gave us that feature as well 🙂

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Harlok

6 years ago

Mariadb purpose is not to overwhelm mysql or other.
If you know the history of mariadb you will understand what I mean. I use mariadb that’s ok for me. But if you need more database “power” you can go for mysql or percona.

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Hamoon Mohammadian Pour

Reply to  Harlok

6 years ago

Power? Could you explain what are you meaning?

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Jacob

6 years ago

I wonder why MySQL NDB Cluster have not been mentioned in the comparison.
It is not a small development on MySQL part and has a lot of important functionallity

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Mark Callaghan

6 years ago

My take on the best thing about MariaDB — so many talented people working on it. But I feel the same about upstream MySQL and Percona. I hope we continue to figure out how to share the improvements we make in each community.

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mpingu

6 years ago

Hey, can you tell me where to find the Announce of MariaDB for this:
MariaDB Server, on the other hand, is a fork of MySQL 5.5. They cherry-picked MySQL features, and don’t guarantee drop-in compatibility any longer.

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Mark Callaghan

Reply to  mpingu

6 years ago

They claim “drop in replacement” today. I am not sure what that means because that is not as strong as “drop in compatible” but it is easy to confuse one for the other.
https://mariadb.com/kb/en/library/mariadb-vs-mysql-compatibility/

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mpingu

Reply to  Mark Callaghan

6 years ago

Thanks for your Response, so its more really unclear what is the fact or?

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Honeyboy Wilson

6 years ago

Your chart indicates that MySQL Workbench does not work with MariaDB. I haven’t had any problems using Workbench vsersion 6.0.8 with MariaDB version 10.1.9

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Arjen Lentz

6 years ago

Password expiry does not enhance security, thus implementing such a thing for MySQL merely appeases some outdated corporate ideas rather than deal with any real issue. I would not consider it a feature.
Please refer to https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-3/sp800-63-3.html (NIST Digital Identities Guidelines) for more information on what actual password security needs to do and not do.

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Jack Hunt

5 years ago

Does Percona Server use the php70w-mysqlnd RPM? I was thinking of trying Percona Server but not sure if it uses this RPM or not. I have this installed on my Centos 6 system right now with my MySQL installation.

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Peter Zaitsev

Admin

Reply to  Jack Hunt

5 years ago

Jack,

Percona Server talks the same client server protocol as MySQL server so it will support PHP’s MySQLND

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Jack Hunt

5 years ago

ok, thanks.

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