Using MariaDB as a MySQL Replacement

We chose to standardize on MariaDB as the datastore to power over 100,000 Drupal and WordPress websites. To do this, we manage almost 275,000 individual database containers. Choosing our database technology is not something we take lightly. These databases aren’t just sitting around; the platform averages over 100,000 MariaDB queries per second every day, answering a total of over 260 billion queries over the lifetime of the currently running containers (some have been running for hours, others for months).

MariaDB beat out MySQL because we've found the community more open and easier to work with.  And we're not the only ones—Fedora defaulted ‘mysql’ package to MariaDB for similar reasons starting in Fedora 19 (you can read more about their raionale on the Fedora Project website). On a practical level (beyond the open source warm-fuzzies), this means that we get increased confidence in the project through better insight and direction into the future of the software.

When we think of open source, we often think of non-proprietary code, but great open source starts even before the codebase. The MariaDB Foundation is a non-profit organization hat "promotes, protects, and advances the MariaDB codebase, community, and ecosystem." (Thanks to Clarence Doering  for opening up the nuances of trademark ownership for me). Without a doubt, the openness of the MariaDB community in general and the support of the MariaDB Foundation play an important role creating an active community.

One great aspect of the MariaDB community is that the MariaDB roadmap and planning all takes place in the open with the community. Using this community-driven approach, MariaDB is creating features that power real-world use-cases, for people who use and operate many databases. For example, you can follow along with the Pantheon-submitted request for ‘Systemd Socket Activation’ by watching the official feature and the code patches.

Lastly, the code is all fully open source using GPL, LGPL, and BSD licenses. You can find out about more reasons MariaDB rocks on the MariaDB.com website.

We’re excited to commit be part of the MariaDB community, and see the amazing web experiences our users can build standing on the shoulders of giants.