What is MariaDB Server? What is it used for?
MariaDB Server is one of the most popular database servers in the world. It was created by the original developers of MySQL and is guaranteed to remain open source. Wikipedia, WordPress.com, and Google use MariaDB infrastructure.
MariaDB transforms data into structured information for a wide variety of applications, from banking to websites. Originally developed as a drop-in replacement for MySQL, MariaDB is used because it is fast, scalable, and reliable. Its rich ecosystem of storage engines, plugins, and many other tools make it versatile for a wide range of use cases.
MariaDB is developed as open-source software and provides an SQL interface for accessing data as a relational database. The latest versions of MariaDB also include GIS and JSON features. The MariaDB Server will remain free and open source software licensed under GPLv2, independent of any commercial organization.
Compatibility with MySQL, Postgres, MongoDB, and Oracle
MariaDB Server still maintains a high level of compatibility with MySQL, and the most popular applications that use MySQL will work seamlessly with MariaDB. However, since MariaDB’s goals differ from MySQL’s and MariaDB Server includes many new features, the term “drop-in replacement” is no longer officially used.
MariaDB places great importance on preserving backward compatibility for its users. Upgrades from older MySQL versions to the latest MariaDB versions are supported as in-place upgrades.
MariaDB Server offers an Oracle syntax compatibility mode to run Oracle database applications without modification.
Unlike MariaDB, PostgreSQL started as a research project focusing on features rather than performance and stability. MariaDB’s predecessor, MySQL, took a pragmatic approach with less functionality but focused on performance, stability, and ease of use. Since then, with MariaDB focusing on more complete implementation of the ANSI SQL standard and improving PostgreSQL’s performance, the differences between the two have narrowed.
General Purpose
InnoDB is a good general-purpose transactional storage engine and often the best choice in most cases.
Aria, a more modern improvement over MyISAM in MariaDB, has a small footprint and allows easy table copying between systems.
MyISAM is MySQL’s oldest storage engine with a small footprint and permits easy table copying between systems. It is rarely recommended for use outside of legacy purposes. Aria is MariaDB’s modern evolution of MyISAM.