MariaDB Server
MariaDB Server is one of the most widely deployed open source relational
databases. It is built by a global community of contributors together with
the MariaDB Foundation and MariaDB plc, and it powers workloads from small
applications to large-scale production systems.
MariaDB began as a fork of MySQL, led by the original MySQL developers,
and it maintains a high degree of MySQL compatibility. It has since grown
into a database with its own capabilities, including native vector search,
multiple pluggable storage engines, synchronous clustering, and analytical
features, while remaining a straightforward migration target for existing
MySQL deployments.
Key features
- Native vector search. A built-in VECTOR data type with approximate
nearest-neighbour indexing (HNSW), available since MariaDB 11.8 with
no extension required.
- Pluggable storage engines. InnoDB (default for transactional workloads),
Aria, MyRocks, ColumnStore for analytics, Spider for sharding, and S3
for archival, among others.
- Replication and clustering. Asynchronous, semi-synchronous, and
parallel replication with global transaction IDs, plus Galera synchronous
multi-primary clustering.
- Advanced SQL. Common table expressions and recursive CTEs, window
functions, system-versioned (temporal) tables, sequences, and a broad set
of JSON functions.
- MySQL and Oracle compatibility. Wire-protocol and syntax compatibility
with MySQL, plus an Oracle SQL mode supporting PL/SQL-style stored routines.
- Spatial and full-text search. GIS data types and functions, and built-in
full-text indexing.
- Security. Role-based access control, pluggable authentication (ed25519,
PAM, GSSAPI, and more), data-at-rest encryption, and TLS for connections.
Documentation
Releases
MariaDB Server follows a yearly long-term support (LTS) model alongside
quarterly rolling releases. Binary LTS releases are maintained for three years
and are recommended for production; rolling releases deliver new features
sooner with a shorter support window.
For the current version and full history, see
Releases and
the MariaDB release calendar.
Installing
Packages and installation instructions for all supported platforms are
available at https://mariadb.org/download/.
Building from source
To build MariaDB from source and run the test suite, follow the
developer guide
It covers building the code correctly, running the MariaDB testing framework,
and choosing the right branch to target for contributions.
Contributing
Contributions are welcome, from code and documentation to bug reports and
reviews. See CONTRIBUTING.md to
get started, and CODING_STANDARDS.md
for code style. Contributors and community members are recognised in
CREDITS.
Getting help
Licensing
MariaDB Server is licensed under version 2 of the GNU General Public
License (GPLv2), without the "any later version" clause. This is inherited from
MySQL. License information is in the COPYING
file, and third-party license information is in the
THIRDPARTY file.
About MariaDB Foundation
MariaDB is brought to you by the MariaDB Foundation and MariaDB plc.
The MariaDB Foundation is the custodian of the MariaDB Server codebase,
ensuring it stays open and that anyone can contribute.
See CREDITS for details on the Foundation
and the people developing MariaDB.
MySQL, the base of MariaDB, is a product and trademark of Oracle Corporation, Inc.
