Choosing the best relational database management system might be difficult because so many are available nowadays. The ideal RDBMS must be fast and efficient, and it must also satisfy user needs. MariaDB vs MySQL is important when choosing an open-source relational database management system. In this article, we will describe the differences between MariaDB and MySQL.
Table of Contents
What is MariaDB?
MariaDB is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) that replaces the commonly used MySQL database technology. It was first made available on October 29, 2009, and was created by the MariaDB Foundation. Because MariaDB offers many additional features, it beats MySQL in terms of performance and user-friendliness.
What is MySQL?
MySQL is a simple, fast, scalable, and easy-to-use open-source relational database system. It was first released in 1996 by Michael Widenius. It is efficient and user-friendly, making it one of the most recognizable technologies. You can quickly learn many MySQL ideas to create robust data storage systems using SQL. MySQL uses an access system that provides authentication through the hosting provider and an encrypted password system for security.
MySQL is the most common RDBMS in the world, and it is used by many of the world’s largest software companies and platforms. Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are included in this. MySQL features include:
- All the SQL standard controls.
- Transactions.
- ACID compliance (atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability).
MariaDB vs MySQL
Performance Comparison
Compared to MySQL, MariaDB includes several changes that boost performance. As we can see below, MariaDB performs significantly better overall when compared to MySQL.
Databases Views
The performance of database “views” has been greatly improved. Virtual database tables known as “views” can be searched similarly to conventional database tables.
When you query a view in MySQL, any tables related to the view are also queried, even if the query doesn’t necessarily need all of them. In MariaDB, this has been optimized such that questions only focus on the necessary tables.
ColumnStore
MariaDB offers yet another powerful speed boost in the shape of “ColumnStore,” a distributed data architecture that significantly scales MariaDB. A database cluster can scale linearly to store petabytes of data across numerous computers.
Better Flash Storage Performance
Also, MariaDB offers a MyRocks storage engine that includes the RocksDB database. The database RocksDB provides a higher level of data compression to operate better in flash storage.
Segmented Key Cache
Segmented Key Cache is a new performance enhancement provided by MariaDB. Different threads compete to take a lock over the cached entry in a typical cache. These locks are called mutexes. Only one thread can obtain a mutex while numerous lines compete; the rest must wait for the lock to be released before proceeding. It causes these threads to execute slowly, which lowers the database’s performance.
Queries Execution in Parallel
The execution of many queries in parallel is supported by MariaDB versions 10.0 and up. The concept is that some of the master’s questions can be replicated in the slave and then executed simultaneously. The parallelism of query execution gives MariaDB a distinct advantage over MySQL.
Storage Engines
MariaDB offers several strong storage engines right out of the box that MySQL does not. As an example, XtraDB, Aria, etc. It may not be the most convenient approach to manually install these storage engines to set them up for MySQL.
Compatibility
The MariaDB team is working to ensure MariaDB in existing applications can easily replace MySQL. In reality, they release the same version number of MariaDB for each release of MySQL to indicate that MariaDB is generally compatible with the corresponding MySQL version. It allows a simple migration to MariaDB without requiring changes to the application’s source base.
Databases: Open Source vs. Private
Oracle, one of the biggest companies in the world, is in charge of managing the large project MySQL. This has benefits and drawbacks. On the bright side, this might result in greater security, more stable software, and more personalized customer service. However, one disadvantage is that it takes a long time for large companies to introduce new features.
On the other hand, MariaDB is open, and they take outside suggestions quite quickly and release them as new features and improvements.
Should You Choose MySQL or MariaDB?
Without a doubt, MariaDB is quite powerful and offers many beneficial functions, but MySQL does not support it. Because of these qualities, MariaDB is an advantageous option to be used as the main backend database.
Businesses that own Oracle licenses do not necessarily need to invest in MariaDB. However, MariaDB is a better option for individuals starting from scratch and trying to decide which database to use.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is no clear-cut advantage to using MariaDB over MySQL. For those just getting started, MariaDB is preferable. Those who are already using MySQL can continue using it without too much concern for performance loss.
What’s more, it’s simple if you ever need to switch from MySQL to MariaDB. Both have benefits and drawbacks, so your choice should be based on your requirements.