About MariaDB Software
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MariaDB is an open-source, multi-threaded, relational database management system, released under the GNU Public License (GPL). MariaDB's lead developer is Michael "Monty" Widenius, who is one of the founders of MySQL AB.
There are millions of installations of MariaDB worldwide, and thousands of downloads a day of MariaDB installation software. The success of MariaDB as a leading database is due not only to open source, but also its reliability, performance, and features.
Features
Many features contribute to MariaDB's standing as a database system. Its speed is one of its most prominent features. MariaDB is remarkably scalable, and is able to handle tens of thousands of tables and billions of rows of data. It can also manage small amounts of data quickly and smoothly, making it convenient for small businesses or personal projects.
Another feature that sets it apart from its predecessors is a particular focus on security. When critical security issues are discovered, our engineers immediately prepare and distribute a new release of MariaDB, as quickly as possible. The MariaDB team works closely with the Mitre Organization to ensure all security issues are promptly reported and documented in sufficient detail. These details are typically released after the new release has been published.
MariaDB’s built-in functions include ones for manipulating and formatting text, business and statistical calculations, recording chronological information, as well as specialty features such ones related to GPS mapping.
Usage
We strive to develop a database system that works easily on the web and has one of the fastest connectors. Thanks to the fact that we use threads, we can handle much higher loads than other database systems. We have always striven to adapt to new hardware and to optimize the software for all commonly used systems and methods of deployment. Because we're continuously improving the software, we're able to provide a new release each month and a new version every year. That's an indication that things are happening and improving regularly.
In addition to web usage, MariaDB can be used for stand-alone applications ranging from enterprise transactional and analytical systems down to mobile devices, embedded with other software. MariaDB works in the cloud or on premise.
Due to its focus on performance and based on its threading model, MariaDB features the scale out technologies necessary for when your site or application experiences major spikes in traffic or rapid growth in business.
Security
With encryption that we've introduced in recent versions of MariaDB, you can be assured that your databases will be secure — by default. Most other database systems don't have encryption by default.
Many organizations are leery about using commercial database software because they don't know for sure if the compiled code contains back-doors for accessing the data or some special way in which the software is using encryption that could allow a hacker to get at their data. Since MariaDB is open-source, governments and other organizations know that their databases are secure. Nothing is hidden.
Integration
The critical software in any database management system is its storage engine, which manages queries and interfaces between a user's SQL statements and the database's back-end storage. MariaDB offers several storage engines with different advantages. Some are transaction-safe storage engines that allow for rollback of data.
MariaDB also offers full integration with Galera cluster — an add-on for MariaDB for running multiple database servers for better performance and high availability. This is just one of many examples of how MariaDB integrates well with other software and systems. Such integration and MariaDB new encryption features have made it the premier database.
Version & Release Schedule
MariaDB is known for rapid and stable improvements. Each new release comes with speed and stability improvements, as well as new features. Current and development versions of MariaDB (and many previous versions) can be downloaded from the MariaDB Downloads Directory. There is also a yum repository for installing easily MariaDB and related software. Use the yum repository tool to configure your server.
- Current Stable MariaDB Release: MariaDB 10.3
- Current Development Release: MariaDB 10.4
- Previous Stable Releases: MariaDB 10.2; MariaDB 10.1; MariaDB 10.0; and MariaDB 5.5
- No Longer Supported Previous Releases: MariaDB 5.3; MariaDB 5.2; and MariaDB 5.1
MariaDB makes updates to active releases about once a month. The MariaDB Foundation provides a road map, which will give you information on when to expect the next release of MariaDB.
Learning MariaDB
If you're developing a career as a computer programmer, a web developer, or a similar role in computer technology, learning MariaDB will prove useful in your career. Many businesses develop and maintain custom software with MariaDB and the similar software. Additionally, many of the most popular web sites and software use MariaDB for their database — or they use another SQL database system that you can learn easily once you understand MariaDB.
It's highly likely that, for any job to which you apply or take as a database developer or administrator or as a web site developer, you will be required to know or you will benefit from knowing MariaDB. Therefore, learning MariaDB is a good foundation for your career in computer technology. These documentation pages are your best resource for learning MariaDB in detail.
