Databases have a whole mystique around them, but it’s really not that big of a deal. A database stores text-based information, of any kind. If you have a list of members who log into your site, that list is stored in a database. If you have an e-commerce site that lists products, information about those products is stored in a database.
There are many different types of databases that can be used, but two industry leaders you should know about are MySQL and MariaDB.
Many times when you purchase hosting from a company, you will have to choose between one of these two options. This post is an attempt to go over some of the basics and help empower you to make that decision.
Of the two, MySQL was the first, around 1995. It is an open source relational database management system (RDBMS) and works like any other relational database. What sets it apart is its popularity, as it is probably the most widely used RDBMS in the world.
MariaDB is a fork of MySQL, meaning it started out as an exact copy and has branched off over time. At this time, MariaDB still functions as a direct, drop-in replacement for MySQL databases.
It may be worth mentioning that the two have diverged a bit recently, and over time, they may become more different. While the two are widely known to be compatible, the MariaDB site lists numerous incompatibilities, and this list is likely to grow over time. The point is that you want to pick one, go with it, and ideally avoid having to switch back and forth.
Which is faster?
For most tasks, performance is comparable. For those curious, there are real performance benchmarks online.
MariaDB has some new features that improve the performance of large databases. These include thread pool management and defragmentation within the InnoDB data store, which maximizes processing efficiency. That means that when a user deletes rows from an InnoDB table, the free space is immediately made available to the operating system. MariaDB also offers engine-independent table statistics that can be used to improve performance.
Storage Engines
MariaDB offers more choices of supported storage engines than MySQL, but this versatility matters less than simply which storage engine suits your requirements.
- MariaDB supports:
- MySQL supports: InnoDB, MyISAM, Memory, CSV, Archive, Blackhole, Merge, Federated, Example.
Support
The levels of support available for the two platforms are roughly comparable. Support for MySQL is available through Oracle, while support for MariaDB is available through the platform’s robust online community. Both offer a top-tier level of support that provides even more hands-on support for those with more robust needs.
Security
Both systems offer a high level of security. MySQL includes strong encryption for tablespace data, as well as good security settings for passwords and user privilege settings. It also ensures application security by preventing SQL injections and data corruption.
MariaDB has all of these security measures, but also some new ones, such as internal security and password verification, PAM and LDAP authentication, Kerberos, and user roles.
Current users
These are some users of each system:
MySQL: NASA, Tesla, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Zappos, Youtube and Spotify
MariaDB: Google, Craiglist, Wikipedia, Ubuntu
Clearly, if it works for these giants, any database will work for us too. Choosing one really depends on your needs and preferences.