MariaDB - a better MySQL?
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We use MariaDB whenever we need a database server compatible with MySQL Server, and do not wish to use Oracle MySQL Server. MariaDB largely has been an excellent choice, particularly when there are documented bugs with Oracle MySQL Server that prevent us from using it in a specific environment or application. Due to its branched codebase and rapid development cycle, MariaDB does not replicate various bugs or performance issues that MySQL Server can exhibit in specific scenarios.
Pros
- Rapid Release Cycle
- MySQL Compatibility
- Speed and Performance
Cons
- Upgrades can be problematic in specific environments
- Upgrades are a manual process
- Documentation is difficult to find
Return on Investment
- For specific environments we have been able save money by downscaling VMs due to MariaDB's lower footprint compared to MySQL for some of our web applications.
- As MariaDB is MySQL compatible, we have saved money by not retooling our data layers when using MariaDB for applications that support MySQL.
- We have had a marginal increase in maintenance and administration costs due to differences in MariaDB's update cycle and its manual upgrade process compared to MySQL.
Usability
Alternatives Considered
MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database, FirebirdSQL, SQLite and PostgreSQL
Other Software Used
Microsoft Visual Studio, ReSharper, MongoDB, MySQL


